About the SAP BI XMLA Connector

Version 3.50 SP12

This document is called howto.html and is delivered in the resource adapter archive (RAR file) bi_sdk_xmla.rar. You may extract howto.html to a separate location for your reference before deploying the resource adapter archive.

Note that the BI XMLA Connector is deployed to the Web Application Server by default with the BW 3.5 installer. Refer to this document for configuration information, or to manually deploy this connector if, for example, you did not choose to deploy it during the BW 3.5 installation.

This document contains the following information:

• Overview
• System Requirements
• Connection Properties
• Special Upgrade Instructions
• Deployment Procedure
• Additional Information

Overview

XML for Analysis (XMLA) facilitates Web services-based, platform-independent access to OLAP providers. The BI XMLA Connector enables the exchange of analytical data between a client application and a data provider working over the Web, using a SOAP-based XML communication API. This connector sends commands to an XMLA-compliant OLAP data source in order to retrieve the schema rowsets and obtain a result set.

The BI XMLA Connector allows you to connect applications built with the BI Java SDK to data sources such as Microsoft Analysis Services, Hyperion, MicroStrategy, MIS, and BW 3.x. This connector is fully compliant with the J2EE Connector Architecture (JCA) and may be deployed into SAP's J2EE Server.

You can also use the BI XMLA Connector to make these data sources available in BW, via UD Connect.

The BI XMLA Connector implements the BI Java SDK's IBIOlap interface.

System Requirements

Connection Properties

* Note: To find the URL of a BW XMLA provider:

For a BW system, start transaction SE37 and execute the function module RSBB_URL_PREFIX_GET.

Use the following values for the import parameters of the function module:

• I_HANDLERCLASS = CL_RSR_MDX_SOAP_HANDLER
• I_PROTOCOL = HTTP
• I_MESSAGESERVER =

The URL takes the following form: */sap/bw/xml/soap/xmla.

 

Special Upgrade Instructions

Note when upgrading to SP12:

The first time you upgrade to SP12 or greater, you must stop all connectors before deploying UDI.

Notes when upgrading to SP12 from SP10 or SP11:

If you are specifically upgrading from SP10 or SP11 to SP12 or greater, you must follow these steps:

1. Undeploy the two old XMLA connectors
2. Stop all connectors using the deploy service
3. Deploy UDI

If you had been using the Web Service version of the XMLA connector (in SP10 or SP11), you were using SDK_XMLA_TICKET as the JNDI name in your coding. This JNDI name is no longer valid by default in SP12, so you should change this in your coding to SDK_XMLA. If you don't wish to change your code, a workaround is to deploy the new version of the XMLA connector, create a clone, and use "SDK_XMLA_TICKET" as its JNDI name. Then, be sure to configure the correct value of the Logonmethod connection property.

 

Deployment Procedure

The BI XMLA Connector is deployed to the Web Application Server by default with the BW 3.5 installer. Follow the instructions below if you have not selected this connector for installation or to manually deploy the resource adapter archive onto the Web Application Server:

1. Check system requirements
   
   Ensure that your system is properly configured and that any software prerequisites are satisfied (see System Requirements table above).
   
   
   1. SAP BW 3.5 Java Components:
      
      The BW system installer allows you to deploy the necessary components to the Web Application Server. Verify that these components are present by using the Web Application Server's SDM (Software Deployment Manager).
      
      These components are required by this connector's deployment descriptor. You will receive a warning during the deployment process if they are not already present.
      
      
   2. XMLA libraries:
      
      The required XMLA libraries webservices_lib.jar, SAPXMLToolkit.jar, saaj-api.jar, and jaxm-api.jar are already present in the server's managed environment.
      
      
2. Deploy the resource adapter archive
   
   Deploy the archive using the SDM:
   
   
   1. In the SDM, select the Deployment tab
   2. Press the Add SCA/SWC/SDA to Deployment List button
   3. Navigate to and select the bi_sdk_xmla.rar file
   4. Continue pressing Next until the Start button appears
   5. Press Start
   6. Once finished, press Confirm
      
      
3. Configure the Connector Properties
   
   Configure your connector with the properties in the Connection Properties table above by using the Connector Container service of the Web Application Server's Visual Administrator:
   
   
   1. In the Connector Container service, select the Runtime tab
   2. Find your connector in the Connector Container tree which shows the currently-installed resource adapters, and select it
   3. Select the Managed Connection Factory tab
   4. Select the Properties sub-tab
   5. Select and edit each property as appropriate
   6. Press Add to transfer the changes back into the active properties
   7. Save changes with the Save button in the toolbar
   
   Note: You may also clone an existing connection by using the Clone button in the toolbar. If you are using this connector with UD Connect, when entering the resource adapter name during the cloning process, you must prefix the name with "SDK_" in order for UD Connect to properly recognize the connector.
   
   
4. Configure SSO
   
   If you are using the SAPLOGONTICKET authentication method, configure BW to accept user\SAPLogonTicket pairs for authentication (instead of only user\password pairs) using the procedures below:
   
   
   1. Configure SSO between the J2EE engine and the SAP BW system (so that ABAP accepts SSO from the J2EE engine) using the instructions at the following link:
      http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/61/42897de269cf44b35f9395978cc9cb/content.htm
      
   2. Configure SSO between the SAP BW system and the J2EE engine (so that the J2EE engine accepts SSO from ABAP) using the instructions at the following link:
      http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/94/f2503ede925441e10000000a114084/content.htm
      

Your BI XMLA Connector is now ready for use in a managed environment. Refer to this connector in your application by its JNDI name: SDK_XMLA. For code samples, refer to the Connection Interfaces Javadocs package in the documentation set delivered with the BI Java SDK .

Additional Information

For more information about Sun's J2EE Connector Architecture, see:

• http://java.sun.com/j2ee/connector/

For information about the Visual Administrator in SAP's Web Application Server, see:

• http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/39/
  83682615CD4F8197D0612529F2165F/frameset.htm

For more information about the connection architecture in the BI Java SDK, refer to the following documentation in the SDK distribution package:

• Connection Interfaces Javadocs package
• Developer's Guide (PDF)

For more information about UD Connect, see:

• http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/78/
  EF1441A509064ABEE6FFD6F38278FD/frameset.htm

For more information about XMLA, see:

• http://www.xmla.org/
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?URL=/library/techart/XMLAnalysis.htm