SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence (Webi) XI - Import
Bridge Requirements
This bridge:requires Internet access to https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/ and/or other tool sites to download drivers into <TDC_HOME>/data/download/MIMB/.
is only supported on Microsoft Windows.
requires the tool to be installed to access its SDK.
Bridge Specifications
| Vendor | SAP |
| Tool Name | BusinessObjects (BO) Web Intelligence (Webi) |
| Tool Version | 11.x to 14.x |
| Tool Web Site | http://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/large/intelligenceplatform/bi/qra/web_intelligence/ |
| Supported Methodology | [Business Intelligence] BI Design (Transformation Lineage, Expression Parsing), BI Report (Relational Source, Dimensional Source, Expression Parsing, Report Structure) via Java API |
| Data Profiling |  |
| Incremental Harvesting | |
| Multi-Model Harvesting | |
| Remote Repository Browsing for Model Selection | |
SPECIFICATIONS
Tool: SAP / BusinessObjects (BO) Web Intelligence (Webi) version 11.x to 14.x via Java API
See http://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/large/intelligenceplatform/bi/qra/web_intelligence/
Metadata: [Business Intelligence] BI Design (Transformation Lineage, Expression Parsing), BI Report (Relational Source, Dimensional Source, Expression Parsing, Report Structure)
Component: BoWebIntelligence version 11.2.0
DISCLAIMER
This import bridge requires internet access to download third-party libraries:
- such as https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/ to download open source third-party libraries,
- and more sites for other third-party software such as database specific JDBC drivers.
The downloaded third-party libraries are stored into $HOME/data/download/MIMB/
- If HTTPS fails, the import bridge then tries with HTTP.
- If a proxy is used to access internet, you must configure that proxy in the JRE (see the -j option in the Miscellaneous parameter).
- If the import bridge does not have full access to internet, that $HOME/data/download/MIMB/ directory can be copied from another server with internet access where the command $HOME/bin/MIMB.sh (or .bat) -d can be used to download all third-party libraries used by all bridges at once.
By running this import bridge, you hereby acknowledge responsibility for the license terms and any potential security vulnerabilities from these downloaded third-party software libraries.
OVERVIEW
This import bridge requires SAP BusinessObjects SDKs and a specific Java JRE as explained below.
REQUIREMENTS
JAVA REQUIREMENTS
BusinessObjects supports Java 8 only and is not compatible with any version of OpenJDK which may be the default JRE.
Use the Miscellaneous parameter to point to a Java Environment supported by BusinessObjects.
BUSINESSOBJECTS SDK REQUIREMENTS
The import bridge relies on the SAP BusinessObjects WebIntelligence Java API to import reporting metadata. Therefore, the SAP BusinessObjects WebIntelligence API must be available on the machine executing this import bridge.
For XI versions 4.0 SP6 and newer, this bridge uses the WebIntelligence RESTful Web Service SDK.
For XI versions 4.0 up to SP5, this import bridge uses the deprecated WebIntelligence Report Engine (Rebean) SDK, which provides limited metadata.
For XI versions up to 3.x, this import bridge uses the WebIntelligence Report Engine (Rebean) SDK.
To ensure the API is correctly installed and working, there must be a BusinessObjects client installation on this machine that is able to connect to the server.
There is a tool available from SAP BusinessObjects which can test for some connectivity issues. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Business Objects XI -> Diagnostic Tool. You must login with the same credentials as you use with the MIMB import bridge. Then go to the menu Tests -> Run All Tests. You should see that all tests 'Pass'.
In addition, one may customize the configuration file used to control what tests are performed. It is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Business Objects\common\4.0\java\lib\TestClasses.xml in the default SAP BusinessObjects client installation.
If any of these tests fail, please contact the local SAP BusinessObjects Administrator to resolve these issues. Please refer to Chapter 5, 'Working with Firewalls' in the SAP BusinessObjects Administration Guide.
