Query SAP BusinessObjects BI Data in DataGrip

DataGrip is a database IDE that allows SQL developers to query, create, and manage databases. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for SAP BusinessObjects BI, DataGrip can work with live SAP BusinessObjects BI data. This article shows how to establish a connection to SAP BusinessObjects BI data in DataGrip.

Create a New Driver Definition for SAP BusinessObjects BI

The steps below describe how to create a new Data Source in DataGrip for SAP BusinessObjects BI.

1. In DataGrip, click File -> New > Project and name the project
2. In the Database Explorer, click the plus icon () and select Driver.
3. In the Driver tab:
   • Set Name to a user-friendly name (e.g. "CData SAP BusinessObjects BI Driver")
   • Set Driver Files to the appropriate JAR file. To add the file, click the plus (), select "Add Files," navigate to the "lib" folder in the driver's installation directory and select the JAR file (e.g. cdata.jdbc.sapbusinessobjectsbi.jar).
   • Set Class to cdata.jdbc.sapbusinessobjectsbi.SAPBusinessObjectsBI.jar
   Additionally, in the advanced tab you can change driver properties and some other settings like VM Options, VM environment, VM home path, DBMS, etc
   • For most cases, change the DBMS type to "Unknown" in Expert options to avoid native SQL Server queries (Transact-SQL), which might result in an invalid function error
4. Click "Apply" then "OK" to save the Connection

Configure a Connection to SAP BusinessObjects BI

1. Once the connection is saved, click the plus (), then "Data Source" then "CData SAP BusinessObjects BI Driver" to create a new SAP BusinessObjects BI Data Source.
2. In the new window, configure the connection to SAP BusinessObjects BI with a JDBC URL.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

   For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the SAP BusinessObjects BI JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.sapbusinessobjectsbi.jar

   Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

   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.
3. Set URL to the connection string, e.g., jdbc:sapbusinessobjectsbi:User=username;Password=password;Url=http://myinstance:6405/biprws
4. Click "Apply" and "OK" to save the connection string

At this point, you will see the data source in the Data Explorer.

Execute SQL Queries Against SAP BusinessObjects BI

To browse through the SAP BusinessObjects BI entities (available as tables) accessible through the JDBC Driver, expand the Data Source.

To execute queries, right click on any table and select "New" -> "Query Console."

In the Console, write the SQL query you wish to execute. For example: SELECT StoreName, TotalRevenue FROM MyCustomReport WHERE State = 'CA'

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for SAP BusinessObjects BI and start working with your live SAP BusinessObjects BI data in DataGrip. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.