User s Guide. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan

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BusinessObjects™ XI Release 2

Integration Kit for Baan™

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and sold by Business Objects: 5,555,403, 6,247,008 B1, 6,578,027 B2, 6,490,593 and 6,289,352.

Trademarks Business Objects, the Business Objects logo, Crystal Reports, and Crystal Enterprise are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects SA or its affiliated companies in the United States and other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

contributors

Business Objects products in this release may contain redistributions of software licensed from third-party contributors. Some of these individual components may also be available under alternative licenses. A partial listing of third-party contributors that have requested or permitted acknowledgments, as well as required notices, can be found at:

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Welcome to the

BusinessObjects XI Release 2

Integration Kit for Baan

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Welcome to the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan

About this guide

1 About this guide

This guide includes instructions for report designers and report users. The two major product components—Integrated Baan Reporting and the Native Baan Driver—are treated separately, and the documentation for each component is divided into fundamental topics.

What is the BusinessObjects XI Release 2

Integration Kit for Baan?

When combined with the enterprise reporting power of BusinessObjects Enterprise and Crystal Reports, the BusinessObjects XI Integration Kit for Baan provides you, the Baan user, with the ability to extract the business intelligence contained within your Baan system.

Who should read this guide

This guide is intended for report designers and report users who want to generate Crystal reports from Baan reports, and to report directly off Baan data.

Business Objects information resources

For more information and assistance, see Appendix A: Business Objects Information Resources. This appendix describes the Business Objects documentation, customer support, training, and consulting services, with links to online resources.

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Installing the Native Baan

Driver

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Installing the Native Baan Driver

Installing the Native Baan Driver

2 Installing the Native Baan Driver

To install the driver components, you must be logged on as an administrator of the local machine and have Crystal Reports installed.

To install the Native Baan Driver on Windows

1. Insert the BusinessObjects XI Integration Kit for Baan CD.

2. In the \win32\BaanDriver directory, double-click setup.exe.

3. Navigate through the Welcome and License Agreement dialog boxes.

4. In the Key Code dialog box, type your CD Key Code; then click Next.

Tip: Locate the Key Code sticker on the product CD envelope, or on your Business Objects volume license certificate.

5. In the Select Features and Destination dialog box, click Next to accept the default installation settings.

Note:

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The default installation installs both the Native Baan Driver and the Sample Reports for Baan.

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To remove the Sample Reports from the installation, click the Sample Reports icon and select “Entire feature will be unavailable.” Then, click Next.

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If the setup program detects the existence of other Business Objects products on the machine, that path is used and the Browse button is disabled.

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Deploying the client BDB library

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6. In the Ready to Install the Application dialog box, click Next.

The setup program installs the necessary files and notifies you when the product has been successfully installed.

7. Click Finish to exit the setup program.

Note: You may need to restart your computer after the installation is complete.

Deploying the client BDB library

To connect to BaanERP 5.0c, BaanERP 5.2a, and SSA ERP LN 6.1 with Crystal Reports or BusinessObjects Enterprise, you must deploy the client BDB library (shdbapi.dll) on the machine where the Native Baan Driver is installed.

Note: If your installation directory differs from the examples below, copy the file to your installation directory.

For BaanERP 5.0c, copy the file shdbapi.dll to the following location:

C:\Program Files\Business Objects\Integration Kit for Baan 11.5\Native\bin\SSA_BaanERP50c

For BaanERP 5.2a, copy the file shdbapi.dll to the following location:

C:\Program Files\Business Objects\Integration Kit for Baan 11.5\Native\bin\SSA_BaanERP52a

For SSA ERP LN 6.1, copy the file shdbapi.dll to the following location:

C:\Program Files\Business Objects\Integration Kit for Baan 11.5\Native\bin\SSA_ERPLN61

For information on locating the client BDB library, see your Baan system administrator, or the Baan server or SSA Enterprise Server documentation.

Upgrading the Native Baan Driver

You may have an earlier version of the BusinessObjects XI Integration Kit for Baan and its associated Native Baan Driver installed on your system.

You can upgrade to the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan by installing this version of the Native Baan Driver side-by-side with any currently existing Native Baan Driver.

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Upgrading the Native Baan Driver

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To upgrade your Native Baan Driver installation to BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2

1. Ensure your administrator upgrades your BusinessObjects Enterprise system to version XI Release 2 as instructed in the “Upgrading and Migrating” section of the BusinessObjects Enterprise Installation Guide. Your administrator must follow all of the backup procedures as directed by the guide.

2. After your BusinessObjects Enterprise system has been upgraded, follow the steps outlined in “Installing the Native Baan Driver” on page 10. The program ignores the old driver and installs the new Native Baan Driver side-by-side with any previously existing drivers.

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Reporting with the Native

Baan Driver

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Reporting with the Native Baan Driver

Overview

3 Overview

The Native Baan Driver provides you with access to the data stored in the underlying tables of Baan. If you are currently involved with the production of reports using Baan or other tools, you will find it easy to build reports quickly with this driver.

Reports created with the Native Baan Driver can be refreshed against current Baan data by any user who has installed the driver along with Crystal Reports. You can also schedule these reports within BusinessObjects Enterprise, so your users receive customized reports with current data on a regular basis.

This chapter includes the following topics:

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“Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports” on page 14.

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“Logging on to the Baan server” on page 20.

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“Advanced logon settings” on page 21

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“Selecting Baan database tables” on page 23.

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“Setting up the sample reports” on page 34.

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“Changing configuration options” on page 37.

Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports

Once you’ve installed the Native Baan Driver, you must select this driver in your report. There are two ways to select the driver in Crystal Reports:

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Using Report Wizards

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Using the Log On Server command

Using Report Wizards

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Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports

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2. On the Start Page, click Standard Report Wizard.

The Standard Report Creation Wizard dialog box appears.

Tip: To create a specific type of report, select the appropriate Wizard.

3. In the Available Data Sources list, expand Create New Connection and double-click Baan Server.

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The Connection Info dialog box appears.

4. Enter the necessary information to connect to the Baan Master Application Server (MAS). For details on each of these fields, see

“Logging on to the Baan server” on page 20.

Note: Most Baan environments require that you fill in only the connection information on this screen. At this point, most users can click Finish to connect to Baan.

If you require or would like to use more advanced connection information, click Next.

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The Additional Info dialog box appears.

In this dialog box, you can further specify your connection settings by providing additional information. For details on these options and fields, see “Advanced logon settings” on page 21.

5. Click Finish.

You return to the Standard Report Creation Wizard dialog box.

Crystal Reports is now connected to the Baan server and is ready for you to select your Baan database tables. For details, see “Selecting Baan database tables using the Standard Report Creation Wizard” on page 23.

Using the Log On Server command

If you prefer not to use the Report Wizards, connect to Baan using the Log On Server command.

1. Launch Crystal Reports.

2. On the File menu (or the Database menu, if a report is already open), click Log On or Off Server.

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The Data Explorer dialog box appears.

3. In the Data Explorer, expand Create New Connection; then double-click Baan Server.

The Connection Info dialog box appears.

4. Enter the necessary information to connect to the Baan Master Application Server (MAS). For details on each of these fields, see

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Note: Most Baan environments require that you fill in only the connection information on this screen. At this point, most users can click Finish to connect to Baan.

If you require or would like to use more advanced connection information, click Next.

The Additional Info dialog box appears.

In this dialog box, you can further specify your connection settings by providing additional information. For details on these options and fields, see “Advanced logon settings” on page 21.

5. Click Finish.

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Logging on to the Baan server

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To view the list of Baan database tables associated with this connection, expand the package nodes and the underlying module nodes.

6. Click Close.

Crystal Reports, now connected to the Baan server, is ready for you to select your Baan database tables. For details, see “Selecting Baan database tables using the Database Expert” on page 32.

Logging on to the Baan server

When you select Baan as your data source—using the Report Wizards or the Log On Server command—you are prompted for connection information.

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Version

Select the version of Baan that you wish to connect to.

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Server

Enter the name of the server where the Baan system resides.

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Instance

By default, the value for this field is set to 0 (zero). However, if more than one connection to the same server is used in a report, each additional connection requires a unique server instance value in order to establish a distinct connection identity. For details, see

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Advanced logon settings

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BSE

The Baan System Environment—enter the file location of the Baan system on the server.

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User

Provide your Baan user name.

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Password

Provide your Baan password.

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Companies

Specify the company or companies that you want to report off. Specifying multiple companies returns a union of data from these companies. For details on creating a report from multiple companies, see “Multi–company reporting” on page 42.

Advanced logon settings

In the Additional Info dialog box, you are asked to provide information to further specify your Baan connection settings.

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Login Protocol

Select either “Rexec” or “BaanLogin” as your login protocol for the Baan server. In the case of the “BaanLogin” protocol, a server port number can also be specified. Port 7150 is the default port number.

Note: Protocols and port numbers must be used consistently across all Baan servers.

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Database Profile

Database profiles specify connection details to remote Baan database servers, which reside on separate machines from the Baan Master Application Server (MAS). To choose a database profile, click the Select Database Profile button.

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Advanced logon settings

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The Database Profiles dialog box appears.

If you have already entered your MAS information in the Connection Info dialog box, you may see a default entry in the Database Profiles dialog box. Enter the server name and the BSE of the Baan database server, and the companies that are installed on that Baan database server. You must include a database profile to connect to remote database server processes.

Upon completion, save the details as a DB Profile (.dbp file). You may then distribute this file to other users to facilitate their connection to Baan.

Note: If you use an asterisk (*) to refer to all remaining companies, be sure to put the wildcard entry at the end of the list; otherwise, the wildcard will refer to all companies.

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Impersonate User

In Baan, each user is specified by a system user ID and a Baan user ID.

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The User name entered in the Connection Info dialog box represents the system user ID.

The system user is a valid OS user on the servers (application servers and database servers), whose credentials are checked by Baan against the OS for authentication.

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Selecting Baan database tables

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The Impersonate User entry represents the Baan user ID.

The Baan user ID is a name given to the system user known only to Baan, and is used for authorization.

Typically, a user would have identical system and Baan IDs. In this case, the Impersonate User entry should be left empty.

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Report Language, Report Locale, and Report Time Zone When specified, these valid Baan values override user settings.

Selecting Baan database tables

This section describes the basic procedure for selecting Baan database tables with the Report Creation Wizards and the Database Expert. For detailed information about adding and linking tables using the Report Creation Wizards or the Database Expert, see the Crystal Reports User’s Guide.

Selecting Baan database tables using the Standard Report

Creation Wizard

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2. Expand the package nodes and the underlying module nodes to view a list of Baan database tables.

3. Double-click the tables that you want to make available for the report and click Next.

Tip: To add several tables more quickly, hold down the CTRL key as you select the tables and then click the > button.

4. If you selected more than one table for the report, provide table linking information in the Link dialog box; then click Next.

