Syllabus
B IS 6 5 6 B u s in e s s
In t e ll ig en c e u s in g S AP B W
Dr. Mark Hwang
Summer 2013
Professor, Information
Systems
Course Description
Email:
mark.hwang@cmich.edu
This course is a study of business
SAP Business Warehouse
intelligence (BI) and how BI chal-
(BW),
URL: http://
faculty.cba.cmich.edu/webs/
hwang1m
Phone: 989-774-5900
lenges can be addressed from the
2.
use of SAP products. By turning
3.
insight, BI greatly increases an
Office: Grawn 302B
Produce business intelligence
using SAP BI tools,
organization’s competitiveness.
Objectives
are the sources of domain
develop team skills and a capacity
knowledge. Case studies involv-
for lifelong learning, two critical
ing SAP products provide experiential learning opportunities. A
ness professionals. Specially, upon
team project allows develop-
completion of this course, the
Required Text:
Palekar, A., Patel, B, and Shiralkar, S. (2010). A Practical Guide
to SAP NetWeaver Business
Warehouse 7.0. SAP Press. ISBN:
9781592293230
student will be able to:
2
Teamwork tips
3
Research pointers
4
Schedule
6
Support info
7
Methods
textbook and course materials
attributes of highly successful busi-
Active learning
activities
learning more about BI.
above. Narrated lectures, the
products. In addition, students will
1.
Cultivate an interest in
the learning objectives identified
developers and users of SAP BI
Highlights:
5.
used to help students achieve
lary of BI and become experienced
My teaching philosophy
a team, and
A variety of methods will be
Students will master the vocabu-
Office hours: Monday &
Thursday 10 am - 12 pm
Develop skills in working
with others as a member of
Construct components of a
BW instance,
voluminous data into actionable
4.
Articulate the architecture of
ment and enhancement of team
skills. The project also helps
develop students into researchers. Online discussion boards
and course blogs create a learn-
Assessment: total 700 points
Teamwork quiz
10
ing community that promotes
both self-directed and collaborative learning.
Prerequisite
Participation 80
Exams 200
SAP
Assignments
320
Team project
90
BIS 601.
Active Learning Activities
SAP Assignments
Exams
related to these assignments to
test your understanding.
Assignments with varying
weights will be given through-
Two exams, one mid-term and
one final, will be given. Both ex-
Team Project
ams will include objective and
out the semester. The tentative
You will complete a team project
short answer questions. Each ex-
assignments and their due dates
to do an in-depth analysis of a
am will cover all assigned readings
are noted in the course sched-
business intelligence problem. You
and class work through the class
ule. These are individual assign-
may use SAP BW Layers de-
before the exam. Selected sample
ments. Read the entire assign-
scribed in chapter 2 as a starting
questions created by students (see
ment before you start working
point. Some potential topics in-
course blogs below) WILL be
through it. The objective is to
clude reporting and analysis, plan-
included on the exams. A make-up
learn the concepts involved
ning, and advanced analyt-
exam will be given only if a valid,
rather than the keystrokes
ics. Project deliverables:
documented excuse is provided.
needed to complete the tasks.
Exams will include questions
Participation
Class participation is an integral
component of this course. Being
an online class, participation will
take place in online discussion
boards and course blogs.
Discussion Boards
If you have any questions or
problems with the course,
please post them to the discussion board. Please respond if
“It is the one who
1) research proposal, 2) research
paper, and 3) team presentation.
does the work who
does the learning.”
you have similar issues or if you
portant thing that they have
have a potential solution. You
learned from the assigned read-
may also use the discussion board
ings, the one question that re-
to network with your fellow
mains and one sample exam ques-
learners and explore issues relat-
tion. Students are also required to
ed to your career.
respond to others’ comments,
questions and sample exam ques-
Course Blogs
tions to benefit from collaborative
To reflect on learning and conduct
learning. Selected sample exam
self-assessment, students will post
questions (with modifications) will
weekly entries to course blogs.
be included on actual exams. Your
They will describe the most im-
initial post should be made by
Participation ...
Thursday of each week so that
others have time to comment,
ask for clarification, and answer
questions, etc.
Course Blog Responses
Each week you are responsible
for responding to a minimum of
two postings of your fellow
not just say “I agree” or “that is
a good point” . A response
should be an insightful analysis,
question, or constructive suggestions. Keep thinking—how
can I add something useful?
Maybe you’ve had an experience
or read something similar that
you can share with the class.
classmates. We can all learn
from each other. However, try
2
(Doyle, 2008)
Grading
Teamwork
Teamwork or collaborative
learning is a critical skill. See
the next tutorial to get
started. Each team member
should be evaluated by the
criteria using a peer
evaluation form as shown
below.
