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Live Data Connection to SAP Universes

You can create a Live Data Connection to SAP Universe using the SAP

BusinessObjects Enterprise (BOE) Live Data Connector component deployed on your

application server.

Prerequisites for Live Data Connection to SAP Universes:

• SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise BI 4.2 SP4 system installed

• Java application server. If you use Tomcat, it must be configured in Secure

Sockets Layer (SSL)

For a list of supported system types and limitations, please see System Requirements

and Technical Prerequisites and Limitations to SAP Universes.

1. Deployment and setup of the SAP BOE Live Data Connect component

1. Create a context for the component:

a. Open the server.xml file located in the conf folder of your Tomcat installation directory

NOTE: In the below examples, we are using Apache Tomcat shipped with SAP BOE BI Platform.

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b. Locate the Server/Service/Engine/Host node in the file and add the following line:

<Context docBase="cs_ina_agent" path="/sap/boc/ina"

reloadable="true"/>

c. Save the file

2. Create a boe.properties file in the same conf folder

a. Open the boe.properties file and update it with the following lines

# BOE Server info

boe.hostname=http://<BOE_SERVER_NAME>:6405

boe.authenticationMode=secEnterprise

boe.language=en-US

compatibleUniverseFolder=Universes/Samples

temporaryDocumentFolder=BOELiveProviderTempFolder

NOTE: By the above specification we configure the Universes/Samples folder to be accessible in English language while using enterprise authentication. You may be able

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to specify a higher level folder then add view rights only for particular folders in CMC later. You can specify “localhost” as well if you’re using the Tomcat deployed on the same machine as the Central Management System of the BI Platform, where 6405 is the default port. Like in the below example: http://localhost:6405

3. Stop Tomcat and point to the boe.properties file you have just created. You have multiple ways to perform this action according what type of Tomcat you are using.

• Standalone Tomcat (batch) i. Open bin/startup.bat file ii. Set the JAVA_OPTS variable at the beginning of the file:

set JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -

DBocInaAgentConfigurationFile=<BOE_PROP_PATH>

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• Standalone Tomcat (Service) i. Run the executable bin/tomcat8w.exe file

ii. In the Java tab, add the following line in Java options: -DBocInaAgentConfigurationFile=<BOE_PROP_PATH>

NOTE: If your Tomcat runs on Linux or you’re using the Tomcat shipped with SAP BOE BI Platform, follow the steps as described in our SAC Documentation.

4. Download and deploy the SAP BOE Live Data connect component

a. Go to SAP Software Downloads page and login with your SAP Credentials

b. Enter “Live Data Connect” into the search bar at the top

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c. Download the latest version of the SAP BOE Live Data Connect

component

d. Extract the zip file and copy the file cs_ina_agent.war to your Tomcat

> webapps directory

e. Start Tomcat

5. Configuring Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) When deploying the component, you can configure CORS requests so that the browser accepts requests coming from the SAP Analytics Cloud server. It's a way to secure the component by making sure that you control what servers are accessing your BI system via the component.

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NOTE: If you are using a reverse proxy, you don't have to set up CORS. Please follow the SAC Documentation how to set up Reverse Proxy for SAC and Live Universe Connection

a. After starting the Tomcat a cs_ina_agent folder should appear in the

webapps folder, meaning that the component has been deployed

successfully

b. Go to the webapps > cs_ina_agent > WEB-INF folder and open the

web.xml file using Notepad

c. Locate the <param-name>cors.allowed.origins</param-name> line

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d. Edit the <param-value>*</param-value> line underneath it as follows

<param-value><SAP_ANALYTICS_CLOUD_TENANT_URL></param-value>

NOTE: Fill the squared brackets with your SAP Analytics Cloud tenant URL. You can

provide more URL’s as well, separating them by a comma.

e. Save the file

Setup of BI Users for SAP Analytics Cloud

You must set up rights and permissions in the Central Management Console of the

SAP BI Platform to make sure that BI users can view universes and access their data in

SAP Analytics Cloud.

As a best practice, we recommend that you create a dedicated folder containing all the

BI universes exposed to SAP Analytics Cloud via the SAP BOE Live Data Connect

component. We also advise you to create a dedicated group in the BI Platform in which

all users are given the specific Web Intelligence rights to create, save and delete

documents in the folder containing the BI universes.

Also, make sure that users that are part of the group have viewing right on the

universes and connections that you want to use in SAP Analytics Cloud.

1. Giving BI users rights on Web Intelligence

a. Log in to the Central Management Console (CMC) by navigating to the URL:

http://<BOE_System>:8080/BOE/CMC

b. Choose Applications from the home screen of from the dropdown list

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c. Right click on Web Intelligence and choose User Security

d. Select a user or user group and click Assign Security

e. In the Access Levels tab, add Full Control to the Assigned Access Levels

column

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f. Click on Apply

2. Giving BI users access to universes in SAP Analytics Cloud

a. Log in to the Central Management Console by navigating to the URL:

http://<BOE_System>:8080/BOE/CMC

b. Choose Universes from the home screen of from the dropdown list

c. Make sure that the Universes folder in selected in the folder structure

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d. Click on Manage > User Security

e. Select a user or a user group and click Assign Security

f. In the Access Levels tab, add View to the Assigned Access Levels

g. In the Advanced tab, click Add/Remove Rights

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h. In the left pane click on System > Universe

i. Grant the Data Access and Create and Edit Queries Based on Universe right

j. And click Apply

k. In left pane click on System > Universe (information design tool)

l. Grant the Data Access and Create and Edit Queries Based on Universe right

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m. Click Apply

After performing all the steps properly, you’ll need to see these rights assigned to your

user or user group:

3. Giving BI users access to connections in SAP Analytics Cloud

a. Log in to the Central Management Console by navigating to the URL:

http://<BOE_System>:8080/BOE/CMC

b. Choose Connections from the home screen of from the dropdown list

c. Make sure that the Connections folder is selected in the folder structure

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d. Click on Manage > User Security

e. Select a user or a user group and click Assign security

f. In the Access Levels tab, add View to the Assigned Access Levels column

g. In the Advanced tab, click Add/Remove Rights

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h. In the left pane click on System > Relational connection

i. Grant the Data Access right

NOTE: Login in with a user or a user from the user group to Web Intelligence using BI

Launchpad. If you can create a Web Intelligence document using a universe that you

have exposed to SAP Analytics Cloud and delete it without any error, then the user has

been properly step up and can access BI universes in SAP Analytics Cloud.

4. Create the connection in SAP Analytics Cloud

a. Log onto of SAP Analytics Cloud and go to Main

Menu > Connection > Connections > + (Add Connection) > Live Data

Connection > SAP Universe

b. In the dialog, enter a name for your new connection

NOTE: The connection name cannot be changed later.

c. Set the connection type to:

• Direct, if you aren’t using reverse proxy, then specify the BI Tomcat

Server’s Host and HTTPS port below that

• Path, if you have configured a reverse proxy and enter the Path Prefix

“/<PATH>” value defined during reverse proxy setup

d. Choose a Default Language from the list optionally.

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NOTE: This language will always be used for this connection. It cannot be changed by

users without administrator privileges. Please make sure you have installed a language

on your SAPCP system before adding a language code otherwise SAC will default to

the language specified by your system metadata.

e. Under Authentication Method select User Name and Password

f. Enter an SAP BusinessObjects BI user name and password

g. Then select OK