SAP Business Objects → Power BI Migration

output names the engagement folder. Navis arranges everything it writes inside it, the same way every time, so analysis paperwork, converted reports and audit evidence never mix:

engagement/
  spec.toml
  analysis/      License Request PDF, assessment documents, analysis gaps
  conversion/    one folder per converted report, with its documentation/
  evidence/      one <report>_CEC.zip Evidence Capsule per report, plus the verification kit
  working/       data staged by the extract and deploy steps

The SAP Business Objects source platform is either a proprietary binary or lives on a server. The extract step connects to the SAP BusinessObjects server via Raylight REST API, exports each report's structure as a portable .navis-bo file, and saves the underlying data to your working folder. The analyze and convert steps then run entirely offline — no server, no engine, no network required.

Configure the BO server URL and credentials in [extract]:

[extract]
base_url  = "http://your-bo-server:6405"
user      = "Administrator"
password  = ""
folder_id = "6910"
doc_id    = "FAAb..."  # BO document CUID or numeric ID

navis-extract spec.toml

It reads your source folder, saves the exported definitions and data to your working folder, and produces a working.sig integrity manifest that the analyze and convert steps verify to detect tampering.

Scan .navis-bo artifacts (produced by the extract step) to assess what can be automatically migrated before committing to a conversion.

navis analyze spec.toml                  # Analyze all workbooks
navis analyze spec.toml --summary-only     # High-level numbers only
navis analyze spec.toml --no-recursion     # Top-level folder only

Submit the License Request PDF to navis@cepheusonline.com. The PDF embeds cryptographic fingerprints of your workbooks. Cepheus replies with a license file.

1. Run navis analyze and save the License Request PDF
2. Email the PDF to navis@cepheusonline.com
3. Receive a license file back

[convert]
license = "cepheus-license.pdf"

navis verify-license spec.toml

navis convert spec.toml

What Navis produces

For each workbook: a .pbip folder (Power BI Project), plus a _CEC.zip Evidence Capsule.

How calculations are converted

Navis translates SAP Business Objects expressions to their Power BI equivalents using a formal atom-by-atom mapping that has been tested against actual SAP Business Objects output. If an expression cannot be converted with verified accuracy, Navis flags it in the Evidence Capsule rather than guessing.

Windows only. The converter produces a .pbip project with the correct semantic model and DAX measures, but the M queries point to placeholder data sources. The deploy step writes the source data as CSV files alongside the project and repoints the M queries at those CSVs — so you can open the project in Power BI Desktop and see live data immediately.

Connects to the BO server (using [deploy].base_url) and exports each data provider's result set to CSV via the Raylight API.

[deploy]
base_url = "http://your-bo-server:6405"   # required
user     = "Administrator"
password = ""

navis-deploy spec.toml

After the deploy step, open the .pbip file in Power BI Desktop — all visuals will populate with data. Review the conversion, check the Evidence Capsule PDF for any fidelity gaps, and hand off to your data team.

Navigate to the _wired folder for any converted workbook and open the .pbip file in Power BI Desktop (File → Open report). Your report pages load with data immediately.

Connecting to production data

In Power BI Desktop: Home → Transform data → Data source settings. Select the CSV source and click Change Source. The semantic model and all measures are already correct — no other changes needed.

Review the PDF report inside the Evidence Capsule for anything flagged:

• Data connections — connect to your production data source after import.
• Unmapped formula functions — BO-specific functions without an equivalent; clearly marked.
• Universe objects without direct SQL — universe-derived objects need manual data modeling.
• Alerting and scheduling — not transferred.
• Linked reports and sub-reports — noted as fidelity gaps.
• Nothing is ever silently skipped. If Navis can’t convert something, it tells you.

Power BI Project folder

SalesDashboard/
  SalesDashboard.pbip              <-- open this in Power BI Desktop
  SalesDashboard.Report/
    definition.pbir
    report.json
  SalesDashboard.SemanticModel/
    definition.pbism
    definition/
      model.tmdl
      database.tmdl
      tables/

Open SalesDashboard.pbip in Power BI Desktop. The semantic model and all DAX measures are fully defined — you only need to point the data source at your production data.

Each report’s Evidence Capsule, in the engagement’s evidence/ folder, contains the PDF audit report with formula-level conversion evidence, SHA-256 checksums, and any fidelity gaps.

Every conversion produces a <report>_CEC.zip in the engagement’s evidence/ folder, next to the verification kit (verify_cec.py and CEC_HASH_FOLD_SPEC.pdf). It contains:

• A signed PDF with formula-level translation evidence
• SHA-256 checksums of all input files
• A machine-readable JSON manifest of all conversions and fidelity gaps
• A timestamp and license reference

The capsule is tamper-evident: any modification to the converted output invalidates the checksums in the PDF. Keep the evidence/ folder with your converted reports as your audit record.

The Evidence Capsule PDF is cryptographically signed by Cepheus. The signature certifies:

• The workbooks that were analyzed match the license issued
• The conversion was performed by an authentic, unmodified Navis binary
• The formula translations are the ones Cepheus has validated

Signature verification does not require internet access. The public key is embedded in the license file.

Every command writes a structured log alongside the output. Log entries include:

• Per-workbook conversion decisions and fidelity gaps
• SHA-256 of each input file at conversion time
• Formula translation records (source expression → target expression)
• Any warnings or skipped elements

Logs are in JSON Lines format for easy ingestion into SIEM or audit tooling.

License errors

Common issues

For other issues: navis@cepheusonline.com

To analyze or convert a specific subset of workbooks, name the batch in your spec file and list the files you want:

[pipeline]
input = "my_batch"
working  = "C:/Working"
output   = "C:/Output"

[pathlists.my_batch]
base  = "C:/Workbooks"
files = [
    "Sales.twbx",
    "Finance.twbx",
    "subfolder/HR.twbx",
]

Each path in files is resolved relative to base. Use a named batch when you want to hand-pick specific files rather than converting an entire folder.