State of the SAP BusinessObjects BI Upgrade – July 2025

As of July 2025, the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) landscape is entering a new era. SAP has released BusinessObjects BI 2025 (the next major on-premise BI suite version) in March 2025, and has already delivered two patches for it since launch. In parallel, SAP also rolled out BI 4.3 SP5 this month (July 2025) – an important update because it is the final service pack for the 4.3 release line. These developments carry big implications for anyone still on earlier versions like BI 4.2 or older 4.3 support packs. In this post, we’ll summarize the current state of SAP BI upgrades and what you need to know to plan your next steps.

BI 4.3 SP5 – The Last Stop on the 4.3 Line

With the release of BI 4.3 SP5 in July 2025, SAP has signaled the end of the BI 4.3 support pack cycle. SP5 is the final planned support package for 4.3, concluding the yearly update cadence. However, that doesn’t mean 4.3 is immediately obsolete – far from it. SAP will continue to provide patch fixes for 4.3 through its mainstream maintenance period, which has now been extended until December 31, 2026. This gives current 4.3 users about a year and a half of continued support (including critical patches and security fixes) beyond SP5. After 2026, 4.3 will enter a customer-specific maintenance phase for one additional year focused on high-priority security patches. In short, BI 4.3 SP5 offers a stable and supported foundation for the near future, but no further feature-bearing service packs will arrive for 4.3.

SAP’s official BI roadmap (as of 2025) illustrates the extended support timelines for on-premise BusinessObjects. BI 4.3 mainstream maintenance now runs until the end of 2026, followed by limited security maintenance into 2027, while the new BI 2025 release will enjoy mainstream support through at least 2031. This roadmap underscores SAP’s commitment to its on-premise BI customers, providing a longer runway for those who upgrade to the latest versions.

SAP BI 2025 – A New Era Begins

The future of BusinessObjects is BI 2025, which became generally available on March 12, 2025. This release marks a shift in SAP’s strategy for on-premise BI. First, it confirms that SAP is continuing to invest in BusinessObjects for the long term, after some past uncertainty about its fate. In fact, SAP’s revised maintenance plan for BI 2025 guarantees mainstream support until at least 2031, giving on-prem customers many years of confidence in the platform’s longevity. Additionally, SAP announced it will move away from annual service packs to a new update model: smaller “minor version” releases every two years (e.g. BI 2025, then BI 2027, and so on) instead of frequent support packs. In between these major versions, SAP will deliver continuous patches every 6–8 weeks to address fixes and incremental improvements. This approach aims to balance stability with regular updates.

Functionally, BI 2025 doesn’t introduce radical changes to the core BI platform, but it does include some noteworthy enhancements. For example, Web Intelligence – the flagship reporting tool – is getting enhanced capabilities such as built-in dashboarding features. This means WebI can now support more interactive, visually rich dashboards and not just traditional reports, helping SAP BusinessObjects feel more like a modern analytics platform for visualization and decision-making rather than purely a report repository. SAP is also continuing to offer Crystal Reports (the “Classic” version) and SAP Analysis for Office as part of BI 2025’s supported toolset, catering to pixel-perfect reporting and Excel-based analysis needs. All these on-premise improvements come alongside SAP’s ongoing push for its cloud analytics solutions (notably SAP Analytics Cloud). In fact, SAP’s latest Statement of Direction emphasizes SAP Analytics Cloud as the preferred choice for new analytics projects, while confirming that thousands of customers rely on BusinessObjects for enterprise reporting – hence the commitment to BI 2025 and beyond. (BusinessObjects can also be deployed on a private cloud or as part of SAP’s “Business Data Cloud” offering, giving customers a hybrid path forward.)

End of Life for BI 4.2 – Why You Need to Upgrade

Many organizations have been running SAP BI 4.2 for years, but that train has now reached the end of the line. The last support package for 4.2 (SP9) was released back in 2020, and SAP’s mainstream maintenance for BI 4.2 officially ended on December 31, 2022. SAP provided Priority-One Support (critical fixes only) for two additional years, but that grace period expired at the end of 2024. As of 2025, BI 4.2 is fully out of standard support. This carries significant risk – no more bug fixes, security patches, or official support means any new issue could jeopardize your BI environment’s stability and security.

