Create Data Visualizations Based On SAP BusinessObjects BI Data in Mode

Mode is a collaborative data platform that combines SQL, R, Python, and visual analytics in one place. When paired with CData Connect Cloud, you get instant, cloud-to-cloud access to SAP BusinessObjects BI data for use in data visualizations. This article shows how to connect to SAP BusinessObjects BI in Connect Cloud, connect to SAP BusinessObjects BI data in Mode, and create a simple visualization using that data.

CData Connect Cloud provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for SAP BusinessObjects BI, allowing you to build data visualizations from live SAP BusinessObjects BI data in Mode — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. In order to create visualizations, users write SQL queries to gather data. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect Cloud pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc.) directly to SAP BusinessObjects BI, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return the requested SAP BusinessObjects BI data.

Configure SAP BusinessObjects BI Connectivity for Mode

Connectivity to SAP BusinessObjects BI from Mode is made possible through CData Connect Cloud. To work with SAP BusinessObjects BI data from Mode, we start by creating and configuring a SAP BusinessObjects BI connection.

1. Log into Connect Cloud, click Connections and click Add Connection
2. Select "SAP BusinessObjects BI" from the Add Connection panel
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to SAP BusinessObjects BI.

   To connect to your SAP Business Objects BI instance, you must set the following connection properties:

   • Url: set this to the rest API URL. After logging into the Central Management Console, choose 'Applications' from the combo box. Double-click on 'RESTful Web Service' and you'll see the access URL. By default it is, http://{Server-Name}:6405/biprws.
   • User: set this to the username of your instance.
   • Password: set this to the password of your instance.
   
4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add SAP BusinessObjects BI Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

If you are connecting from a service, application, platform, or framework that does not support OAuth authentication, you can create a Personal Access Token (PAT) to use for authentication. Best practices would dictate that you create a separate PAT for each service, to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on your username at the top right of the Connect Cloud app and click User Profile.
2. On the User Profile page, scroll down to the Personal Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give your PAT a name and click Create.
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to SAP BusinessObjects BI data from Mode.

Connect to SAP BusinessObjects BI in Mode

The steps below outline connecting to CData Connect Cloud from Mode to create a new SAP BusinessObjects BI data source.

1. Log-in to Mode
2. In the top-left corner of the screen, click the down-arrow next to your name and select Connect a Database...
3. On the next screen, select Microsoft SQL Server.
4. Enter the Microsoft SQL Server credentials:
   • Display Name: the name for the connection.
   • Host/Port: enter tds.cdata.com in the Host field and 14333 in the Port field.
   • Database name: enter the Connection Name of the CData Connect Cloud data source you want to connect to (for example, SAPBusinessObjectsBI1).
   • Username: enter your CData Connect Cloud username. This is displayed in the top-right corner of the CData Connect Cloud interface. For example, [email protected]
   • Password: enter the PAT you generated on the Settings page
   Leave the rest of the connection settings at their default values unless you need to modify them.
5. At the bottom of the page, click Connect to ensure that you can connect to CData Connect Cloud.
6. Upon success, the following screen appears.

Your connection is now available for use in Mode. To connect to additional data sources from your CData Connect Cloud account, repeat the setup steps above, changing the value for Database for each data source.

Creating A Mode Visualization

To create a visualization in Mode, follow these steps:

1. On the current screen, click New Report. The SQL query text editor appears. Enter the following query: SELECT * FROM [SAPBusinessObjectsBI].[MyCustomReport]; Click Run. The app now shows the query result:
2. Running the query activates the New Chart tab. Click this tab and select Pie Chart.
3. Now, drop a dimension in the Color section and a measure in the Angle section.

   We have now created a visualization of SAP BusinessObjects BI data in Mode using CData Connect Cloud!

Get CData Connect Cloud

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