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SAP Business Objects v4.0 Architecture

SAP has introduced new term and technology with its latest release of  Business Objects v4.0 .
There are changes in the "Business Objects 4.0 Architecture" as well. Business Objects 4.0 Architecture is
6 Layer Architecture.

• Client Tier
• Web Tier (Previously Application Layer in BO XI)
• Management Tier  (Previously Intelligence Layer in BO XI)
• Storage Tier (New Layer introduced in BO 4.0)
• Processing Tier 
• Data Tier 

  Several new process has been introduced in the each of this layer.
Lets have look at the new Business Objects 4.0 Architecture- click link below to go to SAP site
Business Objects 4.0 Architecture

You can have look at the BO XI architecture in to my Previous blog as well.
Business Objects XI Architecture

Founder of Business Objects

Bernard Liautaud, founder and eighteen-year CEO of BusinessObjects,the first “European silicon valley startup”,he took the company from zero to a billion dollars in revenue, and then sold it to SAP for $6.7bn. Bernard is now a General Partner of Balderton Capital, one of the largest venture capital funds in Europe.

You can find a presentaltion here where he explains how he has created this company-


Here Founder Bernard Liautaud is talking about BI 4.0

Business Objects XI Architecture

BO XI Architecture

BOE is a multi tier system i.e every component has a task to perform
There are totally Five Tiers

1)The application tier
2)The intelligence tier
3)The client tier
4)The processing tier
5)The data tier

The "servers" run as services on Windows machines. On UNIX, the servers run as daemons

Lets see what are the different process are there in each of this architecture-

Client Tier

1)Client tier is made up of the applications that enable Users to administer, publish, and view reports and other objects of Business Objects.Client Tier includes the application and the tools which directly interact with the clients i.e the users.

2)The client tier includes:
1.InfoView
2.Central Management Console (CMC)
3.Central Configuration Manager (CCM)
4.Publishing Wizard
5.Import Wizard

Application Tier

1)The application tier hosts the server-side components that process requests from the client tier
2)The application tier includes:
Application tier components
Web development platforms (Java/.Net)
Web application environments(Tomcat / Windows server & IIS)

Intelligent Tier
1)It maintains all of the security information, sends requests to the appropriate servers, manages audit information, and stores report instances.

lets see what are the different processing server are their in this tier.

Central Management Server
1. The CMS is responsible for maintaining a database of information about your Business Objects Enterprise system
2. The data stored by the CMS includes information about users and groups, security levels, Business Objects Enterprise content, and servers
3. Main Tasks
1. Maintaining security
2. Managing objects
3. Managing servers
4. Managing auditing

Cache Server

1. The Cache Server is responsible for handling all report viewing requests.
2. The Cache Server checks whether or not it can fulfill the request with a cached report page
3. If the Cache Server cannot fulfill the request with a cached report page, it passes the request along to the Page Server
4. Page Server runs the report and returns the results to the Cache Server.
5. If you are running multiple Page Servers for a single Cache Server, the Cache Server automatically balances the processing load across Page Servers

File Repository Server
1. There is an Input and an Output File Repository Server in every Business Objects Enterprise
2. The Input File Repository Server manages all of the report objects and program objects that have been published to the system
3. The Output File Repository Server manages all of the report instances generated by the Report Job Server or the Web Intelligence Report Server
4. The File Repository Servers are responsible
1. Listing files on the server
2. Querying for size of the file
3. Adding files to repository and Removing files from the Repository
5. NOTE: The Input and Output File Repository Servers cannot share the same directories

Event Server
1. The Event Server manages file-based events
2. The Event Server monitors the directory that you specified.
3. Triggers your file based events
4. Event Server notifies the CMS that the file-based event has occurred. The CMS then starts any jobs that are dependent upon your file-based event.


Processing Tier
1)Processing Tier access the data and generates the reports
2)It is the only layer that interacts with Database that contain reporting data.