Tip:

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Auto-Arrange

Click Auto-Arrange to automatically arrange the tables to fit in the most efficient manner inside the display area.

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Auto-Link

Use this area to automatically create links between tables. Click Clear Links to clear any existing links before using the Auto-Link feature.

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Select the By Name option to link tables by their names or select the By Key option to use foreign key information, thus enabling the Native Baan Driver to look for the relationship between tables as defined in the Baan metadata. Then, click Link.

Note: Due to the standardized field-naming conventions used by Baan, selecting the By Name option may generate unnecessary links between database tables.

5. The Fields dialog box displays all of the fields available for use in your report, based on the tables you selected in the Data dialog box. Expand the table nodes to locate the fields you want to display in the report.

6. Double-click the fields that you want to display in the report and click Next.

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Tip: To add several fields more quickly, hold down the CTRL key as you select the fields and then click the > button.

7. In the Grouping dialog box, specify how—if at all—you want the fields to be grouped on the report, and then click Next.

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8. If you specified a group, you may choose and define Summarized Fields

in the Summaries dialog box.

Add fields to the Summarized Fields area and then select a summary type for each field from the list.

Omit this step if you do not want to create or change the summary fields. Click Next to continue.

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9. If you specified a group and a summary, the Group Sorting dialog box appears. You may choose to sort all groups, or you can choose the top or bottom 5 groups.

Omit this step if you do not want to use any group sorting. Click Next to continue.

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10. If you specified a group and a summary, you may choose to include a

chart on your report.

Omit this step if you do not want to create a chart. Click Next to continue.

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11. In the Record Selection dialog box, choose fields to select (or filter) records in a report.

By selecting records this way, you can narrow the scope of your report and improve processing speed.

Omit this step if you do not want to create a record selection. Click Next to continue.

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12. In the Template dialog box, you may choose to add a layout design

template to your report.

Omit this step if you do not want to use a template.

13. Click Finish.

Note: You may be asked to provide your Baan password again. Type your password and click Finish.

The tables and their associated fields are now available for use in the report. To view these objects in Crystal Reports, enable the Field Explorer (in the View menu, click Field Explorer), and expand the Database Fields node.

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3 Selecting Baan database tables using the Database Expert

1. If a report isn’t already open, create a new report. On the File menu in Crystal Reports, click New, and then click Blank Report.

2. In the Database Expert dialog box, expand the node of the database connection you want.

Initially, the Database Expert dialog box displays a list of the packages that are available from the Baan server.

3. Expand the package nodes and the underlying module nodes to view a list of Baan database tables.

4. Double-click the tables that you want to make available for the report and click OK.

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Tip: To add several tables more quickly, hold down the CTRL key as you select the tables and then click the > button.

5. If you selected more than one table for the report, you must provide table linking information. Define the links between your tables in the Links tab.

Tip:

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Auto-Arrange

Click Auto-Arrange to automatically arrange the tables to fit in the most efficient manner inside the Links display area.

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Auto-Link

Use this area to automatically create links between tables. Click Clear Links to clear any existing links before using the Auto-Link feature.

Select the By Name option to link tables by their names or select the By Key option to use foreign key information, thus enabling the Native Baan Driver to look for the relationship between tables as defined in the Baan metadata. Then, click Link.

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Setting up the sample reports

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Note: Due to the standardized field-naming conventions used by Baan, selecting the By Name option may generate unnecessary links between database tables.

6. Once you have selected and linked all of the tables for the report, click OK.

The tables and their associated fields are now available for use in the report. To view these objects in Crystal Reports, enable the Field Explorer (in the View menu, click Field Explorer), and expand the Database Fields node.

Setting up the sample reports

The Native Baan Driver includes sample reports that demonstrate some of the ways in which Crystal Reports can extract and format your Baan data. By copying or modifying these samples, you can create reports that display your Baan data in ways that offer the greatest value.

To set up the sample reports

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3. Locate the Integration Kit’s sample reports folder, which is by default:

C:\Program Files\Business Objects\Integration Kit for Baan 11.5\Native\Sample Reports\en

4. Browse the folders’ contents, select a report, and then click Open. The report appears in the Preview tab of Crystal Reports.

5. Click the Design tab see how the sections and groups have been used to create the report’s layout.

6. Try other tools in Crystal Reports—such as the Field Explorer, the Formula Workshop, and the Record Selection Formula Editor—to see how the Baan data is incorporated and used in the report.

Tip:

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To enable the Field Explorer, click the Field Explorer button on the Standard toolbar. Alternatively, click Field Explorer on the View menu.

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To enable the Formula Workshop, click the Formula Workshop button on the Experts toolbar. Alternatively, click Formula Workshop on the Report menu.

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To enable the Record Selection Formula Editor, on the Report menu, expand Selection Formulas and click Record.

7. On the Database menu, click Verify Database. The Baan Server Connection Info dialog box appears.

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8. Remove the sample report’s previous connection information, and enter your information for the following fields:

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Version

Select the version of Baan that you wish to connect to.

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Server

Enter the name of the server where the Baan system resides.

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Instance

By default, the value for this field is set to 0 (zero). However, if more than one connection to the same server is used in a report, each additional connection requires a unique server instance value to establish a distinct connection identity. For details, see “Server instance variables” on page 46.

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BSE

The Baan System Environment—enter the file location of the Baan system on the server.

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User

Provide your Baan user name.

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Password

Provide your Baan password.

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Companies

Specify the company or companies that you want to report off. Specifying multiple companies returns a union of data from these companies. For details on creating a report from multiple companies, see “Multi–company reporting” on page 42.

