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Get the Report →Search External SAP Objects in Salesforce Connect
Use CData Connect Server to securely provide OData feeds of SAP data to smart devices and cloud-based applications. Use the CData Connect and Salesforce Connect to create SAP objects that you can access from apps and the dashboard.
CData Connect Server, enables you to access SAP data from cloud-based applications like the Salesforce console and mobile applications like the Salesforce1 Mobile App. In this article, you will use CData Connect Server and Salesforce Connect to access external SAP objects alongside standard Salesforce objects.
About SAP Data Integration
CData provides the easiest way to access and integrate live data from SAP. Customers use CData connectivity to:
- Access every edition of SAP, including SAP R/3, SAP NetWeaver, SAP ERP / ECC 6.0, and SAP S/4 HANA on premises data that is exposed by the RFC.
- Perform actions like sending IDoc or IDoc XML files to the server and creating schemas for functions or queries through SQL stored procedures.
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Connect optimally depending on where a customer's SAP instance is hosted.
- Customers using SAP S/4HANA cloud public edition will use SAP NetWeaver Gateway connectivity
- Customers using SAP S/4HANA private edition will use either SAP ERP or SAP NetWeaver Gateway connectivity.
While most users leverage our tools to replicate SAP data to databases or data warehouses, many also integrate live SAP data with analytics tools such as Tableau, Power BI, and Excel.
Getting Started
Configuring Connect Server
To work with live SAP data in Salesforce Connect, we need to connect to SAP from Connect Server, provide user access to the new virtual database, and create OData endpoints for the SAP data.
Add a Connect Server User
Create a User to connect to SAP from Reveal through Connect Server.
- Click Users -> Add
- Configure a User
- Click Save Changes and make note of the Authtoken for the new user
Connect to SAP from Connect Server
CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.
- Open Connect Server and click Connections
- Select "SAP" from Available Data Sources
- Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to SAP.
You can connect to SAP systems using either librfc32.dll, librfc32u.dll, NetWeaver, or Web Services (SOAP). Set the ConnectionType connection property to CLASSIC (librfc32.dll), CLASSIC_UNICODE (librfc32u.dll), NETWEAVER, or SOAP.
If you are using the SOAP interface, set the Client, RFCUrl, SystemNumber, User, and Password properties, under the Authentication section.
Otherwise, set Host, User, Password, Client, and SystemNumber.
Note: We do not distribute the librfc32.dll or other SAP assemblies. You must find them from your SAP installation and install them on your machine.
For more information, see this guide on obtaining the connection properties needed to connect to any SAP system.
- Click Save Changes
- Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions (SELECT is all that is required for Reveal).
Add SAP OData Endpoints in Connect Server
After connecting to SAP, create OData Endpoints for the desired table(s).
- Click OData -> Tables -> Add Tables
- Select the SAP database
- Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Next
- (Optional) Edit the table definition to select specific fields and more
- Save the settings
(Optional) Configure Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)
When accessing and connecting to multiple different domains, there is a possibility of violating the limitations of cross-site scripting. In that case, configure the CORS settings in OData -> Settings.
- Enable cross-origin resource sharing (CORS): ON
- Allow all domains without '*': ON
- Access-Control-Allow-Methods: GET, PUT, POST, OPTIONS
- Access-Control-Allow-Headers: Authorization
Save the changes to the settings.
Connect to SAP Data as an External Data Source
Follow the steps below to connect to the feed produced by the API Server.
- Log into Salesforce and click Setup -> Integrations -> External Data Sources.
- Click New External Data Source.
- Enter values for the following properties:
- External Data Source: Enter a label to be used in list views and reports.
- Name: Enter a unique identifier.
- Type: Select the option "Salesforce Connect: OData 4.0".
URL: Enter the URL to the OData endpoint of the API Server. The format of the OData URL is CONNECT_SERVER_URL/api.rsc/
Select JSON in the Format menu.
- In the Authentication section, set the following properties:
- Identity Type: If all members of your organization will use the same credentials to access the API Server, select "Named Principal". If the members of your organization will connect with their own credentials, select "Per User".
- Authentication Protocol: Select Password Authentication to use basic authentication.
- Certificate: Enter or browse to the certificate to be used to encrypt and authenticate communications from Salesforce to your server.
- Username: Enter the username for a user known to CData Connect Server.
- Password: Enter the user's authtoken.
Synchronize SAP Objects
After you have created the external data source, follow the steps below to create SAP external objects that reflect any changes in the data source. You will synchronize the definitions for the SAP external objects with the definitions for SAP tables.
- Click the link for the external data source you created.
- Click Validate and Sync.
- Select the SAP tables you want to work with as external objects.
Access SAP Data as Salesforce Objects
After adding SAP data as an external data source and syncing SAP tables as external objects, you can use the external SAP objects just as you would standard Salesforce objects.
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Create a new tab with a filter list view:
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Create reports of external objects:
Simplified Access to SAP Data from Applications
At this point, you have a direct connection to live SAP data from Salesforce. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in applications like Salesforce, refer to our Connect Server page.