The role of Reporting agent once we have BEx Broadcaster

[Former Member]

Hi all,

I understand the BEx broad caster does the pre calculation of Web template, distribution by various mechanisms...So in this context, how and when Reporting agents will be necessary ? Can any one give the differences between those two ??

best regs

D Bret

[Former Member]

Dave,

For some time both will be needed. It is true that some things Reporting Agent did, send a report, BEx Broadcaster does better. But certain Reporting Agent features have not migrated yet. Here's how to think about it: If you want to run a query and store the data in a table for later use, you still need Reporting Agent. This covers priming the OLAP cache, Web template precalculation, pre-run Exceptions, etc.

If you want to present these query results, the means have moved to BEx Broadcaster. That's emailing a workbook, emailing a query result or a link, publishing in the Portal.

(Not) Coincidentally, the first set of features are mostly or exclusively ABAP-based and the second set is based on NetWeaver Java WAS.

Hope this helps,

Doug Childs

[Former Member]

Using reporting agent you can pre-calculate the data of template and access the pre-calculated data of template using a URL (DATA_MODE=STATIC and DATA_MODE=STORED).

Information Broadcaster is used for broadcasting BW Web Templates, Queries and Workbooks via email or exporting to the EP KM Folders. This functionality is not possible with Reporting agent. Also reporting agent can be used only for BW templates, where as Information Broadcaster can be uses for Queries, Workbooks and Templates.

Reporting agent also has other functions like Alert Monitor, Value sets and Background Printing.

Thanks.

[Ashwin]

Hi Dave!

As far as i know reporting agent is used for schedule precalculation services i.e it is used to precalculated Webtemplates, calculated charectersistics(keyfigures) and also for recaclulating queries for cristal reports. it can also be used for managing bookmarks as well as alareting exceptions.

only a subset of these tasks like precalculating queries and webtemplates is posible with broadcaster but it has the addditional functinality which is missing in reporting agent i.e. Bex broadcastic is used to publish webtemplates to portal and to distribute the reports to the user by mail.

hope it helps

with regards

ashwin

[Former Member]

Hi Dave, I´ve seen on SAP Broadcast presentation that on the future versions they will replace all the funcionalities of Reporting Agent on the Broadcast, which means that for a while they will sometimes have overlayed funcions.

Regards,

Rubens

[Former Member]

Hi Dave,

As per my knowledge..by using Broadcaster we can keep them in portal also,using reporting agent we cannot...