Integrating SAP Dashboards into SAP Crystal Reports Dell Stinnett DecisionFirst Technologies September 10-13, 2012 Orlando, Florida

Visualizations created in SAP Dashboards can be embedded into reports developed in SAP Crystal Reports. There are two different ways for a report developed in SAP Crystal Reports to provide data to an embedded SAP Dashboards visualization. Learning Points

Introduction Why embed a visualization? Comparison of Data Providers How to embed a visualization: Building visualization – how to get sample data Cross-Tab Data Provider Flash Variables Wrap-up/Questions For this presentation we will be using SAP Crystal Reports 2011 and SAP Dashboards 4.0. These same techniques will work with Crystal Agenda

Who am I? 17 years of experience with Crystal Reports and 7 years of experience with BusinessObjects Enterprise Who is Decision First? Business Intelligence & Data Warehousing Specialists End to End Implementation Provider for SAP BusinessObjects 6-time SAP BusinessObjects Solution Partner of the Year 2010 SAP BusinessObjects Training Partner of the Year 2011 Antivia Partner of the Year SAP Gold Partner Introduction

Requirement to save or deliver a copy of a dashboard as of a specific point in time. Requirement for a graph that is not available in SAP Crystal Reports. Low-cost way do deliver dashboards. Why embed a visualization?

Crystal Reports Data Consumer Connects directly to a Crystal Cross-Tab Flash Variables Data from Crystal must be surrounded by XML tags. There are “helper” functions to do this. ToXMLColumn() ToXMLRow() ToXMLData() Data Providers

Create report Export data from report Excel export for Crystal Reports Data Consumer or Flash Variables with a single data set Build XML and export as text for Flash Variables with multiple data sets. Convert XML to CSV and import into Excel Use exported data to build visualization Building a Visualization – Get Sample Data

Create a cross-tab in report Export data sample to Excel Import Excel into SAP Dashboards Create visualization with sample data Set up Crystal Reports Data Consumer connection Export visualization to.SWF file Import.SWF file into report Connect data from report to visualization Crystal Reports Data Consumer - Demonstration

Flash Variables- Demonstration Build XML in report – Formulas must be in report in suppressed sections – The last row gets repeated: there are ways to handle this Export data sample to Excel Import Excel data into SAP Dashboards Create visualization with sample data Set up Flash variables Export to.SWF file Import.SWF file into report Connect data from report to visualization

Data Connection Comparison Crystal Reports Data Consumer Flash Variables Connect to Cross-tab data Use multiple data sets Interactive Visualizations

Visualizations created in SAP Dashboards can be embedded into reports developed in SAP Crystal Reports. There are two different ways for a report developed in SAP Crystal Reports to provide data to an embedded SAP Dashboards visualization. Each of the data connection types has pros and cons. When working with Flash variables, there are a couple of “tricks” that are needed to format data correctly. Summary

Q & A Any Questions?

Contact Info Via Forums: I post under the handle “hilfy” in the following: Crystal Reports Book Forum: Tek-Tips: BOB:

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