BusinessObjects User Guide

The new reporting tool available within WellSky Community Services (formerly ServicePoint) is called BusinessObjects and is replacing the Advanced Reporting Tool, or ART. Going forward, BusinessObjects is the module utilized to generate custom reports from the data recorded in the HMIS. This guide is intended to provide a basic overview of the similarities and differences between the systems, as well as provide links to guides on how to use different parts of BusinessObjects.

BusinessObjects User Guide
- From ART to BusinessObjects
- Data Warehousing
- User Interface
- Troubleshooting
- News & Updates
Locating Reports in the Folder System
Setting Prompts in Reports
Running a Report in "View" Mode
Running a Report in "Schedule" Mode
Viewing Previously Scheduled Reports

From ART to BusinessObjects

The Advanced Reporting Tool (ART) was built using version 3.1 of the SAP BusinessObjects software and was named "ART" by WellSky (the software vendor). The new reporting tool, which is being referred to by the software vendor as BusinessObjects, is version 4.3 of the SAP BusinessObjects software. In other words, this is not an entirely new reporting system - it is an upgrade.

One of the main benefits of this upgrade is that ART reports have been copied to BusinessObjects and can be found in the same place within the folder structure. There may be a very small number of changes between ART and BusinessObjects with regard to report availability and folder structure due to clean up and reorganization of the system by the ICA Reporting Team, but users who were familiar with ART will usually be able to locate reports in BusinessObjects once they have become familiar with the user interface.

Data Warehousing

Like ART reports, BusinessObjects reports are built from a "data warehouse" which rebuilds overnight Monday through Saturday, as well midday Monday through Friday. The start times of the overnight rebuilds vary based upon several factors, but the midday rebuilds are scheduled to start at 11am central time. Warehouse rebuilds typically take up to 55 minutes to complete. Because BusinessObjects builds reports from a data warehouse, any changes that are made to data in WellSky Community Services will not be shown until after the data warehouse rebuilds. Users with BusinessObjects licenses can see when the last rebuild was by following this path: Folders > Public Folder, then look at the date and time refreshed on the row for the missouri_live_folder.

User Interface

Users can access BusinessObjects by clicking on the Reports menu on the left-hand side of the WellSky Community Services screen, followed by clicking on the tile that says "SAP BusinessObjects" within the custom reports section. When this tile is clicked, a new tab will open in the browser with the BusinessObjects BI Launch Pad in it. In the Launch Pad, there are three different tiles, plus some additional feature buttons, as shown in the screenshot below.

Important! Due to a minor bug in the current version of BusinessObjects, you may have more buttons appear on your BI Launch Pad than are shown below. In the event this occurs, use only the buttons identified in this guide, and notify the helpdesk that other buttons have appeared so we can investigate and gather more information that can be provided to the software vendor. We have not identified any other issues outside of the BI Launch Pad which affect general HMIS users with BusinessObjects licenses and this should not have any effect on your ability to use BusinessObjects.

A: Folders (formerly ART Browser)
Use this tile to open the folder structure and locate the individual report(s) you wish to run. Learn more.
B: Instances (formerly Scheduled Reports)
Use this tile to open a list of reports you've previously scheduled. Learn more.
C: BI Inbox (formerly Inbox)
Use this tile to open the inbox which contains all of the reports you have had sent to yourself. Learn more.
D: BI Launch Pad
This menu can be utilized to flip between different open reports if you have more than one report open at a time.
E: Search Tool
This is intended to allow you to search for reports by name. Because there are a large number of reports available in the ICA Missouri site, this search tool may sometimes crash. ICA recommends using the Folders button to find and run reports instead.
F: Screen Refresh
This can be utilized to refresh your BusinessObjects Home Page, if needed.
Note: This does not initiate a Data Warehouse rebuild. Click here to learn more about Data Warehousing.
G: Announcements
These are announcements that are made by SAP, the creator of BusinessObjects. ICA will not post any announcements here.
H: Web Assistant (User Guide)
This is a user guide made by SAP, the creator of BusinessObjects, which you are certainly welcome to utilize if you wish. However, ICA has built general guides available on this knowledge base (including this guide you're reading) which will frequently address your questions more directly and promptly.
J: User Settings
This button will show your initials (so appearance will vary) and allows you to customize the appearance of your individual BusinessObjects account. You are welcome to play with the settings if you wish, but ICA has taken the time to set up each user individually in a manner that allows screenshots to be consistent with this guide, so ICA does not recommend making changes to the individual user settings.

Troubleshooting

HTML 500 Error

If, upon clicking on the BusinessObjects tile, you get a message about an HTML 500 error, just close the tab, then click on the BusinessObjects tile again. You should be able to log in. If you are not, please use the "Contact the Helpdesk" button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen to request assistance.