Report Job Server

1. The Report Job Server processes scheduled reports, as requested by the CMS, and generates report instances
2. To generate a report instance, the Report Job Server obtains the report object from the Input File Repository Server and communicates with the database to retrieve the current data. Once it has generated the report instance, it stores the instance on the Output File Repository Server
3. Note: Instances are versions of a report object that contain saved data

Program Job Server
1. Program objects allow you to write, publish, and schedule custom applications, including scripts, Java programs or .NET programs
2. The Program Job Server processes scheduled program objects, as requested by the CMS
3. To run a program, the Program Job Server first retrieves the files from storage on the Input File Repository Server, and then runs the program. By definition, program objects are custom applications. Therefore the outcome of running a program will be dependent upon the particular program object that is run.
4. Unlike report instances, which can be viewed in their completed format, program instances exist as records in the object history

Web Intelligence Job Server

1)It processes scheduling requests it receives from the CMS for Web Intelligence documents
2)It forwards these requests to the Web Intelligence Report Server, which will generate the instance of the Web Intelligence document

Web Intelligence Report Server

1. This Server is used to create, edit, view, and analyze Web Intelligence documents
2. It processes scheduled Web Intelligence documents and generates new instances of the document, which it stores on the Output File Repository Server.


Report Application Server (RAS)
1. The Report Application Server (RAS) processes reports that users view with the Advanced DHTML viewer.
2. It provides the ad hoc reporting capabilities that allow users to create and modify reports over the Web

Destination Job Server
1. The Destination Job Server sends objects and instances to destinations inside the BusinessObjects Enterprise system, for example, a user's inbox, or outside the system, for example, by sending a file to an email address
2. It does not run the actual report or program objects. It only handles objects and instances that already exist in the Input or Output File Repository Servers

List of Values Job Server
1. It processes scheduled list-of-value objects
2. These are objects that contain the values of specific fields in a Business View
3. The List of Values Job Server behaves similarly to the Report Job Server


Page Server
1. The Page Server is primarily responsible for responding to page requests by processing reports and generating Encapsulated Page Format (EPF) pages.
2. The EPF pages contain formatting information that defines the layout of the report

Data Tier
The data tier is made up of the databases that contain the data used in the reports

So this about the Brief Functioning of Business Objects Architecture layers. I will try to cover up this in more detail in the next blog.

History and Versions of Business Objects

Business Objects started way back in 1990 with their tool called Skipper SQL 2.0 x.
After four year i.e in 1994 company have come up with  "Business Objects v3.0" and its was the same year when Business Objects first french software company has got listed in NASDAQ.


than later version BO 4.0 is launched.
In 1997: Introduces WebI thin client, which enables shared information across an extranet.
2001: SAP signs an OEM and reseller agreement to bundle Crystal Reports. Acquires Blue Edge Software.


2003: Acquires Crystal Decisions for $820 million.[11] Business Objects releases Dashboard Manager, BusinessObjects Enterprise 6, and BusinessObjects Performance Manager.


2004: Debuts new combined company with the slogan, "Our Future is Clear, Crystal Clear." Launches Crystal v10 and BusinessObjects v6.5.


2005: Launches BusinessObjects XI. Acquires SRC Software, Infommersion, and Medience. Launches BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2.


2007: Continuing its string of acquisitions, Business Objects acquires Cartesis[14] and Inxight.


2007: In October, SAP AG's Chief Executive Henning Kagermann announced a $6.8 billion deal to acquire Business Objects.


2008: In January, SAP absorbs all of Business Objects' offices, and renames the entity "Business Objects, an SAP company". Following the acquisition of Business Objects by SAP, the founder and CEO of Business Objects, Bernard Liautaud, announces his resignation.


2009: Business Objects becomes a division of SAP instead of a separate company. The portfolio brand "SAP BusinessObjects" was created. All former BO employees now officially work for SAP.


after realasing BO XI in 2005 later on the serveral version have Comeup.
BO XI R1
BO XI R2
BO XI R3
BO XI 3.1 
BO XI 3.1 Edge Version
BO XI 3.2


and Now the latest version BO XI 4.0 or SAP BO 4.0 is launched in 2011.