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BI 2025 Ends Multi-Source Universes: What You Need to Know

"With SAP BusinessObjects BI 2025 removing support for Multi-Source Universes, organizations relying on MSUs must act now—there’s no one-click migration path, and time is running out."

As part of the broader deprecation strategy covered in our main BI 2025 deprecation article, SAP has officially announced the removal of support for Multi-Source Universes (MSUs) in BI 2025.

This change affects many long-time BusinessObjects deployments that have used MSUs and federated tables to bring together data from multiple sources in a single semantic layer.

SAP Note: 3520229 – Multi-source universes are no longer supported in BI 2025 (SAP KBA)

About the Author

Hi, I'm Clint and I've been knee-deep in the SAP Business Objects world for over 25 years now. Yeah, I know, longer than I care to admit. My first installation was way back in SAP BI 6.5 - back when Desktop Intelligence was still a thing. Needless to say, I've seen it all.

After running two wildly successful global SAP Analytics consulting firms, being a SAP Mentor, and speaking on all things SAP Analytics and SAP Business Objects around the world, I'm here to help. I've moved to the "employee of one" model, and I'm available worldwide to assist you with your SAP BO upgrade.

I get it - I know how SAP is moving towards a "cloud first" approach, just like every other big vendor out there. But I also know that customers need to keep their on-premise BI 4.x implementation running alongside SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), as there's no seamless migration path to SAC. With all the lower versions of Business Objects, except for BI 4.3 and BI 2025, now being out of support, the need to upgrade for many customers is pressing. So, feel free to connect with me below to start the conversation or connect with me here or you can find out more about me here.

“With over 25 years in SAP Analytics, I’ve guided numerous businesses through seamless upgrades, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal performance.”

Simplify Your SAP Upgrade Today!

Why This Matters

 

If your BusinessObjects environment includes MSUs, you're now facing a hard stop. These universes won’t be supported at all in BI 2025. That means no run-time support, no fallback options, and no automatic migration utility to convert your MSUs to an alternative.

This deprecation is part of SAP’s broader effort to simplify and modernize the BI stack by consolidating support around single-source UNX universes and external platforms like Datasphere and HANA.

What Are Your Options?

 

SAP has outlined three main alternatives:

  1. Rebuild as multiple Single-Source Universes (SSUs)
    Then use merge dimensions or virtual cubes inside Web Intelligence to unify the data at the report level.

  2. Migrate logic to SAP Datasphere
    Build federated models there, and report through Web Intelligence or Crystal Reports.

  3. Leverage HANA Smart Data Access (SDA)
    Virtualize and join heterogeneous sources in HANA views and consume via BI tools.

None of these are lift-and-shift. All require architectural planning and development time, especially for organizations with dozens or hundreds of existing MSUs.

 

How to Plan Your Migration

 

1. Take Inventory
Start by auditing your environment: which reports and universes are dependent on MSUs or federated tables?

2. Prioritize Based on Business Impact
Some universes may only support legacy reports. Others may drive executive dashboards. Know the difference.

3. Choose the Right Path for Each Case
For simple joins, SSUs + WebI logic might suffice. For real-time analytics or cross-system joins, Datasphere or HANA SDA may be more appropriate.

4. Build and Test Early
This isn’t a toggle you can flip during a holiday shutdown. Federated design often embeds itself deeply into reports and workflows. Give yourself time to get it right.

 

Schedule Your SAP Upgrade Consultation

What’s at Stake?

 

Delaying this decision could result in:

  • Broken reports and dashboards

  • Unsupported deployments after 2026

  • Unforeseen data integration gaps

  • Increased risk of non-compliance or audit issues

Don’t wait until the final hours of BI 4.3 support to address this. As of today, you have just 18 months left to prepare.

 

Final Thoughts: Your Next Step

 

Migrating away from MSUs may feel daunting—especially if your current BI landscape relies heavily on them. But the good news is: you don’t have to do it alone.

Let’s assess your current usage, explore the right alternative, and build a roadmap that works for you.

“Every BI migration starts with one decision: to start. Don’t let legacy complexity hold you back—BI 2025 is coming whether you're ready or not.”

Here’s how we can work together:

Assess Your Current Environment

 Understand your existing setup and challenges.

 

Develop a Customised Upgrade Strategy

Tailored to your business needs and timelines.

 

Execute and Support

Implement the upgrade with ongoing support to ensure success.

 

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I'm Ready To Learn More

Connect with me today to ensure your SAP BI 2025 Upgrade is a success !

Alternatively please send an email to [email protected]Â