RE: BI-Portal Architecture

[Former Member]

Hello experts,

Firstly, I am fairly new to EP. Though recently I'm researching on what is the appropriate architecture to implement this system:

Current Setup

We have a BI system with it's BI Portal. And we have, on a separate physical server, an EP instance. We have not yet properly integrated BI and EP as in this case.

The task is to establish information broadcasting. And with that, EP should be able to freely compose other system iViews or link-up with other SAP or Non-SAP systems.

Questions

1) Is it true that the BI Portal is strictly for BI users? Can the BI Portal also create other portal contents (etc. iViews)? Can it act as an enterprise-wide portal for a larger user-base?

2) In this scenario, is the BI Runtime Portal the producer portal as the separate EP instance the consumer portal? (with

respect to the Federated Portal Network approach)

3) On most, if not all cases, is the BI Runtime Portal usually the 'default portal' of the BI?

4) If you set an EP instance as a BI's 'default' portal, can you still properly configure EP as a 'central entry' portal?

Thank you in advance.

[Former Member]

Hi

https://forums.sdn.sap.com/click.jspa?searchID=12440427&messageID=5415968

https://forums.sdn.sap.com/click.jspa?searchID=13818196&messageID=5317040

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/b0a5216a-349c-2a10-9baf-9d479734...

[Former Member]

HI,

sudhakar

[Former Member]

I will answer my own post now - just in case the others need this info as well. This is from some research personally done..in respect a summary of what I've read through:

There are several BI-Portal scenarios - but on our side, we instead used the BI's Runtime Portal as the Portal to use instead of using our 'central' EP System.

And when the user wants to access BI iViews/Contents centrally with other systems, maybe with ESS/MSS systems -- they will have to look into implementing a Federated Portal Network Approach - through Remote Role assignments perhaps.

Cheers!

[Former Member]

Hi

We run both scenarios that you speak about, and I haven't noticed much of a difference to be perfectly honest.

At one client we implemented BW3.5, and therefore had a seperate EP instance. That EP was configured to display BI iviews, as well as MSS from the R/3 ERP system. It has also been configured to pull content from other non-sap systems. The SSO has been configured such that the user logs into the portal, and then not again into any of the other systems.

For our latest client, we implemented BI7, and there the portal used was the BI Portal. For now we haven't had need for anything other than BI iviews, but I don't see why the portal could not be configured to speak to other systems ... SAP or non-SAP.

Cheers,

Andrew

[Former Member]

Thanks for the input Andrew.

On stating that you 'haven't noticed much of a difference' on both scenarios, there's a floating question I have been having lately: there's not even a significant performance difference between both implementation?

"but I don't see why the portal could not be configured to speak to other systems ... SAP or non-SAP

From the SAP [FAQ|https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/nw-datamanagement?rid=/library/uuid/a5067965-0901-0010-6f8a-bbf0b7424283#q-6] - I assumed they were inferring to consider Federated Portal Network on this - since when you have your BI Portal act as a central portal - there might be performance issues. And more so maybe not as resource efficient if you have other SAP or Non-SAP systems integrated with the BI-Portal if you consider patching for new SP Stacks. Once you do, maybe your portal's other sets of functionality for non-BI components will also be unavailable once BI patching/upgrade is done.

I'm not sure, but the architecture when using BI-Portal to connect with other SAP/Non-SAP systems looks like an unstable to me.

Correct me if my understanding is incorrect though, as you have more experience on this aspect.

Regards,

Jan

[Former Member]

HI,

Portal

Tarak

[Former Member]

Hello Tarak,

Thank you for the links that you have provided. Though I honestly know most of the links you've posted.

Sadly, they weren't able to answer those four questions of mine.

Thank you again, though.

-Jan