BusinessObjects

BusinessObjects is a business intelligence platform that provides reporting, analysis, and data visualization capabilities. Originating from the software company Business Objects S.A., the platform combines a semantic layer with a set of front-end tools to access data from various sources.

Founded in 1990 in France, the company expanded into enterprise BI and became a leading vendor. In 2007, SAP SE acquired Business Objects for about €4.8 billion, and the product line was rebranded as SAP BusinessObjects BI. It formed part of SAP's BI portfolio and was integrated with SAP technologies such as SAP NetWeaver and SAP HANA in subsequent releases.

The platform centers on the semantic layer known as a universe, created with the Universe Design Tool (or Information Design Tool in later versions) to map data sources to business concepts. Front-end tools include Web Intelligence for ad hoc querying and reporting, Crystal Reports for pixel-perfect reports, and BusinessObjects Dashboards for dashboards. The Business Objects Enterprise (BOE) server provides report processing, scheduling, and security, with a Central Management Console for administration. The suite supports multiple data sources and can publish and distribute content across an organization.

Primarily deployed on premises in large enterprises, BusinessObjects supports centralized governance and scalable reporting, with capabilities for scheduled publication, user security, and multi-source connectivity. It is used for operational reporting, strategic dashboards, ad hoc analysis, and data discovery when integrated with SAP data or external sources.

As SAP BusinessObjects, the suite continues under SAP's analytics portfolio, with ongoing updates and integration with SAP analytics products, including SAP HANA. The term BusinessObjects often refers to the original product line or to the family of tools within the SAP offering.