Widgets in SAP BO

Introduction

Widgets are mini-applications that allow easy and fast access to frequently used functions and provide visual information from your desktop. The widgets for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform functionality allows your organization to provide access to existing business intelligence (BI) content on the BI platform and Web Dynpro applications on SAP NetWeaver Application Servers to anyone in the company. With widgets for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform, you search or browse for existing content, such as Web Intelligence documents, Dashboards models, and Web Dynpro applications, then paste the key information onto your desktop so it is readily available when needed. As a widget, the content gains the following features from the widget framework:

• User-controlled size and positioning
• Automatic refresh
• Optional setting as the top application window
• Full SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform security (Web Intelligence report parts and Dashboards models only)
• Saved display
• Saved data context state (Web Intelligence report parts only)
• Web Intelligence OpenDocument links to detailed reports (Web Intelligence documents only)

Creating widgets

You can create desktop widgets by dragging Web Intelligence documents and Dashboards models to your desktop, or by double-clicking XBCML widgets from the repository search results or explorer. To create widgets from Dashboards files in a repository To access files in the repository, the widgets feature must be logged in to an SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform. You can use Dashboards files available in the BI platform repository to create desktop widgets. The widget is linked to the source file so if the data changes in the repository, it is updated in your desktop widget according to the specified refresh schedule. Do one of the following: To search for the file, right-click the Widgets button ( ) and select Content Search. To browse to the file, right-click the Widgets button ( ) and select Document List Explorer. Use any of the following methods to create the widget:

• From the Search Results list, double-click a Dashboards file.
• From the "Explorer" pane, drag the Dashboards file to your desktop.
• From the "Explorer" pane, double-click the Dashboards file to open it in the Viewer pane, and then drag it to your desktop.

To create widgets from local Dashboards SWF files SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards can export the Dashboards models as SWF files. If you receive a Dashboards SWF file in an email, from a website, or from other sources, you can import it into the widgets to create a desktop widget. When you create the widget, it is linked to the source Dashboards model. If the data changes in the source file, it is updated in your desktop widget according to the specified refresh schedule. Right-click the Widgets button ( ) and select Open Widget from disk. Navigate to the location of the Dashboards SWF file. Change the "File Type" to Flash file (*.swf) in the "Open Widget "dialog box. Double-click the SWF file to open it. The Dashboards SWF file is displayed as a widget on your desktop. To create widgets from Web Intelligence documents When you find Web Intelligence documents in available repositories, you can create desktop widgets or Microsoft Outlook objects from their report parts. The widgets are linked to the source Web Intelligence document in the repository so it is updated when the source data changes. Note: To use Microsoft Outlook objects, Outlook must be configured to use Microsoft Word as the text editor and HTML-formatted messages. Do one of the following:

• To search for the document, right-click the Widgets button ( ) and select Content Search.
• To browse to the document, right-click the Widgets button and select Document List Explorer.

Double-click the document to open it in the Web Intelligence viewer. To create a widget, drag the report from the viewer to your desktop. Using the Web Intelligence window The Web Intelligence window includes a toolbar at the top of the window that allows you to:

• Change the zoom level.
• Search for a specific text string.
• Change the report page.
• View or hide the report map.
• View the report on page or listing mode.
• Copy single cell, chart, or table content from the viewer by right-clicking the object.

The navigation pane displays the list of reports available in the document. The currently selected report will be highlighted. The navigation map allows you to navigate reports and report sections. The view pane is automatically synchronized with the selected item in the navigation list. To create widgets from Web Dynpro applications To access files in the repository, widgets must be logged in to an SAP NetWeaver Application Server repository. You can add Web Dynpro applications that have been registered as XBCML widgets on the SAP NetWeaver Application Server as desktop widgets. The widget is linked to the source file so if the data changes in the repository, it is updated in your desktop widget according to the specified refresh schedule. Right-click the Widgets button ( ) and select Document List Explorer. From the "Explorer" pane, double-click the XBCML widget file to add it to your desktop Step by Step process to configure and use widgets Open Widgets from your SAP BusinessObjects Client tools.

 

Go to menu option New>SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform and configure the host details. Please find below example values

Host Name: gyansys20

Username: MNARAYANDAS

Password: ******

Authentication:  Enterprise/SAP

Note: Depending on the authentication selected you can view only documents accessible through the specified authentication for the given user. For example, if a user has two ID’s one with Enterprise and another with SAP authentication, he can see the content that is accessible to the authentication he is logged in with.

