SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence 4.0 has been Generally Available since September, 2011, and has generated a significant amount of buzz in the BusinessObjects community. I have no plans to create more buzz. My only desire here is to give an honest assessment of the new version. And by honest, I mean I will share what I have seen, both good, and bad.

Ribbons are for Packages

With this version, SAP has gone the way of Microsoft, replacing toolbars with ribbons. I’ve been using the ribbons in MS Office for several years now, and I still prefer the old menus and toolbars. The same is true for Webi. I don’t like the ribbons, for several reasons:

• I have to remember which ribbon to select, for the feature that I need. If I don’t remember, then I end up hunting through ribbons. This wastes time. I don’t like to waste time. I…