SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.1 Upgrade – Overview

This page provides an overview and supplemental information for SAP BusinessObjects BI customers seeking to upgrade their systems from releases Enterprise XI 3.1 and earlier to BI 4.1.  There's also relevant information for current BI 4.0 customers to update their systems to BI 4.1.

When upgrading from releases XI 3.1 and earlier, it is important to realize that a significant shift to a 64-bit architecture (from 32-bit) takes place to take advantage of modern hardware and RAM, which allows BI 4.x to overcome previous resource limitations.  In other words, don't expect to run on the same hardware.  Of course, proper sizing, will help you attain optimal performance.

On the events page, you will find a series of informative webinar sessions on the Upgrade topic intended to provide you with detailed, end-to-end information and best practices on how to plan your upgrade, the upgrade process itself, and post upgrade configuration along with finishing touches.

Upgrade Process Overview

How you actually move onto the new SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.1 release depends largely on the release you are starting from.

There are two main options for migrating to SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.1 from previous releases.

1. Update:  Perform a minor release update from BI 4.0 (any SP).
2. Upgrade:  Perform an upgrade from Enterprise XI 3.1 release and lower.

The diagram below provides a summary of the available migration paths to 4.1 from previous releases.

Update

Before performing an update from BI 4.0, please read the blog entry by Matthew Shaw on this topic: 

“Doing a full install for updating from BI4.0 to BI4.1? Think again...”

The “In-Place Update” option shown above is the recommended option.  As Matthew states in his blog:

“…The update to BI4.1 from BI4.0 is the same process as applying a Support Pack. I.e. just apply the ‘patch’ software to update from BI4.0 to BI4.1. There is no need to install BI4.1 on a new machine, nor is there a need to move, or copy content from one repository to another. Indeed it’s vital that the CMS System Repository database is updated as part of the update process…”

Upgrade

Upgrading to BI platform 4.1 involves installing a new deployment and copying your content and system data from an existing deployment.

You can install the new deployment independently or side-by-side with an existing deployment. The two deployments can work at the same time. When you no longer need your old deployment, you can uninstall it.

Direct

• A direct upgrade path is possible if the version is at least “Business Objects Enterprise XI R2 SP2”.
• Attention: There is information available saying that the minimum version for a direct upgrade can be “BusinessObjects Enterprise XI R2”…   This is NOT correct!

Indirect

• An indirect upgrade path is available for versions that are lower than “BusinessObjects Enterprise XI R2 SP2”.
• These are for example “BusinessObjects Enterprise 6.x” and/or “Crystal Enterprise 10”
• In this case you need a version which is capable of a direct upgrade path in between
• To upgrade to 4.1 from XI R2, XI MHF1, or XI R2 SP1, you must first upgrade to XI R2 SP2 (or higher).
• To upgrade from BusinessObjects 5/6, or Crystal Enterprise 9/10, you must first upgrade to XI R2 SP2.

Webinars

A BI 4.1 Upgrade webinar series is planned to start in the July timeframe.  Be on the lookout for these webinars by checking the Events page for scheduled dates.

Workshops

Customer/Partner on-site BI Migration/Upgrade Workshops are planned for various locations starting in August.  Stay tuned!

Relevant Guides

All the main guides for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform 4.1 such as Update, Upgrade, Sizing, Installation, What’s New, and many more can be found on the SAP Help Portal:  http://help.sap.com/bobip41.

Relevant Blogs

• Matthew Shaw’s “Doing a full install for updating from BI4.0 to BI4.1? Think again...”
• Top 10 Reasons to Realize the Value of SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.1
• Is It Time To Upgrade To BusinessObjects 4.x?

Relevant SAP Notes, KBAs

• KBA 1909881: How to upgrade from one version of BI4 to another
• KBA 1934748: Is a full installation required when updating BI4.x installations?
• KBA 1882363: Upgrading and multiple CMS database/Nodes leading to CMS database corruption, missing Application Settings/rights/icons/??dummy placeholders and more
• KBA 2013616: How to patch BI 4.x servers in a distributed BI Platform deployment simultaneously ( in parallel ) ?
• KBA 1959463: Adaptive Processing Server in failed state after upgrading BI 4.0 to BI 4.1
• KBA 1949693: AdaptiveProcessingServer Running with errors after installing BI 4.1 or after upgrade to BI 4.1
• KBA 1987825: The APS status is "Running with errors" after upgrading to BI 4.1 SP2
• KBA 1982241: Tomcat does not start in BI 4.1