Secure Data Integration Between SAP BusinessObjects

(1)

Secure Data Integration between

SAP BusinessObjects

Applies to:

SAP BusinessObjects Disclosure Management10.0 SP1. For more information, visit the Enterprise Performance Management homepage.

Summary

This paper explains how to set up a connection to read report-data from BPC or FC. This approach uses the distribute function of the EPM Excel Add-in to generate reports automatically and describes how DM

consumes the data.

The benefit is that data integration is secure and allows no manual modification of data before it is available in the DM data cache.

Authors: Thorsten Jopp, Jason Reid, Caroline Stephens (Solution Management) Company: SAG AG

Created on: 16 October 2011

Author Bio

Thorsten Jopp is part of SAP`s EPM Solution Management team and has been working on DM and SAP BusinessObjects Notes Management since 2006.

(2)

Requirements

Before starting to set up the connection, you need to make sure that these requirements are fulfilled: Landscape

This How 2 assumes the following landscape

 SAP BusinessObjects Disclosure Management 10.0 SP1 or higher o DM Client

o Microsoft Excel installed on DM Server o EPM 10 Excel Add-in or BPC 7.5 Add-in

 BPC or FC Permissions

In order to be able to set up this connection you need to have Remote Desktop Connection with an Administrator user to the DM server.

You also need a user for BPC or FC with sufficient permissions to create a distribution list.

Step 1 – Create a shared folder

Log on over Remote Desktop Connection to the DM Server and create a Folder (for example c:\BPC-DM-data) on the hard disk. Make sure that the BPC-User and DM-User have read&write permission to that folder, while normal users can have only read access.

(4)

Step 2 – Choose a report

DM can read data in report format - the advantages are that existing reports can be used and there is no need to create specialized integration reports for DM. In addition, users are already familiar with the report structure.

As an example report you can use the Balance Sheet report from the IFRS-Starter Kit.

Figure 2: Balance Sheet Report

Open that report and select the corresponding dimension members so that you can see the values you want to transfer to DM.

Note: In BPC 7.5 you need to have the report stored in the report library. Please note the URL of the report, as it is required later in the distribution list.

(5)

Step 3 – Create a distribution list

Create a new Distribution list in the EPM10 Add-in under “Distribution  New Template”. Select the report you want use and define the dimension members.

Figure 3: EPM10 Add-on Distribution List

(6)

Figure 4: EPM10 Add-on Distribution List

Figure 5: BPC 7.5 Distribution List Save your distribution list.

Note: In BPC 7.5 you can find an example distribution list template under:

(7)

Step 4 – Schedule Distribution

In EPM10 Add-in

After you have saved your distribution list go to “Distribution  Distribute”. 1. “Choose Lockdown and Save to folder”

2. Schedule

3. Select your Distribution List

4. Select the folder that was created in Step 1

5. Define the time and date when data should be refreshed (you can change this later inside Windows Task Scheduler)

In BPC7.5

After you have saved your distribution list go to “ePublish  Offline Distribution Wizard”. 1. “Choose Lockdown and Save to folder”

2. Schedule

3. Select your Distribution List

4. Select the folder that was created in Step 1

5. Define the time and date when data should be refreshed (you can change this later inside Windows Task Scheduler)

(8)

Step 5 – Configure Connection inside DM

Make sure that generation of the report has run at least once, so that the report files are located in the folder. 1. Open Excel and start the DM Ribbon

2. Click on Datasources 3. New

4. Excel File

5. Give the new connection a name and a description

6. Choose the report excel file that was created by the distribute-function

Figure 7: New DataSource based on report

To be able to let the server read later that data, you must add this new datasource to the Content Refresh configuration of the DM server.

1. Log in with an administrator to DM 2. Administration

3. Content Refresh

4. Download the “config20.xml” file 5. Open Windows Explorer

6. Go to “%APPDATA%/cundus AG/cundusBIPublisher” and open the config20.xml file 7. Copy the section of the new BPC data source

(9)

8. Edit the downloaded config20.xml from the DM Server and paste the text at the right before “ </DataSources></CONFIG>”

(10)

Step 6 – Connect to the DM Data Cache

Inside DM open a period and a report type data cache. Add a new chapter and click on edit. Start the DM ribbon and:

1. Create datalink 2. New

3. Select your BPC Datasource

4. Press OK 5. Press OK again

You have now created a data link that reads data into the datacache, based on the values from the report that was published by the distribution-function.

(11)

Check configuration

To see if your connection is working you should change some data in your BPC or FC datasource and wait for the next scheduled distribution. Then log in to DM, open your data cache chapter, navigate to Content refresh and click on start refresh.

(12)

Copyright

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the express permission of SAP AG. The information contained herein may be changed without prior notice.

Some software products marketed by SAP AG and its distributors contain proprietary software components of other software vendors. Microsoft, Windows, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

IBM, DB2, DB2 Universal Database, System i, System i5, System p, System p5, System x, System z, System z10, System z9, z10, z9, iSeries, pSeries, xSeries, zSeries, eServer, z/VM, z/OS, i5/OS, S/390, OS/390, OS/400, AS/400, S/390 Parallel Enterprise Server, PowerVM, Power Architecture, POWER6+, POWER6, POWER5+, POWER5, POWER, OpenPower, PowerPC, BatchPipes, BladeCenter, System Storage, GPFS, HACMP, RETAIN, DB2 Connect, RACF, Redbooks, OS/2, Parallel Sysplex, MVS/ESA, AIX, Intelligent Miner, WebSphere, Netfinity, Tivoli and Informix are trademarks or registered trademarks of IBM Corporation.

Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.

Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, PostScript, and Reader are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation.

UNIX, X/Open, OSF/1, and Motif are registered trademarks of the Open Group.

Citrix, ICA, Program Neighborhood, MetaFrame, WinFrame, VideoFrame, and MultiWin are trademarks or registered trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc.

HTML, XML, XHTML and W3C are trademarks or registered trademarks of W3C®, World Wide Web Consortium, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Java is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation.

JavaScript is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation, used under license for technology invented and implemented by Netscape. SAP, R/3, SAP NetWeaver, Duet, PartnerEdge, ByDesign, SAP Business ByDesign, and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and other countries.

Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects, Crystal Reports, Crystal Decisions, Web Intelligence, Xcelsius, and other Business Objects products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects S.A. in the United States and in other countries. Business Objects is an SAP company.

All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serves informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.

These materials are subject to change without notice. These materials are provided by SAP AG and its affiliated companies ("SAP Group") for informational purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind, and SAP Group shall not be liable for errors or omissions with respect to the materials. The only warranties for SAP Group products and services are those that are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services, if any. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty.

Secure Data Integration Between SAP BusinessObjects