At runtime, the import bridge requires the following SAP BusinessObjects 'servers' to be started and enabled on the SAP BusinessObjects environment:
- for WebIntelligence Report Engine (Rebean) SDK: WebIntelligenceProcessingServer
- for WebIntelligence RESTful Web Service SDK: WebApplicationContainerServer (applicable for version XI R4.x)
Use the Central Management Console web application to check:
- Under the 'Servers' menu: the above servers are available and running correctly
- Under the 'Applications' menu: the 'RESTful Web Service' is available, it may not be installed by default.
The BusinessObjects BI Platform SDK is based on CORBA technology.
When connecting to a remote server, the CORBA networking layer performs a bi-directional resolution of the server name/address.
Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the specified server name/address can be resolved in the client environment.
The name resolution is usually successful when the client and server are part of the same enterprise network.
However when connecting from a client network to a server in a different network (for example Amazon AWS),
it may be necessary to configure an entry in the local host file (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts) like so:
1.2.3.4 servername
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
n/a
LIMITATIONS
Refer to the current general known limitations at https://metaintegration.com/Products/MIMB/Help/#!Documents/mimbknownlimitations.html
SUPPORT
Provide a troubleshooting package with:
- the debug log (can be set in the UI or in conf/conf.properties with MIR_LOG_LEVEL=6)
- the metadata backup if available (can be set in the Miscellaneous parameter with -backup option, although this common option is not implemented on all bridges for technical reasons).
Q: How do I provide information to help the support team reproduce an issue?
A: - For BusinessObjects 11.x and 12.x (XI), create a Business Intelligence Archive file (*.BIAR) using the BusinessObjects Import Wizard utility (ImportWiz.exe) and include the document in it.
- for BusinessObjects 14.x (XI R4): using the Lifecycle Management Console, create a promotion job that has the required InfoObjects in it. Export the job as BIAR file. Below is the outline (for more details please see "Lifecycle management console for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform 4.0 User Guide"):
1. Log into the Lifecycle management console application. By default, you will be taken to the "Promotion Jobs" page.
2. Select New Job.
3. Enter the name, description, and keywords for the job in the appropriate fields.
4. In the "Save Job in" field, browse and select the repository folder where you want to save the job.
5. From the Source drop-down list, select the current system.
If the name of the current system is not listed, select the Login to a new CMS option. A new window is launched. Enter the name of the current system along with the username and password.
6. In the Destination drop-down list, select "Output to LCMBIAR File".
7. Click Create. A new job is created and stored in the CMS repository of the current system.
8. Add InfoObjects to the Job (including universes and connections of interest). You can also use the Manage Dependencies option to include the dependents of the selected InfoObjects.
9. Once done adding InfoObjects to the job, click Promote. The "Promote" window appears.
10.Click Export. You can choose to save the resulting BIAR file to a File System or an FTP location.
Send the BIAR file to the support team.
Q: Is there a way to test that the WebIntelligence RESTful Web Service is working correctly?
A: It is possible to test the BusinessObjects 14.x (XI R4) WebIntelligence RESTful Web Service by connecting to the following URLs:
Login API: http://boserver:6405/biprws/logon/long
InfoStore API: http://boserver:6405/biprws/infostore/12345
About API: http://boserver:6405/biprws/raylight/v1/about
The developer documentation is available at:
http://help.sap.com/businessobject/product_guides/boexir4/en/xi4sp9_webi_restful_ws_en.pdf
The Curl command line utility allows automating such API calls as command line scripts:
http://curl.haxx.se/
Bridge Parameters
| Parameter Name | Description | Type | Values | Default | Scope | ||||||||||