Note: For more details on these logon fields, see “Logging on to the Baan server” on page 20.

9. Click Finish. Crystal Reports proceeds to update the report to reflect any changes in the database information.

Depending on the report, the Verify Database message may appear more than once.

The report is now refreshed with data from your Baan system. However, if no data appears in the report, and you receive no database error messages, then it is likely that the report uses tables and fields that are empty in your Baan database.

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Changing configuration options

3 Changing configuration options

Before using the Native Baan Driver, configure Crystal Reports to list tables and fields by both name and description. This configuration change generally improves the experience of reporting off Baan data. Your Baan server may contain thousands of database tables, each with a predefined, non-descriptive name.

The configuration change ensures that you can select specific tables for a report without having to search through an immense list. When you do need to see the list of tables, you can view the table and field descriptions that are defined by the Baan database administrator.

To change configuration options

2. On the File menu, click Options. The Options dialog box appears.

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Setting the datasource location

3 Setting the datasource location

Setting the datasource location of a report is useful when you want to do any of the following:

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Upgrade reports that were created using previous versions of Crystal Reports.

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Run reports in an environment (for example, Production) that is different from the one in which they were originally created (for example,

Development or Test).

To set the datasource location for tables in a report

1. Launch Crystal Reports and open the report that you want to update.

2. On the Database menu, click Set Datasource Location. The Set Datasource Location dialog box appears.

3. From the Current Data Source area, select the table that you want to update.

4. In the Replace With area, create a connection to your Baan server. For information on connecting to Baan servers, see “Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports” on page 14.

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5. In the Replace With area, locate the connection to your Baan server.

Expand the package and module nodes, and navigate to the table which corresponds to the one that you have selected in the Current Data Source area. Once you find the table, click it to select it.

6. Ensure that the tables in the Current Data Source area and the Replace With area are both highlighted. Then click Update to set a new

datasource location for the table in your report.

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Advanced Reporting Options

Overview

4 Overview

The advanced functions of the Native Baan Driver allow you to access array fields, enumerated and bitset fields, UTC time fields, text tables, and text fields. In addition, these functions enable you to perform cross-company or multi-company reporting.

The following sections describe how to set up reports that include data from multiple companies or use special data types within Baan.

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“Multi–company reporting” on page 42.

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“Table and field type considerations” on page 44.

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“Outer joins” on page 46.

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“Server instance variables” on page 46.

For additional help on advanced report design topics, consult the Online Help or the printed User’s Guide supplied with Crystal Reports.

Multi–company reporting

Multi-company reporting enables you to retrieve data from two or more companies and compile the results in one report. You can incorporate one or more companies in the main report, include additional companies in

subreports, and incorporate data from one or more Baan tables.

To create a multi-company report using the Native Baan Driver, you log on to multiple companies through Crystal Reports. Typically, if you log on to Baan and want to report from company 902 only, you enter 902 in the Connection

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Multi–company reporting

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Info dialog box. If you want to report from company 802 and 902, you enter both company numbers in the dialog box, separated by a comma

(“802,902”). You can add as many companies as required.

Note:

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You can no longer use the _compnr field to create multi-company reports. The Native Baan Driver does not allow selections on this field to be passed down to Baan itself. However, this field is still exposed to the report designer. You may want to use the _compnr field on the report solely for information purposes, or to perform client-side selections and sorts.

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Some reports that were created in older versions of the Native Baan Driver may need to be updated in order to reflect recent performance and security enhancements to the driver.

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Table and field type considerations

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You can also create a multi-company report using subreports. Using this method, you log on to Baan for each subreport against a separate Baan company. That provides you with the functionality needed in some multi-company reporting situations.

For example, you may need to report from companies in two different Version Release Customizations (VRCs) in Baan. The enhancements to the new driver require you to add a subreport to the main report, and log on to Baan separately in each report (this behavior is standard in Baan, which will not permit a user from a particular VRC to log on to a company from a different VRC).

Table and field type considerations

Array fields

The Native Baan Driver supports array fields, and lists them with their array indexes. You select array fields individually to include them in your report. Array fields are supported locally through implicit mapping. As a result, you cannot use them for table joins, sorting, or filtering in the SQL statement. In other words, the array fields appear only in the SELECT statement.

Enumerated and bitset fields

Enumerated and bitset fields are special data types in Baan. They are stored as numeric values, and given an internal textual representation to increase efficiency. For example, 0 may represent No, and 1 may represent Yes. The Native Baan Driver handles such fields by creating virtual fields with an

_STR suffix. These virtual fields allow you to retrieve the descriptive string values, instead of the numeric values.

For example, if you have an enumerated field called MStatus (Marital Status) that stores a 0 for “Single” and a 1 for “Married,” then a virtual field called

MStatus_STR is generated automatically. When you place this field on the

report, either “Single” or “Married” appears, depending on the value of

MStatus.

Note:

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Virtual fields are internal to the Native Baan Driver, so you cannot use them manually when editing the SQL statement.

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If you use a virtual field for table joins, sorting, or filtering, the driver uses the actual numeric value of the field.

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Table and field type considerations

4 Text tables and fields

The Native Baan Driver presents each text field as a memo field, the size of which is limited only by available disk space and memory. Also, for each text field, the driver creates a virtual field with an _IDX suffix, which references the underlying numeric indexes of the text field.

Note:

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You cannot use memo fields for table joins, sorting, or filtering.