 

You can confirm that you are connected by seeing the status icon which shows green and the status messages which show “Connected” as below.

Right-click on the icon of the widget in the taskbar at the bottom right of your desktop as below to access the available options.

Document explorer opens up and you can navigate to the folder where you have the documents to be converted as widgets. Web:

 

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Dashboard: Select individual report parts like charts/blocks on from web report viewer or dashboard from explorer window and drag /drop them on the open space on the desktop to create desktop widgets for web report parts and dashboard respectively as below

You can refresh the widget on the fly using refresh icon or set widget properties as below to auto-refresh, save documents to disk and use the resize icon to change the size of the widget on the desktop.

General widget options:

Refresh options:

Managing widgets After you add widgets to your desktop, you can adjust their position, hide and show them, add them to the Windows sidebar, or create widget views to manage the information displayed on your desktop. Displaying widgets Your widgets remain on the desktop until you close them. However, as you work with other applications, those applications may cover the widgets. To view widgets without closing or minimizing other applications, you can display your widgets in front of other applications. Right-click the Widgets button and click Show Widgets to enable this setting. If you do not want other applications to cover the widgets again, you can set individual widgets to always be visible by clicking the Properties button ( ) and, in the "Widget Properties" dialog box, selecting the Always on Top option. To open widgets If you previously closed a widget, you can open it from a disk or repository or from the widget history. Right-click the Widgets button ( ) on the Windows taskbar and do one of the following: To open a widget from the history, point to Recent Widgets and choose the widget from the list. Note: The "Recent Widgets" list shows the last five widgets used. To see more recent widgets, click More. The "History" dialog box displays the last 50 widgets used. To open a widget from a disk, point to Open Widget from Disk. In the "Open Widget" dialog box, navigate to the location of the widget, select the file, and click Open. To close widgets If you no longer want to display a widget on the desktop, you can close the widget. Closing a widget does not delete it from your system; you can reopen it to show it on the desktop again.

• Move the mouse cursor over the widget.
• The widget menu opens to the right of the widget.
• Click the Close button ( ) at the top of the widget menu.
• Click Yes.

The widget closes and no longer appears on the desktop. To clear widget history, The Widget history keeps the previous 50 widgets that were used on the desktop. If you remove a widget from the desktop, you can easily reopen it from the Widget history. If you no longer want to keep the previously used widgets in history, you can clear the history.

1.	Right-click the Widgets button (    ) in the Windows Notification area and click Recent
Widgets >
	More.
2.	In the "History" dialog box, click Clear.

To share widgets You can share report parts and Dashboards widgets with other users. First, save the widget as a .bidml file, then email the file to other users. When the recipients open the file, they can access the widget.

• Move the mouse cursor over the widget and, from the widget menu, click the Properties button ( ).
• In the "Widget Properties" dialog box, under "Export Options", click Save.
• In the "Save Widget" dialog box, navigate to the location where you want to save the file, type a filename, and click Save.
• The widget is saved as a .bidml file. You can now email the file to other users.

To rename widgets The widget name is displayed in the list of recent widgets and in widget history. Move the mouse cursor over the widget and, from the widget menu, click the Properties button ( ). In the "Widget Properties" dialog box, in the Widget Name box, type a name for the widget. Click OK. Note: The widget menu is not available for XBCML widgets and this feature is not applicable to XBCML widgets created using the Web Dynpro application. To refresh Web Intelligence widgets If you create a widget from a Web Intelligence document, you can specify how and when the data in the widget will be refreshed. Move the mouse cursor over a Web Intelligence widget and, from the widget menu, click the Properties button ( ). In the "Widget Properties" dialog box, under "Refresh Options", select one of the following options: • To update from the latest instance of the Web Intelligence document in the repository, select Retrieve Data from Latest Instance. • To update the data from the source database, select Refresh Data directly from Database. Note: The widget menu is not available for XBCML widgets and this feature is not applicable to XBCML widgets created using the Web Dynpro application. To drag and drop Web Intelligence content Ensure that the application you want to add content to is open. After you create a widget from Web Intelligence, you can drag Web Intelligence content, such as a chart or table, to Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, or Outlook. The Web Intelligence objects provide a snapshot of the data at the time you added it. The objects are static and not linked to their data sources.

• From the system tray, right-click Widgets, and select Document List Explorer.
• The "Document List Explorer" window appears with a list of documents in the "Explorer" pane.
• Browse through the folders in the "Explorer" pane, and open the folder that contains Web Intelligence documents.
• The folder displays a list of all the Web Intelligence documents available in the system.
• From the right pane in the Document List Explorer, open a Web Intelligence document.
• The" Web Intelligence Document Viewer" appears.

