About the information design tool(IDT)
The information design tool is an SAP BusinessObjects metadata design environment that enables a designer to extract, define, and manipulate metadata from relational and OLAP sources to create and deploy SAP BusinessObjects universes.
A universe is an organized collection of metadata objects that enable business users to analyze and report on corporate data in a non-technical language.
These objects include dimensions, measures, hierarchies, attributes, pre-defined calculations, functions, and queries. The metadata object layer, called the business layer, is built on a relational database schema or an OLAP cube, so the objects map directly to the database structures via SQL or MDX expressions. A universe includes connections identifying the data sources so queries can be run on the data.
The role of the universe is to provide the business user with semantically understandable business objects. The user is free to analyze data and create reports using relevant business language regardless of the underlying data sources and structures.
Universes created using the information design tool can be used by the following SAP BusinessObjects data analysis and reporting applications starting with version BI 4:
· SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence
· SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise
· SAP BusinessObjects Explorer
· SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard Design
To enable the designer to create universes, the information design tool provides the resources necessary to do the following:
· Create connections to data sources.
· Extract a complete OLAP cube schema.
· Extract tables and joins to build a relational schema called a data foundation.
· Create metadata objects from the cube or the data foundation. These objects are contained and organized in a business layer. The SQL and MDX expressions within objects can be validated and queries run against the target databases to test the business layer.
· Share resources to allow multiple designers to work on the same resources concurrently.
· Publish a universe, which compiles the business layer, the data foundation, and the connections into a single universe file (.unx):
o Publish a universe to a repository to be implemented in deployments of SAP BusinessObjects data analysis and reporting applications.
o Publish a universe locally, to be implemented by client applications in standalone mode (for example Web Intelligence Rich Client).
· Create security profiles to define user access to universe data and metadata.
Who uses the information design tool?
The universe designer may be a database administrator, an applications manager or developer, a project manager, or a report creator who has acquired enough technical skills to create universes for other users. A security administrator also uses the information design tool to define universe security profiles.
There can be more than one universe designer in a company. The number of universe designers depends on the company's data requirements. For example, one universe designer could be appointed for each application, project, department or functional area.
Related Topics:
· About resources in the information design tool