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Like other virtual fields, the virtual fields for text indexes are internal to the Native Baan Driver, so you cannot use them manually when editing the SQL statement.

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If you use a virtual field for table joins, sorting, or filtering, the driver uses the actual numeric value of the text index.

UTC time fields

The Native Baan Driver supports UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) time fields (which Baan added to Baan ERP). These fields are converted to the user time zone before the values are displayed on the report. The driver uses the user time zone settings that are defined in Baan.

Because these values are automatically converted to the user’s local time zone, reports built with older versions of the Native Baan Driver may need to be updated. Some of these reports may contain formulas or logic that manually converts the UTC fields to the user’s local time zone; in such cases, report designers should remove the formula or logic because this conversion is now performed by the driver.

It is also important to consider which Baan user credentials are being used to run the report. Because the Baan user name and password can be saved to BusinessObjects Enterprise along with the report, you can potentially view or run a Baan report that converts the UTC date/time fields to a time zone that is different from your own. Therefore, when you view reports in BusinessObjects Enterprise, it is important that you know the time zone to which the UTC fields have been converted.

Note: Coordinated Universal Time is a time scale that couples Greenwich Mean Time (which is based on the Earth's rotation rate) with accurate atomic time. When atomic time and Earth time approach a one second difference, a leap second is calculated into UTC.

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Outer joins

4 Outer joins

The Native Baan Driver supports outer joins, while Baan supports outer joins only on indexed fields. Thus, when you use Crystal Reports, the driver must process your outer joins on the client side. For reports scheduled in

BusinessObjects Enterprise, the processing occurs on the Crystal Reports Job Server. The Native Baan Driver supports only left outer joins, which may be nested.

For efficiency, the client side executes only the outer joins. When queries contain both outer and non-outer joins, the non-outer join operations are executed on the Baan server. As a result, outer joins are executed last, after the non-outer joins have been executed on the server.

In other reporting environments, outer joins are typically processed by the underlying RDBMS (relational database-management system). Because the driver must process outer joins on the client side, due to limitations in the Baan database interface, the process may take a significant amount of time if the outer joins involve very large tables.

Server instance variables

Server instance variables enable you to establish more than one connection to the same Baan server. Each connection to the server requires a unique server instance value to establish a distinct connection identity.

You set the server instance variable in the Connection Info dialog box when you connect to Baan through Crystal Reports. On your first connection, set the server instance to 0 (zero). If you need to create a second simultaneous connection to the Baan server, you are prompted to log on to the server again. If this occurs, set the server instance to 1. Continue to increment the server instance variable for additional connections as required.

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Using BusinessObjects

Enterprise with the Native

Baan Driver

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Using BusinessObjects Enterprise with the Native Baan Driver

Overview

5 Overview

BusinessObjects Enterprise allows information to be delivered throughout your organization via the web. No components need to be installed locally— all that’s needed is a web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer. Users can view, run, schedule, and manage reports easily and quickly using a customizable web environment.

BusinessObjects Enterprise comes with a standard web interface for users to view and manage their reports. This interface, shown below, is called InfoView.

You use InfoView to locate and view the Crystal reports that have been generated from within Baan. For more information on InfoView, refer to the

BusinessObjects Enterprise InfoView User’s Guide.

Publishing reports to BusinessObjects

Enterprise

To deliver a report to users through BusinessObjects Enterprise, you publish the report to the server. You can publish reports in three ways:

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By using the standard Publishing Wizard provided with BusinessObjects Enterprise.

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By designing a report in Crystal Reports and saving it to BusinessObjects Enterprise.

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By using the web-based Central Management Console of BusinessObjects Enterprise.

For a detailed description of how to publish reports to BusinessObjects Enterprise, refer to the BusinessObjects Enterprise User’s Guide or the

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Using BusinessObjects

Enterprise Tools and

Features

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Using BusinessObjects Enterprise Tools and Features

Business Views

6 Business Views

Business Views is a multi-tier system that enables your administrator to build comprehensive and specific Business Views objects. These objects help report designers and end users access the information they require. Using Business Views, the administrator can integrate data from disparate sources—bringing together data from multiple data collection platforms across application boundaries so that the differences in data resolution, coverage, and structure between collection methods are eliminated. As a Business Views user, you are presented with a single organized Business View, which can include consistent definitions of corporate hierarchy or customer information, and provide a variety of detailed or summarized viewpoints for the various groups of information consumers. Business Views provide you with the highest level of data abstraction, where you see Business Views as an abstract database connection—and the contained Business Elements as virtual tables that contain Business Fields. Business Views are created using a thick-client designer in BusinessObjects Enterprise, the Business View Manager. End users access Business Views through applications such as Crystal Reports, OLAP Intelligence, and when creating ad hoc reports. For more information on Business Views, see the

Crystal Reports User’s Guide.

Using Business Views with the

BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan

Using Business Views with the BusinessObjects XI Integration Kit for Baan requires that the Native Baan Driver be installed on each machine that will be using Business Views—even if the user is simply reporting against Business Views.

•

For instruction on installing the Native Baan Driver, see “Installing the Native Baan Driver” on page 10.

•

For detailed information on BusinessObjects Enterprise Business Views, contact your administrator.

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Crystal Reports Explorer

6 Crystal Reports Explorer

About Crystal Reports Explorer

Crystal Reports Explorer allows users to create and modify reports, design layouts, and perform data analysis using a zero-client interface. This functionality reduces IT reporting backlog by enabling users to create, save, and redistribute personalized report views in BusinessObjects Enterprise. You can use Crystal Reports Explorer to perform the following administrative tasks:

•

Setting user access to Business Views and report data sources.

