SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards 4.0 - Spreadsheets

How to prepare Excel spreadsheets

Before you import an Excel spreadsheet, make sure the spreadsheet provides a good structure for

achieving the best performance for models.

Consider the following guidelines:

- Use only supported Excel functions

For a list of supported Excel functions, see Supported Excel functions.

- Use these Excel functions with small data sets only

The following Excel functions are supported in Dashboard Design and Presentation Design, but can

affect the model's performance if used with larger data sets (over 100 rows):

• SUMIF

• COUNTIF

• HLOOKUP

• VLOOKUP

Note:

If you must access larger data sets, have the server or database perform the aggregation on the

server side.

- Organize your data in a logical fashion

To make your spreadsheet easier to understand, lay out your data in a logical fashion. Group related

items together and use colors, labels, and borders to describe the structure and function of cells.

- Use colors, labels, and borders to identify data types (input and output)

To make it easier to maintain your visual models, use colors, labels and borders to identify cells or

ranges of cells in the spreadsheet and to describe their use. Adding a legend that describes what

the colors represent helps maintain consistency and usability of the model.

- Place frequently used data and logic at the top of the spreadsheet

To make it easier to select the data you want to bind to components and minimize the amount of

scrolling required, place frequently used or common logic or data at the top-left of the tab in your

spreadsheet.

- Use multiple tabs

If your spreadsheet becomes large and requires a lot of scrolling to see your logic or data, consider

separating data into multiple tabs (or worksheets).

See Also:
Sap BO Dashboards 4.0 - Xcelsius 2008

Sap BO dashboards 4.0 New features

Sap BO 4 Live office

Sap BO 4 OpenDocument

Using Microsoft Excel in BO Dashboards 4.0

BO dashboards performance