If you’ve been around the BusinessObjects world for a while, you probably still get a little nostalgic hearing “Designer.” The good old Universe Design Tool (UDT) — or “Designer” to its friends — has been part of our DNA for decades.
But as of SAP BusinessObjects BI 2025, that era officially ends.

This is part of the ongoing BI 2025 feature retirement wave — the same one I covered in my main article here.
SAP has now confirmed in SAP Note 3520314 that UDT and UNV universes are no longer supported in BI 2025.

And yes — that means no more .UNV universes. None. Nada. Gone.

Farewell to Universe Design Tool (UDT) and UNV Universes: What You’re Losing, and What to Do Next

"We can all pretend UDT isn’t really dead in BI 2025, but that won’t make SAP bring it back. Designer had its moment — a long one — but its time is up. Mourn it if you need to, then get on with the real work: converting, migrating, and preparing your landscape for what’s next"

About the Author

Hi, I'm Clint and I've been knee-deep in the SAP Business Objects world for over 25 years now. Yeah, I know, longer than I care to admit. My first installation was way back in SAP BI 6.5 - back when Desktop Intelligence was still a thing. Needless to say, I've seen it all.

After running two wildly successful global SAP Analytics consulting firms, being a SAP Mentor, and speaking on all things SAP Analytics and SAP Business Objects around the world, I'm here to help. I've moved to the "employee of one" model, and I'm available worldwide to assist you with your SAP BO upgrade.

I get it - I know how SAP is moving towards a "cloud first" approach, just like every other big vendor out there. But I also know that customers need to keep their on-premise BI 4.x implementation running alongside SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), as there's no seamless migration path to SAC. With all the lower versions of Business Objects, except for BI 4.3 and BI 2025, now being out of support, the need to upgrade for many customers is pressing. So, feel free to connect with me below to start the conversation or connect with me here or you can find out more about me here.

“With over 25 years in SAP Analytics, I’ve guided numerous businesses through seamless upgrades, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal performance.”

Simplify Your SAP Upgrade Today!

What’s Changing

According to SAP Note 3520314 – “Universe Design Tool and UNV Universes Are No Longer Supported in BI 2025”, the tool and the legacy universes have been formally deprecated and removed.

If you open up BI 2025 expecting to see UDT in the install media — it’s not there.
The official line from SAP is straightforward:

“In SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform 2025, some products and features have been deprecated and removed. According to SAP strategy, SAP BusinessObjects Universe Design Tool (UDT) and UNV universes are also being deprecated.”

This aligns perfectly with the broader SAP BI 2025 Maintenance Strategy and SAP Note 3560025, which lists all deprecated tools and technologies (including Analysis for OLAP, Multi-Source Universes, and others I’ve covered in this series).

What You’re Losing

If you’re still building or maintaining UNV universes, here’s the quick rundown of what’s gone with UDT:

No more .UNV universes – BI 2025 supports UNX universes only.
No more legacy Designer workflows – that familiar interface with joins, classes, and objects in folders is history.
No more Java Bean or Data Federator universes – these cannot be converted to UNX.
No new content or fixes for UDT.

If you rely heavily on UNV universes for reporting, Web Intelligence documents built on them won’t refresh until they’re repointed to UNX.

What You Should Be Doing Now

You’ve got two paths — and neither involves ignoring this change.

1. Convert UNV to UNX

Your best (and only supported) option is to convert all UNV universes to UNX using the Information Design Tool (IDT).

SAP provides a built-in conversion wizard in IDT that handles most relational UNVs cleanly.
Just remember the limitations:

OLAP-based UNVs
Java Bean-based UNVs
Data Federator connections …can’t be converted.

For everything else — the conversion works well, and once converted, your reports can be repointed using Change Source in Web Intelligence.

2. Use the Workflow Assistant (if you can)

If you’re dealing with hundreds of WebI documents, look into automating the repointing process with Workflow Assistant in the CMC.

However — and this is the kicker — Workflow Assistant only works if your environment meets very specific criteria around Trusted Authentication configuration.
Check SAP Note 3581471 and SAP Note 3559381 for details.

In short:

✅ Works if you’re upgrading from pre-4.3 SP04 patch 900 to 4.3 SP04 patch 1000 + / BI 2025 with old Trusted Auth.
❌ Doesn’t work on fresh installs or if you’ve reconfigured Trusted Auth using the new method.

If you’re not sure, don’t assume — test it first.

What You’re Gaining

The move to UNX universes in IDT isn’t just a forced upgrade — it’s also a long-term win:

Full 64-bit architecture and Java 17 support
Better performance and query generation
Modernized data connectivity (HANA Cloud, Datasphere, OData, JDBC/ODBC)
Future-proof support for OpenID Connect and new authentication flows
Simplified migration into the SAP BI 2025 semantic layer ecosystem

It’s part of SAP’s strategy to consolidate and streamline — fewer tools, cleaner landscape.

Your Next Steps

Here’s my recommended checklist if you’re still sitting on UNVs:

Inventory your universes — find all UNVs across DEV, TEST, PROD.
Assess conversion feasibility — check for OLAP, Java Bean, or Data Federator dependencies.
Convert using IDT where possible.
Repoint WebI reports via Change Source or Workflow Assistant.
Test everything — especially scheduled jobs and security settings.
Document the migration for audit and rollback purposes.
Retire UDT entirely before moving to BI 2025.

The Bottom Line

If you’re still using Universe Design Tool, you’re officially living on borrowed time.
BI 2025 has made the decision for you — UNV is out, UNX is in.

And as someone who’s done 100+ SAP BusinessObjects upgrades, I’ll tell you this straight:
The pain of converting now is a fraction of the chaos you’ll face if you leave it until after go-live.

Helpful References

SAP Note 3520314 – Universe Design Tool and UNV Universes No Longer Supported in BI 2025
SAP Note 3560025 – Products and Features Removed in BI 2025
SAP Note 3581471 – Enabling the Workflow Assistant in BI 2025
SAP Note 3559381 – Configuring Trusted Authentication in 4.3 SP04 Patch 1000 +
BI 2025 Supported Platforms and Maintenance Strategy (PDF)

Wrapping Up

This isn’t just a product deprecation — it’s a clean line in the sand.
BI 2025 is all about simplifying, standardizing, and modernizing.

If you’re not sure where to start — or you just don’t want to risk breaking production in the process — reach out.
I’ve helped dozens of customers plan, convert, and optimize their universe migrations safely, efficiently, and with zero downtime.

Because after 25 years in this game, one thing I can promise you:
Doing nothing is not an option.