•

Controlling the Crystal Reports Explorer features that are available to each user.

•

Providing users with standardized report templates by setting the Default Template folder.

•

Configuring and managing data sources.

For more information about Crystal Reports Explorer, see the Crystal Reports Explorer online help.

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Crystal Reports Explorer

6

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Working with Integrated

Baan Reporting

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Working with Integrated Baan Reporting

Overview

7 Overview

The Integrated Baan Reporting component of the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan enables you to convert Baan reports into Crystal reports from a Baan print session. You view the generated Crystal reports over the Web, so there is no need to install any Windows client software on your local machine.

Once you convert a Baan report to a Crystal report, you can search for particular results using the report viewer’s Search Text tool. When you need to save or distribute a report, you choose between multiple export formats, including RTF and PDF.

•

“Converting Baan reports to Crystal reports” on page 55.

•

“Navigating Crystal reports” on page 56.

•

“Exporting and printing reports” on page 56.

•

“Searching report data” on page 57

•

“Locating reports using InfoView” on page 57

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Converting Baan reports to Crystal reports

7 Converting Baan reports to Crystal reports

Integrated Baan Reporting allows you to view Baan reports over the Web as Crystal reports. The reports that you convert are those that already reside in your Baan system.

To view a Baan report in Crystal format

1. Double-click the desired report in your Baan system.

2. On the File menu, click Print to specify your print criteria; then from the Print dialog box, click Print to access the Select Device dialog box. Before the Select Device dialog box appears, you may be prompted to select from a list of available reports. If so, select a report and click OK.

3. Click the File tab, and then click the arrow next to the Device field to display the list of available print devices.

4. In the Device Data dialog box, select the BusinessObjects XI Integration Kit for Baan print device and click OK.

The Business Objects print device name and description are set by your administrator. Here, the print device is named IK PRINTDEVICE:

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Navigating Crystal reports

7

5. If you want to print the report with a customized template, click the arrow next to the Template Code field.

The Report Templates dialog box appears. Any report templates created by your administrator are displayed in this list. Select the appropriate template and click OK.

6. When you are returned to the Select Device dialog box, select the Preview check box, and then click Continue to print the report.

The Crystal report is processed on the server and, when the processing finishes, the report appears in your browser. This may take a few minutes, depending on the current server load and network transfer speeds.

Navigating Crystal reports

When you view a Crystal report, navigate through the data by clicking the page navigation buttons on the viewer’s toolbar (Go to First Page, Go to Previous Page, Go to Next Page, Go to Last Page). Or, specify a particular page in the Page Number box. If the report data is grouped, use the viewer’s Group Tree to navigate quickly through the data.

To page through the report

Use the page navigation buttons on the toolbar to move through the report.

Note: The total number of report pages (displayed here as 2/5+) is not calculated until you click the Go to Last Page button.

To increase/decrease the report's size

Choose from the list of zoom values in the Zoom list on the toolbar. To navigate through grouped data

1. If the Group Tree is not displayed, click the Show/Hide Group Tree button on the toolbar.

2. Click any group in the tree to go directly to that section of the report.

Exporting and printing reports

From the viewer, you can export reports to various file formats, including Crystal reports (.rpt), Microsoft Excel (.xls), Microsoft Word (.doc), Rich Text (.rtf), and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). You can also print hard copies of your reports.

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Searching report data

7

To export a report

1. In the viewer, click the Export button on the toolbar.

2. Select an export file format. Then, select the page range that you would like to export—all pages or a specific page range—and click OK.

3. In the File Download dialog box, open the exported file directly or save it. If you want to save the exported file, click Save. In the Save As dialog box, specify a destination and file name; then click Save.

4. When the export is finished, the Download complete dialog box appears. Click Open or Open Folder if you want to view the exported file in the new file format—or click Close to view the exported file at a later time. To print a report

1. When the report is displayed in the viewer, click the Print button on the toolbar.

2. Select a page range and click OK.

3. In the File Download dialog box, click Open.

4. In Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, click the Print button or select File > Print.

5. In the Print dialog box, select your printer and click OK.

Searching report data

The viewer provides you with a Search Text tool that enables you to locate specific report data quickly. Use the tool to locate instances of any

alphanumeric string. To search for text

1. On the viewer toolbar, type the text that you want to find in the box beside the Search button.

2. Click the Search button.

The first matching value is highlighted in the report. Click the Search button again to find subsequent matches.

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Locating reports using InfoView

7

You may be using a means other than InfoView to locate and view generated reports; however, the general concepts for locating and viewing generated reports should be similar.

The BusinessObjects Enterprise system stores the Crystal reports in the SK for Baan-Integrated Baan Reports folder in three different formats:

•

Successful report instances are saved with data in the Combined Reports folder.

•

Report layout information is stored as a report template—without data— in the Baan Report Layouts folder.

•

Template information is stored in the Standard Templates folder.

Note:

•

The template information stored in the Standard Templates folder defines only additional headers and footers for reports. The template cannot apply formatting to the body of the report.

•

Administrators control users’ access to the BusinessObjects Enterprise system and specify the length of time that reports remain on the system.

To find report instances using InfoView

1. Navigate to Programs > BusinessObjects XI > BusinessObjects Enterprise and click BusinessObjects Enterprise .NET InfoView or BusinessObjects Enterprise Java InfoView.

2. Log on with your User Name and Password.

3. In the Folders area, expand SK for Baan-Integrated Baan Reports; then, click Combined Reports.

The Combined Reports directory contains all of the report instances

generated from within the Baan system.

