SAP extends Business Objects Explorer to any data, any user

Marge Breya, executive vice president and general manager, Intelligence Platform and SAP NetWeaver Group, explains that with instant visibility into all information needed to do their jobs, users will "easily tackle tough questions and identify the root causes of business issues while navigating their business data at the speed of thought". For example, she says, operations can explore inventory levels, deriving insight from their data warehouse and/or data provided by their supply chains for SKU management, stock-out planning, product recall and traceability management. She points to organisations such as Consol, Kraft Foods and OraSure Technologies, who are now looking to SAP BusinessObjects Explorer to solve their problems, using thos new approach. Johan du Plessis, IT director at South African glass container packaging manufacturer Consol Glass, says the organisation plans to use the new solution to reduce the time and cost of access to business data, also expanding the type and number of users in addition to analyzing its business quickly and accurately. "We chose SAP BusinessObjects Explorer to help more business users easily identify the most relevant pieces of information in our data store," he says. "Our challenge is that we have a large business intelligence platform and needed a way to access information quickly and without a heavy degree of IT involvement. We are looking to SAP BusinessObjects Explorer to provide more business people with the decision-quality information they need to get their jobs done." "With SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, you get answers in seconds, even if you don't know what question to ask," says Breya. "That implies you start asking questions out of curiosity, which opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. "The significance of this solution is that it is not only a breakthrough in data-exploration technology, it is also the catalyst for a cultural shift in the enterprise, empowering every worker to make informed decisions, which cumulatively strengthen the effectiveness of the organisation as a whole."