Programming in BO

[dbomrrsm]

I have been using Business Objects for about 4 years and I dont think I have ever programmed in BO.

I have recently seen job aderts for BO Developers that require you to be able to design BO Universes and programme in BO.

What exactly does the programming entail.

Many thanks for any explanations

[blue]DBomrrsm[/blue]

 

[BrianTyler]

I can only assume that the advertisements are written by non-BO people. There is not really such a task.

I think that what they mean by BO programming could be the development of objects in Designer and Reporter, and the integration with excel / VB etc.

 

[dbomrrsm]

thanks Brian

I was worried for a while as I have seriously been thinking about looking for contracting work as a BO Developer but I thought I cant do that as I have never programmed in BO and they are asking for it.



[blue]DBomrrsm[/blue]

 

[skrandel]

Brian, likely you're right. However, there is a need to JSP/ASP developers to customize WebIntelligence.

Steve Krandel
VERITAS Software

 

[xlbo]

Dunno - I've used VBA with BOBJ quite a bit now - I create custom menus and functions for our less computer literate users - one report even has a menu that is context sensitive - does different things dependant on the active report / table etc

Can also use VBA to link together MSExcel / MSAccess and BOBJ to create menu systems for reports and also to take user input, use that to create SQL strings, run them through BOBJ and format the results - there's actually quite a lot you can do BUT I don't know many people that can and a lot of them program in VB so what they are doing is basically building VB apps that incorporate BOBJ as part of their functionality - again - not many of these around so I doubt it would prevent you from being a BOBJ developer if you don't know how to program it...

Rgds, Geoff

"Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred"

Please read FAQ222-2244 before you ask a question

 

[dbomrrsm]

I am from the UK so what should I expect a BO Developer to be able to do ?

[blue]DBomrrsm[/blue]

 

[xlbo]

Use Supervisor
Set up and maintain universes in Designer
Write complex reports in Reporter

Maybe manage ETL extracts

I'm not a BOBJ developer myself per se - I am salaried to a company but it's a field I'd like to get into and I've been to a coupla interviews - ended up turning them down - seems to be an area where companies are realising how expensive it is to get contractors in so they're looking to get in house peeps - as such, if you know 1/2 of the required elements and can demonstrate other skills as well, it may be enough

Rgds, Geoff

"Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred"

Please read FAQ222-2244 before you ask a question

 

[dbomrrsm]

Thanks Geoff

when you say write complex reports in reporter - do you mean be able to create reports from the objects you provide in your developed universes or something more complex ?

Why did you turn the chances down - they seem to pay very well.

Rgds

[blue]DBomrrsm[/blue]

 

[xlbo]

Interviews were with companies wanting to recruit a specialist. The combination of location / offer / company ethos wasn't right for me

In terms of complex reports, I'm talking multiple tabs, multiple tables and charts, plenty of report level variables, complex filters and aggregates plus knowledge of drilling

Rgds, Geoff

"Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred"

Please read FAQ222-2244 before you ask a question

 

[dbomrrsm]

thanks a lot Geoff

[blue]DBomrrsm[/blue]

 

[BrianTyler]

I find that, at least at my site, there is no current use of drilling or or heirarchies, but a lot of emphasis is put on the formatting and presentation of reports.

Multiple tables and crosstabs are organised to 'hide the joins'. There are muliple report tabs, some showing the details and some showing summaries and totals.

The main techie bit is in the understanding of the underlying databases and the matching of that to the company's customer's requirements.

To show that a developer is competent in designer, they must be able to demonstrate a reasonable understanding of Contexts, Aliases etc to avoid loops and fan / chasm traps.

 

[dbomrrsm]

Brian

Thanks for that - I think I can quite reasonably meet the requiremnts of your last paragraph. What I have also got to offer is the databse background - I am a certified application developer in MS SQL Server and am currently undergoing the certification to become a Oracle Certified Professional DB developer in Oracle 9i.

When advertising a position of BO Developer would the recruiting firm be looking more for someone who can format reports or with the DB background.

I have extensive knowledge of Designer but although I use the Reporter module quite frequently I dont tend to do much that is as complex as you suggest.

Thanks all for your input it is very useful.

[blue]DBomrrsm[/blue]

 

[xlbo]

Your DB background will stand you in good stead for a developer role. As long as you can use Reporter and know how to use help files and the BOB knowledge base you should be fine

Rgds, Geoff

"Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred"

Please read FAQ222-2244 before you ask a question

 

[dbomrrsm]

I have used the BO Knowledge Base frequently in the past - what exactly do you mean by help files ? Do you mean the ones that come with the various modules - ie Reporter Help.

Thanks again for your input.

[blue]DBomrrsm[/blue]

 

[dbomrrsm]

I have used the BO Knowledge Base frequently in the past - what exactly do you mean by help files ? Do you mean the ones that come with the various modules - ie Reporter Help.

Thanks again for your input.



[blue]DBomrrsm[/blue]

 

[xlbo]

Exactly yes - if you can understand them and know where to hunt for info, then you should be fine. IMHO, it is easier to learn the reporting skills than the DB / Designer skills

Rgds, Geoff

"Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred"

Please read FAQ222-2244 before you ask a question

 

[dbomrrsm]

Thanks

[blue]DBomrrsm[/blue]