SAP BusinessObjects (SAP BO) Cheat Sheet

Back to Business IntelligenceUpdated 2026-05-15

SAP BusinessObjects is an enterprise business intelligence platform that delivers reporting, analysis, and data visualization capabilities across organizations. The suite combines several tools — Web Intelligence (WebI) for ad-hoc reporting, Crystal Reports for formatted production reports, Universe Designer/Information Design Tool for semantic layers, and the Central Management Console for system administration — enabling users to access, analyze, and share data from SAP and non-SAP sources. A core strength of the platform is its semantic layer abstraction (universes) that shields business users from database complexity, allowing them to build reports using familiar business terms rather than SQL. Critical to understand: proper universe design, security configuration, and performance tuning at both the database and platform layers are essential for scalable, governed BI deployments.

What This Cheat Sheet Covers

This topic spans 15 focused tables and 111 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.

Table 1: Web Intelligence (WebI) Report DesignTable 2: Web Intelligence Formulas and VariablesTable 3: Web Intelligence Multiple Data ProvidersTable 4: Crystal Reports Layout and DesignTable 5: Universe Design — Information Design Tool (IDT)Table 6: Universe Security and Data Access ControlTable 7: Central Management Console (CMC) AdministrationTable 8: Report Scheduling and DistributionTable 9: SAP BusinessObjects REST API and SDKTable 10: Lumira Designer Application ScriptingTable 11: Crystal Reports Advanced FeaturesTable 12: Data Connectivity and SourcesTable 13: Export Formats and Viewing OptionsTable 14: Optimization and Performance TuningTable 15: Integration and Migration

Table 1: Web Intelligence (WebI) Report Design

Technique	Example	Description
Section breaks	Insert → Section → Select `[Region]`	Splits report into distinct blocks, one per dimension value; each section can have independent formatting and filtering.
Breaks (grouping)	Right-click column → Break → Set on `[Year]`	Groups rows visually within a table without creating separate sections; supports headers, footers, and subtotals at each break level.
Report filters	Drag `[Country]` to report filters pane	Filters data after query execution — removes rows from visible output without modifying SQL; data remains in document and can be unhidden.
Query filters	`[Year] In list 2025;2026` in query panel	Filters at query execution time — reduces data retrieved from database; altering query filters requires refresh.
Prompts	`[Region] = @Prompt("Select Region")`	Interactive query filter that displays dialog at refresh time asking user to select values; drives dynamic report generation.
Input controls	Create input control → Bind to `[Quarter]`	Dashboard-style UI widgets (dropdowns, sliders) placed in report or section headers; filter report data interactively without re-running query.

Table 1: Web Intelligence (WebI) Report Design

Technique	Example	Description
Section breaks	Insert → Section → Select `[Region]`	Splits report into distinct blocks, one per dimension value; each section can have independent formatting and filtering.
Breaks (grouping)	Right-click column → Break → Set on `[Year]`	Groups rows visually within a table without creating separate sections; supports headers, footers, and subtotals at each break level.
Report filters	Drag `[Country]` to report filters pane	Filters data after query execution — removes rows from visible output without modifying SQL; data remains in document and can be unhidden.
Query filters	`[Year] In list 2025;2026` in query panel	Filters at query execution time — reduces data retrieved from database; altering query filters requires refresh.
Prompts	`[Region] = @Prompt("Select Region")`	Interactive query filter that displays dialog at refresh time asking user to select values; drives dynamic report generation.
Input controls	Create input control → Bind to `[Quarter]`	Dashboard-style UI widgets (dropdowns, sliders) placed in report or section headers; filter report data interactively without re-running query.