Create Semantic Model as in Business Objects

[rnola16]

We are transitioning to PBI from Business Objects.

Currently in Bus Obj, users would use the Universe and build their own queries for their choice of time periods. These tables are huge, runs into 20 yrs of data and are faily quick. All the query runs happen on Teradata. The unv is huge as well with 14k objects ( fields). The database has got 1000 tables

The goal : Have users query the database with their choice of time periods and filters for the entire available time period.

If I were to replicate the Bus Obj Unv, can this be done by creating a semantic model in PBI ? The idea is to create a skeleton of the tables and joins, have the query executed by Teradata and allow multiple users use the system for their choice of queries. Can this be made possible. I looked around and found no concrete solutions whether PBI offers.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi rnola16,

We are following up to inquire whether you have submitted this as an idea in the Ideas Forum. If so, kindly share the link here, as it would be beneficial to other community members who may have similar feedback.

Should you have any further queries, please feel free to contact the Microsoft Fabric community.

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi rnola16,

Thank you for the follow up.

Based on my understanding, Power BI does not currently offer a query panel equivalent to the SAP BO Universe that allows users to build ad-hoc queries directly against the semantic model without interacting with visuals or writing DAX. Power BI’s architecture is centred on semantic datasets. Ad-hoc access is typically provided through connected tools and views rather than through an internal query builder.

If your requirement is for user driven, ad-hoc querying without modifying the model, the following options may be helpful:

1. Analyze in Excel which allows users to drag and drop fields and apply filters in Excel directly against the Power BI dataset without editing the dataset.
2. XMLA endpoint connectivity which enables Excel, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and third party BI tools to query the Power BI semantic model as if it were a cube, supporting large scale concurrent access.
3. Perspectives allow creation of simplified, business friendly views of large models so that users see only the fields relevant to them.
4. Fabric datamarts which provide a SQL endpoint and a visual query editor for no-code data exploration.

If you require a native query panel experience identical to SAP BO Universe, that functionality is not available at present. You may consider submitting this requirement as a feature request in the Microsoft Fabric Ideas Forum using the link: Fabric Ideas - Microsoft Fabric Community

For further reading, please refer to the following links:
Create Excel workbooks with refreshable Power BI data - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Power BI semantic model experience in Excel - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Semantic model connectivity and management with the XMLA endpoint in Power BI - Microsoft Fabric | M...
Perspectives in Analysis Services tabular models | Microsoft Learn
Introduction to datamarts - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

We hope that the information provided will help to address the issue. Should you have any further queries, please feel free to contact the Microsoft Fabric community.

Thank you.

[rnola16]

No, this approach still fails. I believe there is no solution designed for PBI to establish a semantic model to cater multiple users without the need to construct a query from the Data model.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi rnola16,

We wanted to see if the information we gave helped fix your problem. If you need more help, please feel free to contact the Microsoft Fabric community.

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi rnola16,

We are following up to see if what we shared solved your issue. If you need more support, please reach out to the Microsoft Fabric community.

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi rnola16,

We would like to follow up and see whether the details we shared have resolved your problem.
If you need any more assistance, please feel free to connect with the Microsoft Fabric community.

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Thankyou, @samratpbi, for your response.

Hi rnola16,

We appreciate your inquiry submitted via the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

Based on my understanding, Power BI does not provide a Universe object model. The semantic model and organized database views serve as its replacement. Without organization, exposing 14,000 fields across 1,000 tables would be unmanageable. While Power BI/Fabric can provide a comparable semantic layer experience, it will not be a one-to-one replacement for the SAP BO Universe.

Please consider the following approach, which may help to resolve the issue:

1. Create business friendly views or materialised aggregates for the most frequently used fields and common queries, so that the heavy processing remains in Teradata.
2. Connect these organized views to a Power BI dataset or semantic model. Hide technical columns, add display folders and descriptions, and define standardised measures.
3. Maintain detailed history in Teradata via DirectQuery, and import recent or aggregated slices into Power BI to improve performance.
4. Host the dataset in Fabric or Premium, and enable the Large Semantic Model feature if required.

For further guidance, please refer to the following links:
Power Query Teradata database connector - Power Query | Microsoft Learn
Power BI Semantic Models - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
DirectQuery in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Use composite models in Power BI Desktop - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Composite model guidance in Power BI Desktop - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Large semantic models in Power BI Premium - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

We hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further queries, please feel free to contact the Microsoft Fabric community.

Thank you.

[samratpbi]

Hi, as an alternative of SAP BO Universe, you can create a Power BI dataset. Power BI offers dataset Endorsement. You may refer the below link for the same.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/collaborate-share/service-endorsement-overview

You can control the dataset access in the similar way you control Universe access. 

Now if your data is huge and you dont want to bring the data into Power BI, you can use Direct connection (instead of import data). As per my understanding it works like BO Universe. You can make columns visible, hidden as per your choice and obviously will be able to define necessary relationships between tables, measure.

Hope this helps to resolve your problem. If it does, then please mark it as solution.

thanks - Samrat

[rnola16]

Thanks Samrat, I haven't explored this route but this looks promising. Appreciate your response.

[samratpbi]

Thanks, if this helps to resolve your problem, then you can mark it as solution, thanks.