AI & Analytics Legends The knowledge platform for SAP Analytics Sign inSign up
Guide

SAP BO end of life — which version ends when, and what follows

SAP BO end of life — which version ends when, and what follows — Analytics Legends section illustration for SAP analytics market intelligence (Datasphere, BDC, SAC, BW/4HANA)

As of 2026-10-18

Edited by , sole editor and publication director — 27 years in the SAP ecosystem. How these pages are produced, and where automation is used.

There is no single SAP BO end of life. SAP BusinessObjects BI itself continues, with SAP stating that investments are safe beyond 2030; what ends are individual releases. BI 4.2 is already out of support. BI 4.3 leaves mainstream maintenance on 31 December 2026, according to SAP Note 3763590. BI 2025 and the planned BI 2027 move to a new cycle of minor releases every two years, each with three years of mainstream maintenance. The one product that genuinely stops is SAP Lumira.

The dates SAP has published, release by release

BI 4.2 — mainstream maintenance ended at the end of 2022 and priority-one support at the end of 2024 (SAP Community, BI platform maintenance page). Customer Specific Maintenance is not offered for 4.2, so a 4.2 system today runs without SAP support.

BI 4.3 — SAP Note 3763590 dates the end of mainstream maintenance at 31 December 2026. The May 2024 Statement of Direction had announced the end of 2025 followed by two years of priority-one support; the note is the later and narrower document. Support Package 5, released on 1 July 2025, is the recommended level.

BI 2025 — planned for Q4 2024 with an early-adopter phase in early 2025, then general availability. It is the first release under the new cycle: minor releases every two years, three years of mainstream maintenance each.

BI 2027 — planned for Q4 2026 and, in SAP's words, supported until at least 2029.

SAP Lumira 2.4 — mainstream maintenance to the end of 2025, priority-one support to the end of 2027, after which SAP stops supporting Lumira Discovery.

What happens after mainstream maintenance

From BI 4.3 onwards, a release that leaves mainstream maintenance moves into Customer Specific Maintenance. SAP's Statement of Direction is precise about what that means: support service continues, but no software updates or fixes are delivered. A system in that phase keeps running and can still raise incidents with SAP; it no longer receives corrections.

For a reporting estate, the practical deadline is therefore earlier than the date in the note: it is the first change in the surrounding landscape that the frozen release can no longer absorb.

Three decisions, not one deadline

Stay on premise and upgrade — move 4.3 to BI 2025 and plan the next minor release every two years. No artefact format changes between 4.x versions, so this is an upgrade, not a migration.

Move the same platform to SAP's managed cloud — SAP offers SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise, private cloud edition, operated by SAP on the main hyperscalers. Its Cloud Extension Policy allows on-premise maintenance to be partly or fully terminated when replaced by an SAP Analytics Cloud or BusinessObjects private cloud contract.

Redirect use cases to SAP Analytics Cloud — the strategic target for analytics and planning, and the route SAP recommends for Lumira analysis applications and data-discovery content once Lumira support stops. Web Intelligence and Crystal Reports continue inside BI 2025.

Where BW owners get caught

BusinessObjects estates usually sit on SAP BW, and the two timelines are often read as one. They are not. SAP BW 7.5 has its own extended-maintenance horizon, and BW/4HANA follows the Business Suite roadmap. A BW migration to SAP Business Data Cloud or Datasphere changes the source that BusinessObjects universes and Analysis workbooks read from, which can force report work earlier than any BO date would. Sequence the BO decision against the BW one, not against the calendar.

What we cannot assert

The full text of SAP Note 3763590 — including the support end-of-life date for BI 4.3 after Customer Specific Maintenance — is only available to SAP customers after login; we state the date in its title and nothing beyond it. SAP has not published, in a source we could verify, the exact end-of-mainstream-maintenance date for BI 2025. Your contract and SAP's maintenance schedule for your release are the only authority for your system.

Frequently asked

Is SAP BusinessObjects being discontinued?

No. SAP continues to ship releases (BI 2025, with BI 2027 planned) and describes investments as safe beyond 2030. Individual releases reach the end of their maintenance; the product line does not.

When does SAP BO 4.3 reach end of life?

Mainstream maintenance ends on 31 December 2026 (SAP Note 3763590). After that, BI 4.3 enters Customer Specific Maintenance: support continues, but without software updates or fixes.

Is BI 4.2 still supported?

No. Priority-one support for BI 4.2 ended at the end of 2024, and Customer Specific Maintenance is not offered for 4.2.

Does upgrading from 4.3 to BI 2025 require a migration?

SAP states that no artefact format has changed across 4.x versions, so moving between them is an upgrade, not a migration. Lumira content is the exception: SAP recommends rebuilding it as SAP Analytics Cloud stories.

Engage the editor

This guide is written by . 27 years of SAP — Datasphere, Business Data Cloud, SAC Planning, Joule. Freelance or permanent · Hybrid / remote · Anywhere in EMEA. Available from 19 October 2026.

Profile and contact

What this page is built on

External sources

Read next