Use the CData ODBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors LMS in MicroStrategy Desktop

MicroStrategy is an analytics and mobility platform that enables data-driven innovation. When paired with the CData ODBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors LMS, you gain database-like access to live SAP SuccessFactors LMS data from MicroStrategy, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. In this article, we walk through adding SAP SuccessFactors LMS as a data source in MicroStrategy Desktop and creating a simple visualization of SAP SuccessFactors LMS data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live SAP SuccessFactors LMS data in MicroStrategy due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from MicroStrategy to SAP SuccessFactors LMS, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to SAP SuccessFactors LMS and utilizes the embedded SQL Engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can visualize and analyze SAP SuccessFactors LMS data using native MicroStrategy data types.

Connect to SAP SuccessFactors LMS as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to SAP SuccessFactors LMS follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments.

SAP SuccessFactors LMS uses OAuth authentication. Before connecting, you must configure an OAuth application tied to your SAP SuccessFactors LMS account.

To establish a connection, set the following properties:

• User: Your SAP SuccessFactors LMS username.
• CompanyId: Your SAP SuccessFactors company identifier.
• Url: The SAP SuccessFactors API URL (e.g., https://api4.successfactors.com).
• OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
• OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

See the Getting Started chapter of the help documentation for a guide to creating a custom OAuth app and using OAuth.

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Windows

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Linux

If you are installing the CData ODBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors LMS in a Linux environment, the driver installation predefines a system DSN. You can modify the DSN by editing the system data sources file (/etc/odbc.ini) and defining the required connection properties.

/etc/odbc.ini

[CData SAPSuccessFactorsLMS Sys]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors LMS
Description = My Description
User = username
CompanyId = CompanyId
Url = https://api4.successfactors.com
InitiateOAuth = GETANDREFRESH

For specific information on using these configuration files, please refer to the help documentation (installed and found online).

Connect to and Visualize SAP SuccessFactors LMS Data using MicroStrategy Desktop

In addition to connecting SAP SuccessFactors LMS in MicroStrategy enterprise products, you can connect to SAP SuccessFactors LMS in MicroStrategy Desktop. Follow the steps below to add SAP SuccessFactors LMS data as a dataset and create visualizations and reports of SAP SuccessFactors LMS data.

1. Open MicroStrategy Desktop and create a new dossier.
2. In the datasets panel, click New Data, select Databases, and select Type a Query as the Import Option.
3. Add a new data source and choose DSN data sources.
4. Choose the DSN you previously configured (likely CData SAPSuccessFactorsLMS Sys) and select Generic DBMS in the Version menu.
5. Set the User and Password properties for the DSN (or use placeholder values) and name the data source.

6. Select the new database instance to view the tables. You may need to manually click the search icon in the Available Tables section to see the tables.
7. Create a SQL query for the SAP SuccessFactors LMS data (see below) and click Execute SQL to test the query.

   SELECT * FROM Items
   

   NOTE: Since we create a live connection, we can execute a SELECT * query and utilize the filtering and aggregation features native to the MicroStrategy products.
8. Click Finish and choose to connect live.
9. Choose a visualization, choose fields to display (data types are discovered automatically through dynamic metadata discovery) and apply any filters to create a new visualization of SAP SuccessFactors LMS data. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to SAP SuccessFactors LMS, while any unsupported operations (which can include SQL functions and JOIN operations) will be managed client-side by the CData SQL Engine embedded in the driver.
10. Once you are finished configuring the dossier, click File -> Save.

Using the CData ODBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors LMS in MicroStrategy Desktop, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on SAP SuccessFactors LMS data. Read our other articles on connecting to SAP SuccessFactors LMS in MicroStrategy and connecting to SAP SuccessFactors LMS in MicroStrategy Web for more examples.