Select content and drag it to an open copy of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook. To copy and paste Web Intelligence widget content After you create a widget from Web Intelligence, you can copy and paste Web Intelligence content, such as a chart, table, or cell text into Microsoft Office application or to any application that accepts content as clipboard data, such as Notepad. Right-click the widget and select Copy. In an open Microsoft Office application, right-click, and select Paste. To view and set prompt values for a Web Intelligence widget For Web Intelligence widgets that retrieve data directly from the source database, you can set values for prompts that have been configured for the document. The Prompts tab is not available for widgets that use saved data or that refresh from the latest document instance in the BI platform. 1. Move the mouse cursor over a Web Intelligence widget and, from the widget menu, click the Properties button ( ). 2. In the "Widget Properties" dialog box, click Prompts. A list of all the available prompt values appears.

Click Prompt

Values. The "Specify Prompt Values" window appears.

In the "Specify Prompt Values" window, enter a value and click OK.

Related Topics

To refresh Web Intelligence widgets

To add widgets to the Windows sidebar If you are using Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7 with the Windows sidebar, you can add widgets for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform to the Windows sidebar. First, export the widget to your computer and then add it as a gadget to the Windows sidebar. Move the mouse cursor over the widget and, from the widget menu, click the Properties button ( ). In the "Widget Properties" dialog box, under "Export Options", click Save. In the "Save Widget" dialog box, navigate to a location, enter a filename, and click Save. The widget is saved and ready to be added to the Windows Sidebar. Using widget views If you have many widgets that you do not need all the time, you can use Widget views to show only the widgets you need at one time without completely removing the other widgets. Widget views help manage which widgets are displayed on your desktop at any time. You can group widgets and save them as a view, and then switch between views as required. Widgets that not included in the current view remain connected even when they are not displayed. The Views bar provides an easy way to create, modify, and switch views. To create views Right-click the Widgets button ( ) and click Add View. On the Views bar, type a name for the view and click Add View. A blank view is added to the Views bar. Once you create a view, you can use the Views bar to rename, delete, or add widgets to it. To change widget views If you have multiple widget views, you can easily switch between them to see different groups of widgets without disconnecting or deleting widgets that you do not currently need. Right-click the Widget button ( ), point to Widget Views and click the name of the view you want to display. To show or hide the Views bar Right-click the Widgets button ( ), point to Widgets Views, and click Show Views Bar or Hide Views Bar. The Views bar appears on the desktop and shows a tab for each available view, as well as a tab to create a view. To use the Views bar After you show the Views bar, you can use it to create new views or to rename, delete, and add widgets to existing views. On the Views bar, do any of the following:

Using RSS feeds: RSS is a format for delivering regularly changing content. It allows you to stay informed by retrieving updated content from the sites you subscribe to and delivering a summary notice to your desktop. When you use the widgets feature to subscribe to RSS feeds, RSS entries appear in the RSS Inbox as they are posted at the RSS URL. When new entries arrive in the inbox, a desktop message also notifies you that a new entry was received. Both the RSS inbox and desktop message contain the title of the new item. You can click the title to go to the site and read the complete entry.

To subscribe to RSS feeds Right-click the Widgets button ( ) in the Windows taskbar and select RSS Inbox. In the "RSS Inbox" dialog box, select a folder and click New RSS Feed. In the "Subscribe RSS Feed" dialog box, type the RSS URL and click Subscribe. The feed is added to the feeds list.

To refresh RSS feeds: After you subscribe to an RSS feed, it will generally update automatically whenever the content on the site changes. However, if you lose the connection, updates may not be delivered. You can refresh the feed to ensure the content is current. Right-click the Widgets button ( ) in the Windows taskbar and select RSS Inbox. In the "RSS Inbox" dialog box, select the RSS feed you want to refresh and click Refresh. The content for the RSS feed is updated.

To remove RSS feed items from the RSS inbox: When RSS items are delivered to your RSS inbox, you can click the title to read the complete entry. Once you are finished with the item, you can remove it from the inbox. Right-click the Widgets button ( ) in the Windows taskbar and select RSS Inbox. In the "RSS Inbox" dialog box, select the RSS feed item you want to remove and click Remove. The selected item is deleted from the list.

For in-depth understanding click on

• SAP BO Tutorials
• Business Objects Web Intelligence
• Information Design Tool in SAP BO
• Widgets in SAP BO
• Design Studio in SAP BO