A "universe" is a "Business object" terminology. Business objects also happens to be the name of the company. The universe is the interfacing layer between the client and the datawarehouse . The universe defines the relationship among the various tables in the datawarehouse.
Universe is ann layer between the backend Database and Front end tool of reports. In This We have an Metadat about the database and connection,Classes, and Objects.In The Universe the dta structure will be modified as Business Terminology and user can easily understand .
A universe is a business-oriented mapping of the data structure found in databases: tables, columns, joins, etc. It can represent any specific application, system, or group of users. For example, a universe can relate to a department in a company such as marketing or accounting.
In the BusinessObjects User module, universes enable end users to build queries from which they can generate and perform analysis.
A universe is a semantic layer or in more familiar terms a data abstraction layer which is built with the Business Objects Designer tool. This semantic layer is where you define your "Business Objects" which are essentially encapsulated snippets of SQL that when properly built express a leggo-like bit of business logic that can in the reporting tool or through an application be used and reused to build reports. The genuis of this is that this data abstration layer sits between the database and your reports or application. This means that even if the database structure changes, that instead of being required to change what could be hundreds or even thousands of reports throughout an organization to accomodate the change, you instead make the changes in the universe and those changes are automatically passed through to all the reports. This has numerous benefits one being that it allows a much more flexible environment for preparing for and facilitating change in an organization.
Universe is a semantic layer between database and BO reports. It is the collections of classes that are intended for a particular group of users. It is the business represntation of data warehouse.