Grading will be conducted on a total point basis. The number of possible points will be used to arrive at
a percent score. Conversion from percent to letter grade is as follows:
>= 93% (651 points)
A
>= 77% (539 points)
C+
>= 90% (630 points)
A-
>= 73% (511 points)
C
>= 87% (609 points)
B+
>= 70% (490 points)
C-
>= 83% (581 points)
B
< 70% (490 points)
E
>= 80% (560 points)
B-
Note: The total points needed to get any letter grade are NOT negotiable. There is no
extra credit to earn after grades are posted; nor are there round-ups to a better grade.
Rubrics
See this tutorial
on teamwork!

Preparation – Were they
prepared when they
came to a meeting?

Course Blogs
Category/points
1 main point/1 question/1 sample exam
question
Contribution – Did they
0-1 points
Demonstrates
little or no understanding of the
assigned content
contribute productively
to group discussion and
work?

Respect for others’ ideas
responses
0 points
Does not respond
to others’ posts
– Did they encourage
others to contribute
their ideas?

Flexibility – Were they
flexible when
disagreements occurred?
Group #: ____
1. Name: Ann
Points
Awarded:
30
Comments:
2. Name: April
Comments:
35
3. Name: June
Comments:
35
Your Name:
Total: 100
3
2-4 points
Demonstrates a
basic understanding and shows critical thinking related to the assigned
content
1-2 points
Posts shallow contributions to discussions (i.e.
agrees or disagrees); does not
enrich discussion
5-6 points
Shows an excellent understanding and reflection
of knowledge
from the assigned
content
3-4 points
Demonstrates
thorough analysis
of others' posts;
contributes new
perspectives, substantive follow-up
questions or additional learning
Grading
Rubrics
Research
Research Proposal
To be a lifelong learner
means becoming a selfdirected researcher. For
the team project, you will
submit a research proposal,
which will concisely
delineate the proposed
paper’s topic, organization,
and content . The rubric for
the research paper is
shown on the next page.
Visit CMU library
website to start
your library
research
Below average
Substantial
problems;
items are
vague, irrelevant or ineffective
Meets expectations
of the assignments but key
components
could be
stronger
Above average
A few flaws
but meets
general expectations
and presents
solid
knowledge of
issues with
good explanations
Excellent
Few or no
flaws; demonstrates keen
insights, explanations,
analysis, etc.
Points
TITLE & Title
Page are appropriate
0-1
ORGANIZATION
A brief
outline is
developed
and described
0-2
REFERENCE
LIST
> 10 scholarly journal articles listed
in APA
style
0-2
CMU Main Library: nice place if
you can visit
Or take a virtual tour
4
Grading
Rubrics (Research Paper)
Below average
Substantial
problems;
items are
vague, irrelevant or ineffective
Meets expectations
of the assignments but key
components
could be
stronger
Above average
A few flaws but
meets general
expectations and
presents solid
knowledge of issues with good
explanations
Excellent
Few or no flaws;
demonstrates
keen insights,
explanations,
analysis, etc.
Points
TITLE & Title Page are appropriate
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Main points of the report are briefly but
0-2
INTRODUCTION
Paper topic and importance to the field is
clearly stated
Key terms defined;
includes relevant background information
Thesis clearly states
the paper’s purpose.
CURRENT PRACTICE
Paper clearly states
current state of problems or issues.
References are relevant to the problem
and appropriately cited.
Discusses approaches
that could address the
issues.
Main topic sentences
are used to organize
information.
ANALYSIS
Information is clearly
presented, with enough
detail.
References are relevant and appropriately
cited.
Pros and cons of each
approach are explored
thoroughly.
Predictions for future
follow logically from
the information.
Recommendations
follow from information
presented.
CONCLUSION
Main ideas, predictions, and recommendations are summarized briefly and clearly.
APA style; appropriate
citation
SWE
Standard Written English
use
0-12
0-5
0-14
0-18
0-5
0-7
0-7
0-70
TOTAL POINTS
5
Course Schedule
Week
1
All assignments are to
be submitted via links
embedded in
2
Blackboard
3
4
5
6
7
Topic/Reading Assignment
An Introduction to Business Intelligence (PP)
Assignment Due
Project proposal/
reference list
SAP Crystal Dashboard Design
A1 (Dashboard)
40
Course blog
10
Teamwork quiz
A2 (Analyzer)
5/5/2013
5/12/2013
10
45
BW Reporting and Analysis (P10)
Course blog
5/12/2013
10
BEx Query Designer (P9)
A3 (Query Designer)
5/19/2013
45
Course blog
5/19/2013
10
A4 (InfoObjects)
5/26/2013
40
Course blog
5/26/2013
10
Mid-Term Exam
5/26/2013
100
A5 (DSO)
6/2/2013
35
Course blog
6/2/2013
10
A6 (InfoCubes)
6/9/2013
35
Course blog
6/9/2013
10
A7 (Data mining)
6/16/2013
50
Course blog
6/16/2013
10
Project Presentation
Integrated Planning (P12)
Project Presentation
A8 (Integrated planning)
6/16/2013
15
30
Project Report
Project Report
6/21/2013
6/21/2013
Final Exam
Final Exam
6/21/2013
100
Course blog
6/21/2013
10
SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse Overview (P2)
InfoObjects and Master Data (P3)
Mid-Term
DataStore Objects (P4)
InfoCubes (P5)
Advanced Features (P15)
Total
Use VMWare Viewer
5/5/2013
Points
5
5/5/2013
Data Mining
8
Due Date
5/5/2013
70
700
P: Palekar et al. (2010); SAP Crystal Dashboard Design, Data Mining are slides posted in
Blackboard.