Freeze Up/Crash

In the event BusinessObjects freezes up or crashes, close the tab and then go back to WellSky Community Services (formerly ServicePoint) and click on the BusinessObjects tile again. If WellSky Community Services has also frozen up or crashed, you may need to close both tabs. In that event, you can open up a fresh tab for WellSky Community Services and re-open BusinessObjects once you've logged into the system. If you still have difficulty, please use the "Contact the Helpdesk" button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen to request assistance.

Failure to authenticate to BusinessObjects

This error message will appear if you have changed your password and the BusinessObjects data warehouse has not yet gone through a data warehouse rebuild. If you receive this message and are unable to wait until the next rebuild due to an urgent reporting need, please use the "Contact the Helpdesk" button in the lower right-hand corner for assistance.

News & Updates

When the final transition from ART to BusinessObjects is underway, any important updates for users will be posted here.

August 5, 2022, Update

ICA has submitted a request to have the final switch from ART to BusinessObjects occur overnight between Tuesday, August 9 and Wednesday, August 10. This means that as of August 10, ART will no longer be available, even to the ICA Reporting Team, and that all reports that used to be pulled out of ART will be pulled out of BusinessObjects. Here are some important reminders:

If you have any completed reports you have saved within ART and wish to keep them past August 9, you will need to download them to your computer or a secure storage system.
Demonstration Videos are available on this Knowledge Base. Links to each of the videos are included below for your convenience.
Any questions you have regarding the switch or pulling reports should be sent to the ICA Missouri Helpdesk using the "Contact the Helpdesk" button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.
Some changes to the folder structure and location of some reports have changed. More details on these changes are available in the Locating Reports in the Folder System guide.

Demonstration Videos

The passwords to watch these videos are available in the ServicePoint System News or available from our helpdesk. To request the passwords, use the "Contact the Helpdesk" button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

Navigation & Locating Reports (approx. 8 minutes)
Running Reports in View Mode (approx. 12 minutes)
Running Reports in Schedule Mode (approx. 11 minutes)
Finding Previously Scheduled Reports (approx. 8 minutes)

July 28, 2022, Update

The final webinar on BusinessObjects which will be provided prior to the switch from ART to BusinessObjects has been scheduled for August 2, 2022, at 1:30pm. Click here to register. If you are unable to attend the webinar, please be aware that a recording of the webinar, with closed captions, will be made available on this page as soon as possible after the webinar is held. Users may also utilize the various pages of this BusinessObjects guide.

Per the information provided to us by WellSky, the software vendor, we expect the final switch from ART to BusinessObjects to occur the week of August 8, 2022. Until the switch occurs, please continue using ART for official reporting purposes unless otherwise instructed by ICA. Additional notices will be posted in this guide and in the System News in WellSky Community Services (formerly ServicePoint) as the transition progresses.

Please also note that the Setting Prompts in Reports page of this guide has been updated to align with a recent system update.

As always, please use the "Contact the Helpdesk" button in the lower right-hand corner to send us any questions.

June 15, 2022, Update

The June 6 webinar recording, which has been edited for clarity and conciseness and has had closed captions added to it, can be viewed below. The password to watch the video is available from the helpdesk using the blue "Contact the Helpdesk" button in the lower right corner of the screen. Questions about BusinessObjects may also be communicated using the blue "Contact the Helpdesk" button.

Please continue to use ART for official reporting purposes until otherwise notified by ICA. Notices will be posted in this guide and in the System News in WellSky Community Services (formerly ServicePoint).

June 8, 2022, Update

Our software vendor, WellSky, has delayed the final release of BusinessObjects in order to incorporate an additional upgrade to the software. Therefore, please continue to use our current reporting tool, ART, for all official reports. At the same time, current ART users are welcome and encouraged to explore BusinessObjects. Once BusinessObjects is ready for use, an update will be posted both on this guide and in the System News within WellSky Community Services (formerly ServicePoint). We currently anticipate that we will switch to using BusinessObjects in July.

May 23, 2022, Update

The ICA Missouri Reporting Team continues to work to review the migration of reports from ART to BusinessObjects. Please remember that all official reports should continue to come out of ART until the reporting team has determined BusinessObjects is ready for use. In the meantime, however, current ART users are welcome and encouraged to explore and become familiar with BusinessObjects. Once the reporting team has determined that BusinessObjects is ready for use, an update will be posted both on this guide and in the System News within WellSky Community Services (formerly ServicePoint). We currently anticipate that this change will occur the week of June 6, 2022.

Training Opportunities

Members of the reporting team will be holding training webinars on BusinessObjects on Thursday, June 2 and Monday, June 6. Current ART users are strongly encouraged to attend one of these webinars. For more information about these training opportunities, including how to register, visit the registration page. A recorded version of the webinar will also be posted on this guide once the webinars have finished.

Need Assistance?

If you have any other questions about how to use BusinessObjects or need assistance, please use the "Contact the Helpdesk" button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen to request assistance.