Rating: 
Summary: Buy this book and sleep a little better
Review: This book would have saved me a lot of late night head-scratching, and I hope it can for you.I quickly scanned this book on my first reading. It's clearly organized and well-written. As a result, it's hard to imagine how hard Naeem worked to gain this knowledge, and incidentally get a system up. Early in the first few releases of BW, there was very little documentation of any sort. It was, and still is hard to tell what's supposed to work in the next patch, and what would work right now if only you were pushing the right buttons. All the early BW developers were pioneers, poring over cryptic OSS notes in the wee hours, reading code, and trying to map the landscape while building solutions. Now Naeem has built a fine map. Any beginning user of BW, whether a manager, project lead or developer, can get an excellent overview of the BW landscape from this work. But there is something for the experienced developer, too. There are enough technical tips to ensure that any reader will find something new and valuable. The diagrams are very helpful for explaining concepts to others, and you can be sure every BW trainer/consultant will have this book hidden in their bag. Drawbacks? This book is spread across three versions of BW from 1.2 to 2.0b. But then, so are the company, the customers, and the consultants. I would have liked to see more exit and transformation samples in the CD-ROM. The metamodel information was good, but I would like to see more. And don't think this is a BW step-by-step cookbook, because that doesn't exist. It's still hard. Bottom line? If you're working with BW, buy this book, and save your late night time for something more calming, like Quake.
Rating:
Summary: An Essential Read for SAP-BW Technicians or Expert Users
Review: This is a superb book from an author who knows his subject thoroughly both at the theoretical and practical level. Its coverage is detailed and yet comprehensive with some very helpful guidelines and tips. It covers versions 1.2B and 2.0A, referring also to changes in 2.0B as well as an Operational Data Store chapter and Appendix on 2.0B. I recommend this book to those who are thinking of implementing BW, going on a course and potential upgraders as well as a reference for existing users... The CD included contains useful examples, screen cams and information.
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