4. In the Folders area, browse through the subfolders to locate the report instance that you want to see.

The names of the Combined Reports subfolders correspond to the naming conventions used within the Baan system. For example, to find the “Orders by Customer” report named tdsls440501100, open Combined Reports > td > sls > tdsls440501100. Then open the final subfolder (whose name corresponds to the package VRC of your Baan system).

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Creating shortcuts to your favorite Baan reports

7

This final subfolder contains all of the report objects that have been generated from the original Baan report. Each report object’s name corresponds to the template that was selected when the report was generated. For example:

•

A report object (t2tdB40 c4 sls440501100_980853708) was created without a template.

•

A second report object (t2tdB40 c4

sls440501100_980853708_LogoTextOnly) was created with the template named LogoTextOnly.

Each instance displays its date and time of creation, along with the user name of the person who generated the report from within the Baan system.

5. To expand the report object for which you want to view a successful instance, click the link that corresponds to the report.

6. To view instances of a report, in the Preview area select View Latest Instance from the drop-down list and click Go.

The report opens in a new window.

Creating shortcuts to your favorite Baan

reports

Locating Integrated Baan Reports involves navigating through multiple folder structures. To quickly view the History or Latest Instance of frequently-viewed reports generated from Baan, create shortcuts to these reports in your Favorites folder. To learn more about creating shortcuts to reports, see the “Accessing your folders or inbox” section of the BusinessObjects Enterprise InfoView User’s Guide.

Note: Do not copy the actual report over to your Favorites folder, because you will not be able to run this report except by converting a new instance of the Baan report using Integrated Baan Reporting.

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Creating shortcuts to your favorite Baan reports

7

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Business Objects

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Business Objects Information Resources

Documentation and information services

A

Documentation and information services

Business Objects offers a full documentation set covering its products and their deployment. Additional support and services are also available to help maximize the return on your business intelligence investment. The following sections detail where to get Business Objects documentation and how to use the resources at Business Objects to meet your needs for technical support, education, and consulting.

Documentation

You can find answers to your questions on how to install, configure, deploy, and use Business Objects products from the documentation.

What’s in the documentation set?

View or download the Business Objects Documentation Roadmap, available with the product documentation at http://www.businessobjects.com/support/. The Documentation Roadmap references all Business Objects guides and lets you see at a glance what information is available, from where, and in what format.

Where is the documentation?

You can access electronic documentation at any time from the product interface, the web, or from your product CD.

Documentation from the products

Online help and guides in Adobe PDF format are available from the product Help menus. Where only online help is provided, the online help file contains the entire contents of the PDF version of the guide.

Documentation on the web

The full electronic documentation set is available to customers on the web from support web site at: http://www.businessobjects.com/support/.

Documentation on the product CD

Look in the docs directory of your product CD for versions of guides in Adobe PDF format.

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Customer support, consulting and training

A

Send us your feedback

Do you have a suggestion on how we can improve our documentation? Is there something you particularly like or have found useful? Drop us a line, and we will do our best to ensure that your suggestion is included in the next release of our documentation: [email protected].

Note: If your issue concerns a Business Objects product and not the documentation, please contact our Customer Support experts. For

information about Customer Support visit: http://www.businessobjects.com/ support/.

Customer support, consulting and training

A global network of Business Objects technology experts provides customer support, education, and consulting to ensure maximum business intelligence benefit to your business.

How can we support you?

Business Objects offers customer support plans to best suit the size and requirements of your deployment. We operate customer support centers in the following countries:

•

USA

•

Australia

•

Canada

•

United Kingdom

•

Japan

Online Customer Support

The Business Objects Customer Support web site contains information about Customer Support programs and services. It also has links to a wide range of technical information including knowledgebase articles, downloads, and support forums.

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Customer support, consulting and training

A

Looking for the best deployment solution for your

company?

Business Objects consultants can accompany you from the initial analysis stage to the delivery of your deployment project. Expertise is available in relational and multidimensional databases, in connectivities, database design tools, customized embedding technology, and more.

For more information, contact your local sales office, or contact us at:

http://www.businessobjects.com/services/consulting/

Looking for training options?

From traditional classroom learning to targeted e-learning seminars, we can offer a training package to suit your learning needs and preferred learning style. Find more information on the Business Objects Education web site:

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Useful addresses at a glance

A

Useful addresses at a glance

Address Content

Business Objects product information

http://www.businessobjects.com

Information about the full range of Business Objects products.

Product documentation

http://www.businessobjects.com/ support

Business Objects product documentation, including the Business Objects Documentation Roadmap.

Business Objects Documentation mailbox

[email protected]

Send us feedback or questions about documentation.

Online Customer Support

http://www.businessobjects.com/ support/

Information on Customer Support programs, as well as links to technical articles, downloads, and online forums.

Business Objects Consulting Services

http://www.businessobjects.com/ services/consulting/

Information on how Business Objects can help maximize your business intelligence investment.

Business Objects Education Services

http://www.businessobjects.com/ services/training

Information on Business Objects training options and modules.

