Its that time again. SAP has released another Support Pack for the SAP BusinessObjects platform.  Like the SP5 patch, SP6 is less than groundbreaking. With that said, there are a few key items that SP6 will bring to the table.

1. All of the features of SAP5. See the my previous posting on SP5 for more details. What’s new in SP5
2. SAP Web Intelligence RESTful web service SDK. You can now manage several Web Intelligence report functions using a RESTful SDK. I have not experimented with it yet but if it lives up to the hype, this should make it easier to integrate applications with the SAP BusinessObjects platform.
3. Lots of fixes from the SP4 build line. SP5 was centered on getting new functionality out to the masses. SP6 is more about merging all of the patches from the SP4 build with the features of SP5. I can now say the SP6 is a more stable and recommended build for new installations.
4. Be mindful that SP6 does not contain all of the fixes found in the SP4 and SP5 line. Patch 6.1 and 6.2 will be out before long to help you catch up. SP6 is forward fit to the following versions:
   • BI 4.0 Support Pack 5
   • BI 4.0 Patch 5.1 – 5.5
   • BI 4.0 Patch 4.4 – 4.11
5. A full installer based on SP6 is now available. No more installing SP4 and then SP5 and then the latest patch. Granted, this will only last for a short time as SP7 is right around the corner.
6. They removed support for SQL Server 2005 and several other data sources- Although existing connections will continue to work.

Other documents of note:

Forward Fit Plan Document

SAP BusinessObject 4.0 What’s New Guide

SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 SP6 Release Notes (Requires SMP logon)

SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 SP6 Administrator Guide