Ramping Up Fast: Onsite SAP BusinessObjects Training for Company N’s Content Operations Team.

About the Client

Company N is a leading global provider of business news and information. Earlier in 2014, Iknow built Company N’s Content Operations monitoring and alerting platform on the SAP BusinessObjects BI suite, providing the company with real-time visibility into the delivery status of its licensed content sources for the first time.

Industry Context

SAP BusinessObjects has proven to be a durable investment: SAP’s official Statement of Direction guarantees mainstream maintenance for the platform into the early 2030s, and as of 2026 SAP continues to release new BusinessObjects versions alongside its cloud-native successor, SAP Analytics Cloud, as part of a hybrid enterprise analytics strategy. That longevity underscores why the enablement work Iknow delivered in 2014 mattered well beyond the immediate handoff: a platform expected to remain in production for well over a decade needed an internal team capable of running it, not just a vendor-built system with no institutional ownership behind it.

Current Situation

With the Content Operations dashboards newly deployed, Company N had functioning software but no internal expertise to sustain it. SAP BusinessObjects was entirely new to the Company’s analytical environment. Company N needed its own staff trained quickly enough to take over day-to-day maintenance and support without relying indefinitely on Iknow.

• An unfamiliar platform. SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise, Web Intelligence, and Dashboard software were entirely new additions to Company N’s analytical environment, with no internal expertise to draw on.
• A live system requiring a smooth handoff. The Content Operations dashboards were already in production, so training had to prepare Company N’s staff to take over maintenance and support responsibilities, not just learn the software in the abstract.
• A tight timeline. Company N needed its team ramped up quickly, leaving little room for anything other than an intensive, focused training format.

• Train a group of Company N employees to a working proficiency level across the full SAP BusinessObjects BI suite.
• Prepare that team to take over maintenance and support of the Content Operations dashboards Iknow had built.
• Deliver the training onsite, in a format suited to hands-on, practical learning rather than purely theoretical instruction.

How Iknow Structured the Work

Iknow designed a one-week, classroom-based training program combining structured product instruction with progressively more advanced, hands-on exercises, culminating in an extended practice session and open Q&A to consolidate what participants had learned.

Key Activities & Decisions

• Environment Preparation. Before training began, Iknow installed and tested the new SAP BusinessObjects BI software products in an appropriate environment.
• Technical Training Sessions. Iknow conducted full-day technical training sessions across the first four days, covering product introductions, high-level architecture, and general dashboard design before moving into in-depth presentations of advanced topics, supported by purpose-built course materials and training exercises.
• Applied Practice. The fifth and final day was dedicated entirely to an extensive practice exercise and a Q&A session, giving participants the opportunity to apply what they had learned and resolve outstanding questions directly with Iknow’s instructors.

Stakeholders & Collaboration

Iknow delivered the program onsite for Company N employees, with subcontractor DataSense Solutions supporting the engagement.

Turning New Users into Capable Owners in One Week

A single week is a short window to take staff from no exposure to a new BI platform to being ready to support a live production system. Iknow addressed this by deliberately sequencing the program — foundational product and architecture knowledge in the early days, advanced topics once that foundation was in place, and a full day reserved for extensive hands-on practice and Q&A — rather than compressing everything into passive lecture time.

Operational Outcomes

• Delivered a complete, tested SAP BusinessObjects BI environment ahead of the training program, and a structured one-week curriculum covering the full suite.
• Trained Company N employees to a working proficiency level across SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise, Web Intelligence, and Dashboard software.

Strategic and Organizational Outcomes

Company N now had an internal team capable of maintaining and supporting the Content Operations dashboards on its own, reducing its dependency on outside consultants for day-to-day operation of a system central to its content delivery monitoring. That internal capability gave Company N a sustainable path to keep the platform running and evolving well beyond the original engagement.

Timeline to Impact

Iknow completed the environment setup and full training program within this single, focused engagement, enabling Company N to immediately take over dashboard maintenance and support.

Core Skills

• Technical training & enablement
• Knowledge transfer
• Business intelligence consulting

Methods & Frameworks

• Structured, sequenced technical curriculum design
• Hands-on, exercise-based instruction

Technologies & Tools

• SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise, Web Intelligence, and Dashboard software