SAP BW Setup

Pyramid connects to SAP BW through BAPI APIs with MDX.

The SAP BW connector requires the premium connector license option

In addition to the standard connection details, as described here, the BW connector uses these settings.

Connection Type

The settings are split between two alternative connection types: the typical "application server" connection or the "Message server" connection.

Application Server

  • Server Instance Name or Number this is usually a 2 digit number like "00"
  • Client also known as the Client ID or System ID

Message Server

  • Host
  • Service
  • System (R3) Name
  • Group/Server

Common Settings for BW

  • SAP Router: This is a connection option normally for older BW systems. It is in the format "/H/xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/H/" - where "xxx" is a set of 4 numbers.
  • Client Number: This number is sometimes required. Usually a 3 digit value like "800"
  • Authentication: there are 3 choices for authentication:
    • provide the an SAP user and password.
    • use SAP's SNC technology for single sign-on.
      • Admins can decide which user ID (from the user's details) to inject into the connection - Proxy 1 or Proxy 2.
      • Click here to learn how to configure SNC security.
    • use SAP Logon Tickets together with an SAP Application Server portal setup.
  • Options: there are several options for BW:
    • Elect whether to "enable" characteristic structures. This changes the way the BW data source metadata is exposed to users when "structures" are used.
    • Elect whether to enable the optimized execution modes. Even if enabled, the choices for execution are set in the Discover report.
    • Choose "Tree View" from the Info Area option to allow users to see the organizational data structure of BW in Pyramid. This then allows users to select if the OLE DB for OLAP components should be visible and to choose which node types to include from the Info Area list.
    • Choose "Leaves Only" from the Info Area option to allow users to view the databases without viewing the organizational data structure of BW in Pyramid.
    • Choose which type of Database ('info-provider') listing technique to use. Depending on your configuration and cube design, the different techniques may be used to hide irrelevant databases from users.
      • Choose "Standard 1", from the Database list technique to display all databases, including databases where Pyramid does not have access to any of the underlying queries.
      • Choose "Standard 2" from the Database list technique to filter the filter the database list based on the list of models found in the "$INFOCUBE" database node, displaying only databases where Pyramid has access to underlying queries .
    • Choose the default language / culture for the metadata and queries.

Securing User Connections to SAP BW

User connections to BW can be made by named user (very inefficient approach for many users), via SAP's "SNC" framework or via Logon Tickets.

  • The SNC framework is the most common approach for SSO connectivity to SAP BW. Click here for more details.
  • Logon Tickets requires customized code deployment on the SAP Application Server. Please contact support for more details.

Note: SAP Logon Tickets are available with an Enterprise license only.

Troubleshooting SAP BW connections

Connecting to SAP BW can have numerous configuration challenges - ignoring the complexities of setting up single-sign-on etc. There are a number of detailed items that need to be checked and reviewed to uncover such problems.

  • Click here to see a troubleshooting guide for SAP BW connectivity.

SAP BW Certifications

Pyramid is certified to operate against SAP BW (Netweaver) and BW/4HANA

SAP BW Licensing

Pyramid uses the SAP Java Connector ("JCO3")  with SAP's OLAP BAPI's to interact with SAP BW (both 'Netweaver' and 'BW/4HANA'). This is a certified mechanism for connecting and doing classic 'analytics and reporting' on SAP BW and involves retrieving a 'reasonable' amount of data. The implementation does not operate like SAP's OpenHub because the interface is not designed for moving large amounts of data. All queries are direct and 'live'.

Verify with SAP that you have licensed SAP BW correctly for your environment and that your licensing permits the use of the OLAP BAPIs for certified third-party tools like Pyramid.