to access all class
software
6
Course Policies
1.
Be a successful online student. It takes great effort to be a successful online student. You have to be
self-motivated and self-disciplined to keep yourself on schedule with reading, assignments, projects,
etc. You do have to devote time from your busy family and work schedule to work on the course
so you won't fall behind. A rule of thumb is that a 3 credit hour class requires 6 hours of work per
week. I would recommend setting aside at least one hour per day for study. Start each week by
viewing lectures and reading the textbook. This way you will finish the initial studying by midweek,
and can make your first posting to the discussion board and course blog. Use the remaining time to
work on SAP assignments, the team project, and make additional postings.
2.
Communication is a key. Communication channel is always open between me, you, and among ourselves. It is very, very important that we keep connected and interact with ourselves. If you have any
questions, feel free to use email, discussion board, chat, or phone to contact me or classmates. Learning takes place in a community.
3.
Netiquette: All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email
messages, threaded discussions and chats. Respect each other in discussion board and chat sessions. Please write your name at the end of discussion postings and email messages so we know
who has contributed to the learning process.
4.
CMU E-mail. It is very important that you access your Central Michigan University (cmich) e-mail
often. All the email messages sent from this class go to your cmich.edu account.
5.
Responding to email. I will check my email daily and respond to course related questions within 24–
48 hours. If I find those questions relevant and important to others, I will post them on the Announcement page.
6.
Announcements. I highly recommend you to read Announcements every other day. All important
reminders, updates, questions and answers, etc. are posted there because this is the first page when
you log into the class. If you happen to miss any days, please click tabs "View Last 7 days" or "View
Last 30 days" to get yourself caught up with what has been going on with the class.
7.
Turning assignments in. All assignments should be turned in via the assignment hyperlink in each
weekly folder. Every submission must include a cover page; a sample is shown at the end of this
document. Each week's work must be completed by midnight Sunday Eastern Time. Late assignments are reduced at a rate of 10% per day late, up to a maximum of two days late. No
credit will be given for assignments that are more than two days late.
8.
Deadlines. Odd things happen in cyberspace—submissions get lost, servers disconnect temporarily,
and logins fail. Do not wait for the last minute to do your work. Allow time to meet deadlines. You
are responsible for getting the work submitted on time.
9.
Feedback on your assignment submission. Please check feedback on the graded assignments in your
gradebook by clicking the hyperlinked score. If you have any difficulty finding comments, please read
instructions under the Tutorial link.
Support
Post SAP assignment
issues on Blackboard so
that others may be aware
or may be able to help. If
no resolution in 24 hours,
email the instructor.
I can also reset password.
If you cannot login to the
server or have other
technical (non-SAP) issues,
call the help desk shown
below when they are
open. If not; email the
instructor.
CMU help desk
link is here
CBA priority helpdesk phone:
1-877-279-0011
This number will take you to the
front of the queue.
Helpdesk hours of Operation,
(Eastern Standard Time, adjusted
for daylight savings time .
M-R: 7 am - midnight
F: 7 am - 6 pm
Sat: 12 pm - 6 pm
Sun: 12 pm - midnight
10. Check your grades. I will post your grades on discussion responses, assignments, etc. as soon as I
can. If you find any errors or missing scores in your gradebook, please feel free to email me.
11. Intellectual Dishonesty: Students will adhere to the highest professional and ethical standards. All
submitted assignments would consist of only the student’s own work. Seeking help from fellow students is encouraged; however, never ask others to do your work nor let others copy yours. If
cheating is suspected, everybody involved will receive a zero for the assignment. Violators will be
prosecuted to the maximum extent allowed by the University policy.
12. CMU provides students with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational
programs, activities, or services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate
in class activities or meet course requirements should contact the instructor as early as possible.
7
Sample Cover Page
BIS 656 Business Intelligence using
SAP BW
Assignment name
Student name
Student number
MM/DD/YYYY
8