---
title: Avoiding SAP BW Implementation Pitfalls
description: How to avoid common SAP BW Implementation pitfalls, Top Tips and Tricks from in the field experience.
---

[SAP BW|BOBJ|Project Management Blog ](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog)

# [Avoiding SAP BW Implementation Pitfalls](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/avoiding-sap-bw-implementation-pitfalls)

 Written by [Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/author/lonnie-d-ayers-pmp) | Fri, Sep, 09, 2011 @ 02:02 PM

 

## Common Pitfalls

 

If you are like the majority of [SAP BW](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/understanding-sap-bw-in-5-minutes) users, you are on version [SAP BW 3.X](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/understanding-the-most-common-sap-data-warehousing-concepts)  or earlier (according to a recent [ASUG Benchmarking Survey](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-do-sap-partner-websites-rank-benchmark-report)) and are hesitant to embark on either a [SAP BW upgrade](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-bw-3.x-to-7.x-upgrade-service-productized-approach-proprietary-methodolgy) or even to [implement](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-partner-website-ranking-inbound-marketing-benchmark-report) SAP BW in the first place due to the many pitfalls you may have heard about.

 

 

## Leverage Our Successes 

 

With many, many [SAP BW implementations](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-business-intelligence-consulting/what-is-sap-business-warehouse) completed successfully, we have learned how to avoid many of the common [SAP BW implementation](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-business-intelligence-consulting/what-is-sap-business-warehouse) pitfalls.   

 

 

 

Those pitfalls typically fall into several well-defined areas:

 

1. **Improper [Scoping of the project](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-key-infrastructure-tips-for-sap-implementation-projects)**
   
   This means trying to do too much at once   
   or  
   Not doing enough to justify the investment.** 
   
   **
2. **Improper selection and deployment of the team members.
   
   **A SAP BW team can be as small as one or a large as 100+ members!
   
   Neglecting the [requirement](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-best-practices-greenfield-implementations) for specialized SAP BW BASIS support, which is very distinct from the normal SAP BASIS Netweaver support required.
3. **Starting the [SAP BW implementation project](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-project-management) at the wrong point in time.
   
   **If you are live and are now doing the [BW implementation](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-consulting-support), the ideal situation is to start it between 3 and 6 months after Go-Live as now you will have data available to work with.
4. **Waiting to deliver something useful to the end-user.
   
   ** 
     1. Bill Inmon, the acknowledged father of [data warehousing](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/bw-siloed-data-survey-questions), made the point long ago, users don’t know exactly what they want until you show them what you got.  
        
        Recommendation was and is:
        
            - Use standard SAP BW Business Content to deliver [useful demo](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/22-critical-lessons-learned-for-conducting-pre-sales-demos) content
            - Shoot for a 3 to 4 week delivery schedule per query to the end-user.
            - Assume every query will show your source data to be bad and will require data cleansing, harmonization, and synchronization to correct.

## KPI Sweep - Critical First Step

                                     

In subsequent blogs, I will talk about some other key SAP BW Implementation pitfalls and how to avoid them but for now, I wanted to leave you with this short video on one of the prerequisite steps-performing a KPI sweep.

 

 

In the meantime, we offer end-to-end SAP BW Consulting support.  

 

 

[View full post](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/avoiding-sap-bw-implementation-pitfalls)

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