How to Build an ETL App for SAP BusinessObjects BI Data in Python with CData Connect AI

The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems more effectively. With the CData Connect AI Python SDK and the petl framework, you can build SAP BusinessObjects BI-connected applications and pipelines for extracting, transforming, and loading SAP BusinessObjects BI data. This article shows how to connect to Connect AI and use petl to extract, transform, and load SAP BusinessObjects BI data.

The Connect AI Python SDK (cdata-connect-ai) is a DB-API 2.0 (PEP 249) compliant client, so petl can read directly from the SDK connection with etl.fromdb. There is no driver to install per source: connect with a Personal Access Token and build your pipeline.

Connect to SAP BusinessObjects BI in Connect AI

CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then 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 Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab and update the user-based permissions.

Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT)

The Python SDK authenticates to Connect AI with your account email and a Personal Access Token (PAT). It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each application to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the Settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create.
4. The PAT is only visible at creation, so copy it and store it securely.

Install Required Modules

Install the SDK and the petl framework using the pip utility:

pip install cdata-connect-ai
pip install petl

Build an ETL App for SAP BusinessObjects BI Data in Python

Once the required modules are installed, you are ready to build the ETL app. Code snippets follow, but the full source code is available at the end of the article.

First, import the modules and connect to Connect AI with your account email and PAT:

import petl as etl
import cdata_connect_ai

conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
    username="[email protected]",
    password="<your_pat>",
)

Create a SQL Statement to Query SAP BusinessObjects BI

Use SQL to create a statement for querying SAP BusinessObjects BI. In this article, we read data from the MyCustomReport entity. Identifiers are three-part: <Connection>.<Schema>.<Table>, where the connection name defaults to the source name (for example, SAPBusinessObjectsBI1).

sql = (
    "SELECT StoreName, TotalRevenue "
    "FROM [SAPBusinessObjectsBI1].[SAPBusinessObjectsBI].[MyCustomReport] "
    "WHERE State = 'CA'"
)

Extract, Transform, and Load the SAP BusinessObjects BI Data

With a connection and query in hand, use petl to extract, transform, and load the SAP BusinessObjects BI data. In this example, we extract SAP BusinessObjects BI data, sort the data by the TotalRevenue column, and load the data into a CSV file.

table1 = etl.fromdb(conn, sql)

table2 = etl.sort(table1, 'TotalRevenue')

etl.tocsv(table2, 'mycustomreport_data.csv')

SAP BusinessObjects BI is a read-only source in Connect AI, so this pipeline can extract and transform SAP BusinessObjects BI data but not load rows back. Close the connection when the extract is complete:

conn.close()

With the CData Connect AI Python SDK, you can work with SAP BusinessObjects BI data just like you would with any database, including direct access to data in ETL packages like petl.

More Information and Free Trial

Now you can pipe live SAP BusinessObjects BI data through petl using the CData Connect AI Python SDK. For more information on connecting to SAP BusinessObjects BI (and hundreds of other data sources), visit the Connect AI page. Sign up for a free trial and start building data pipelines for live SAP BusinessObjects BI data in Python.

Full Source Code

import petl as etl
import cdata_connect_ai

conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
    username="[email protected]",
    password="<your_pat>",
)

sql = (
    "SELECT StoreName, TotalRevenue "
    "FROM [SAPBusinessObjectsBI1].[SAPBusinessObjectsBI].[MyCustomReport] "
    "WHERE State = 'CA'"
)

table1 = etl.fromdb(conn, sql)

table2 = etl.sort(table1, 'TotalRevenue')

etl.tocsv(table2, 'mycustomreport_data.csv')
conn.close()