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Useful addresses at a glance

A

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Index

A

adding tables 23

Additional Info dialog box 17, 19

advanced logon settings 21

array fields 44

indexes 44

Auto-Arrange Feature 33

Auto-Link feature 24, 33

B

Baan

connecting to 14

connection information 20

advanced logon settings 21

database interface limitations 46

database tables, selecting 23

driver. See Native Baan Driver. System Environment 21

Baan reports

converting and viewing 55

creating shortcuts to 59

Baan server version 20

Baan System Environment 21

Baan tables, selecting 23

using Database Expert 32

using Standard Report Creation Wizard 23

BDB library 11

bitset fields 44

BSE. See Baan System Environment Business Objects

consulting services 64, 65

support services 63

training services 64, 65

new tools and features 49

overview 48

BusinessObjects print device, selecting 55

BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan 8

C

changing configuration options 37

Combined Reports folder, InfoView 57

companies

multi-company reporting 42

specifying 21

configuring

Crystal Reports options 37

sample reports 34

connecting to Baan

using Report Wizards 14

using the Log On Server command 17

Connection Info dialog box 16

connections, establishing more than one 46

consultants, Business Objects 64

conventions, report-naming 58

converting Baan reports 55

converting to Crystal reports 55

Coordinated Universal Time 45

Crystal Reports

configuration options 37

setting up sample reports 34

Crystal Reports Explorer 51

Crystal reports. See reports. customer support 63

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Index

IDX suffix 45

memo fields 45

STR suffix 44

text fields 45

UTC time fields 45

database interface, limitations 46

database profiles 21

Database Profiles dialog box 22

database tables linking 24, 33

selecting 23

datasource location, setting the 38

DBP files 22

decreasing report size 56

designer

configuration options 37

setting up sample reports 34

dialog boxes

Additional Info 17

Connection Info 16

Data Explorer 18

Database Profiles 22

Display Device Data 55

Display Report Templates 56

Options 37

Report Viewer Export 57

Select Device 55

Select Features 10

Display Device Data dialog box 55

Display Report Templates dialog box 56

DOC (Word document format) 56

documentation feedback on 63

on product CD 62

on the web 62

roadmap 62

E

education. See training enumerated fields 44

Environment, Baan System 21

Excel format 56

exporting reports 56

F

feedback, on documentation 63

fields array 44 bitset 44 enumerated 44 memo 45 text45

UTC time 45

finding reports57

text in a report 57

formats, exporting to file 56

G

grouped data, navigating 56

I

IDX suffix 45

impersonate user 22

increasing report size 56

information resources 62

InfoView, locating reports 57

installing the Native Baan Driver 10

instance variables 46

instances, locating using InfoView 58

Integrated Baan Reporting, overview 54

J

joins, outer 46

L

language, report 23

left outer joins 46

limitations, database interface 46

linking tables 24, 33

locale, report 23

locating reports using InfoView 57

Log On Server command 17

logging on to the Baan server 20

login protocol 21

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Index

M

MAS (Master Application Server) 16

memo fields 45

Microsoft

Excel format 56

Word format 56

multi-company reporting 42

multiple connections 46

N

naming conventions, reports 58

Native Baan Driver advanced options 42

and Business Views 50

installing10

overview 14

selecting 14

upgrading 12

navigating reports 56

O

Online Customer Support 63

options

Crystal Reports configuration 37

Options dialog box 37

outer joins 46

P

PDF (Portable Document Format) 56

print devices

list of available 55

selecting BusinessObjects 55

printing reports 56

profiles, database 21

protocol, login 21

publishing reports to BusinessObjects Enterprise

48

R

report viewer

exporting from 57

printing from 57

searching data 57

using 54

Report Viewer Export dialog box 57

Report Wizards 14

reporting

advanced options 42

multi-company 42

report-naming conventions 58

reports

changing format 56

converting and viewing 55

exporting 56

generating and viewing 55

increasing/decreasing size 56

locating 57

navigating 56

printing 56

samples 34

searching for text 57

updating 38

resources 62

right outer joins 46

RPT (Crystal Report format) 56

RTF (Rich Text Format) 56

S

sample reports 34

searching report data 57

Select Device dialog box 55

Select Features dialog box 10

selecting

database tables 23

Native Baan Driver 14

print devices 55

server

logging on to Baan 20

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Index

SQL statement 44

STR suffix 44

suffixes IDX 45 STR 44 support customer 63 locations 63 technical 63

web site 63

T

tables

adding to report 23

linking 24, 34

selecting 23

Tables and Fields 37

technical support 63

template, selecting for reports 56

text fields 45

text tables, accessing 45

text, searching for 57

time fields, UTC 45

toggle group tree 56

training, on Business Objects products 64

U

upgrading the Native Baan Driver 11

UTC time fields 45

V

variables, server instance 46

viewing reports. See report viewer.

W

web

customer support 63

getting documentation via 62

useful addresses 65

web sites support 63

training 64

Wizards, Report 14

Word format 56

X

XLS (Excel format) 56

User s Guide. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan

BusinessObjects™ XI Release 2

Integration Kit for Baan™

Contents

Welcome to the

BusinessObjects XI Release 2

Integration Kit for Baan

1

About this guide

What is the BusinessObjects XI Release 2

Integration Kit for Baan?

Who should read this guide

Business Objects information resources

Installing the Native Baan

Driver

2

Installing the Native Baan Driver

•

•

•

2

Deploying the client BDB library

Upgrading the Native Baan Driver

2

Reporting with the Native

Baan Driver

3

Overview

•

•

•

•

•

•

Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports

•

•

Using Report Wizards

3

3

3

Using the Log On Server command

3

3

3

Logging on to the Baan server

•

•

•

3

•

•

•

•

Advanced logon settings

•

•

3

•

•

3

•

•

Selecting Baan database tables

Selecting Baan database tables using the Standard Report

Creation Wizard

3

•

•

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Selecting Baan database tables using the Database Expert

3

•