If your organization is still on BI 4.2, the urgency to upgrade cannot be overstated. You essentially have two paths:

• Upgrade to BI 4.3 SP5 – Moving to the latest 4.3 service pack is a natural step that brings you onto a supported platform with minimal change to overall architecture. BI 4.3 introduced a modern Fiori-based Launchpad and other improvements, but it still maintains continuity with the 4.x lineage. With SP5 now available, you can benefit from all accumulated fixes and enhancements, and stay covered by SAP support through 2026. This can be a comfortable interim step if you’re not ready to jump into a brand-new major version yet.
• Upgrade directly to BI 2025 – This leap takes you to the newest release, ensuring the longest support window and access to the latest features. BI 2025 is intended to be a straightforward upgrade for 4.x customers, but because it is a different “minor release” version, thorough testing is advised.

What’s Not Supported in BI 2025 (Plan Ahead!)

While SAP BI 2025 continues the evolution of the BI platform, it also drops support for several older components and tools in order to streamline the suite. If you rely on any of these, you’ll need to address alternatives or migrations as part of your upgrade planning. According to SAP’s guidance, the following components will not be included or supported in BI 2025:

• Universe Design Tool (.unv universes) – The legacy UNV universe format (created with the old UDT) is deprecated. Only .unx universes (created in the Information Design Tool) are supported going forward.
• Multi-source universes – Multi-source (.unx) universes, which allow combining multiple databases in one universe, are no longer supported in 2025.
• SAP Lumira Discovery – SAP’s older data discovery and visualization tool will not continue into BI 2025.
• SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise – The newer edition of Crystal Reports (introduced in BI 4.0) is being phased out; only Crystal Reports 2020 (classic edition) is supported now.
• SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, edition for OLAP – The OLAP viewer in BI Launchpad will be retired (SAP Analytics Cloud is the strategic alternative for multi-dimensional analysis).
• SAP BusinessObjects Live Office – The Microsoft Office plug-in for refreshing BI content in Excel/PowerPoint will no longer be available.
• SAP BusinessObjects Mobile – The Mobile BI app for BusinessObjects is not included in BI 2025, as SAP shifts mobile analytics focus to cloud solutions.

Key Benefits of Upgrading (BI 4.3 SP5 or BI 2025)

Upgrading your SAP BusinessObjects deployment isn’t just a defensive move to stay supported; it also brings positive advantages for your users and IT team:

• Modern User Experience: BI 4.3 (from SP2 onward) introduced a Fiori-based BI Launchpad that provides a more modern, intuitive interface for end users. BI 2025 continues with this modern UI and further refines it, boosting user adoption.
• New Features & Enhancements: By moving to the latest releases, you gain features like WebI’s new visualization and dashboarding capabilities in BI 2025, improved admin tools, better performance, and expanded connectivity.
• Security & Compatibility: Newer versions support up-to-date security standards and integration protocols. Staying on a supported version also means you’ll continue to receive critical security patches, which is vital in today’s security-conscious environment.
• Long-Term Support: Upgrading now sets you up on a platform that will be supported for years to come. BI 4.3 gives you support until 2026, and BI 2025 well into the 2030s, protecting your BI investment.

Planning Your Upgrade Strategy

Every organization’s situation is different, so you should craft an upgrade strategy that fits your needs and risk profile. Here are some practical tips for planning:

• Assess Your Current Environment: Inventory what versions and service packs you’re running and what content or tools you have (UNV universes, Lumira, Live Office, etc.).
• Choose Your Target Version: Decide between BI 4.3 SP5 for a quick win or BI 2025 for a long-term horizon. Some teams adopt a two-step approach—first stabilize on 4.3 SP5, then move to BI 2025.
• Allocate Time for Testing: Treat your upgrade like a mini implementation project with thorough sandbox testing of reports, dashboards, schedulers, and custom SDKs.
• Handle Deprecated Features Early: Convert legacy content (UNV to UNX) before your cutover so you avoid last-minute rushes.
• Review Infrastructure Requirements: Ensure your OS, database, and JVM versions meet the new prerequisites; consider hardware or VM upgrades for better performance.
• Plan Cutover & Downtime: Schedule the production upgrade when impact is minimal, communicate timelines to stakeholders, and have a rollback plan ready.

Looking Ahead: BI 2027 and Beyond

SAP has already confirmed the next on-premise release, BI 2027, planned for late 2026 and supported into 2029. BI 2025 starts a minor-version cadence, so upgrading now keeps you on the innovation track for years to come.

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