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.”

What You’re Losing

Let’s be clear—if you’re using AOLAP today, those reports will not run once you upgrade to BI 2025.

There’s no export. No conversion wizard. No compatibility mode.

You’ll need to manually:

• Rebuild AOLAP reports from scratch in a new tool

• Recreate filters, hierarchies, variables, and custom views

• Train users on different interaction models

It’s not just a technical task—it’s a change management exercise.

The Plan: Rebuild With Confidence

A successful migration from AOLAP starts with strategic clarity. This isn’t just about recreating reports—it’s about evolving them to fit tools designed for long-term support and better user experiences. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Inventory AOLAP Reports:

• Run a full audit of AOLAP usage across your BI environment.

• Document report titles, owners, last modified dates, usage frequency, and dependencies.

• Prioritize reports based on business impact—start with what’s most visible or mission-critical.

2. Choose the Right Tool:

• If your organization is cloud-forward and reliant on BW or HANA: SAC Data Analyzer is the best fit.

• If you're staying on-premise or need rich formatting, scheduling, or document-style outputs: Web Intelligence (WebI) is the strongest alternative.

• Note: WebI now supports direct access to BW and HANA—you may not need a universe.

3. Rebuild, Don’t Just Replicate:

• Take this as an opportunity to rethink design, structure, and usefulness.

• Engage business users to define what’s working and what’s not.

• Standardize templates, terminology, and navigation to make reports easier to maintain and use.

4. Support Your Teams:

• Launch training sessions for business users and analysts on the new tools.

• Provide job aids, quick-start guides, and sample reports to flatten the learning curve.

• Keep communication flowing—let users know what’s changing and why.

By approaching this transition methodically, you’ll reduce disruption, gain stakeholder buy-in, and deliver reports that do more than simply replace AOLAP—they improve on it.

The Stakes: What Happens If You Wait

If you delay your planning, the risks are clear:

• Reports will stop working

• Business users will scramble for answers

• IT teams will be forced into reactive mode

“Sticking with AOLAP is like building reports on borrowed time. BI 2025 won’t wait — and neither should your upgrade strategy.”