| Version | Select the version of BusinessObjects you want to connect to. This software version must be installed on the computer running this import bridge. For 14.3 (XI R4.3) SP2 and above, select 14.3.2 as version. For 14.3 (XI R4.3) up to SP1, select 14.3 as version. For all 14.2 (XI R4.2) Service Packs, select 14.2 as version. For all 14.1 (XI R4.1) Service Packs, select 14.1 as version. For 14.0 (XI R4.0) Service Pack 6 and above, select 14.0.6 as version. For 14.0 (XI R4.0) up to Service Pack 5, select 14.0 as version. For all 14.0 (XI R4) Service Packs, select 14.0 as version. For all 12.1 (XI R3.1) Service Packs, select 12.1 as version. For all 11.5 (XI R2) Service Packs, select 11.5 as version. For all 11.0 (XI) Service Packs, select 11.0 as version. |
ENUMERATED |
|
14.3.2 | |||||||||||
| System | Enter the name of the BusinessObjects repository to login to. For BusinessObjects version 11.x and 12.x (XI), it is the name of the Central Management Server. This server will be used to login, by default on port 6400. E.g. localhost |
STRING | Mandatory | ||||||||||||
| Authentication mode | The login authentication mode to be performed. 'Enterprise' BusinessObjects Enterprise login. 'LDAP' Login using an LDAP server. 'Windows AD' Login using a Windows Active Directory server. Note: Windows AD authentication can be configured using Kerberos configuration files. Update the file $MetaIntegration/conf/conf.properties to specify the Java virtual machine parameters: M_JAVA_OPTIONS=-Djava.security.auth.login.config=C:\Windows\bscLogin.conf -Djava.security.krb5.conf=C:\Windows\krb5.ini For details, see SAP Note 1621106: http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1621106 |
ENUMERATED |
|
Enterprise | |||||||||||
| User name | Enter the user name. BusinessObjects Web Intelligence requires the user to identify himself/herself by logging into the Central Management Server. |
STRING | Administrator | Mandatory | |||||||||||
| Password | Enter the user password. BusinessObjects Web Intelligence requires the user to identify himself/herself by logging into the Central Management Server. |
PASSWORD | |||||||||||||
| WebIntelligence Document ID | Specify here the ID number of the Web Intelligence document to retrieve. | NUMERIC | Mandatory | ||||||||||||
| WebIntelligence locale | BusinessObjects Web Intelligence can display metadata object names in different languages, based on a locale. You can control which language to use to import the document by typing the desired locale in this parameter. For example, if the universe the document depends on was originally designed in German (de_AT), and later translated with the Translation Manager tool into English (en_US), you can specify either of these locales to import the document in the preferred language. |
STRING | |||||||||||||
| Miscellaneous | INTRODUCTION Specify miscellaneous options starting with a dash and optionally followed by parameters, e.g. -connection.cast MyDatabase1="MICROSOFT SQL SERVER" Some options can be used multiple times if applicable, e.g. -connection.rename NewConnection1=OldConnection1 -connection.rename NewConnection2=OldConnection2; As the list of options can become a long string, it is possible to load it from a file which must be located in ${MODEL_BRIDGE_HOME}\data\MIMB\parameters and have the extension .txt. In such case, all options must be defined within that file as the only value of this parameter, e.g. ETL/Miscellaneous.txt JAVA ENVIRONMENT OPTIONS -java.memory <Java Memory's maximum size> (previously -m) 1G by default on 64bits JRE or as set in conf/conf.properties, e.g. -java.memory 8G -java.memory 8000M -java.parameters <Java Runtime Environment command line options> (previously -j) This option must be the last one in the Miscellaneous parameter as all the text after -java.parameters is passed "as is" to the JRE, e.g. -java.parameters -Dname=value -Xms1G The following option must be set when a proxy is used to access internet (this is critical to access https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/ and exceptionally a few other tool sites) in order to download the necessary third-party software libraries. Note: The majority of proxies are concerned with encrypting (HTTPS) the outside (of the company) traffic and trust the inside traffic that can access proxy over HTTP. In this case, an HTTPS request reaches the proxy over HTTP where the proxy HTTPS-encrypts it. -java.parameters -java.parameters -Dhttp.proxyHost=127.0.0.1 -Dhttp.proxyPort=3128 -Dhttp.proxyUser=user -Dhttp.proxyPassword=pass MODEL IMPORT OPTIONS -model.name <model name> Override the model name, e.g. -model.name "My Model Name" -prescript <script name> This option allows running a script before the bridge execution. The script must be located in the bin directory (or as specified with M_SCRIPT_PATH in conf/conf.properties), and have .bat or .sh extension. The script path must not include any parent directory symbol (..). The script should return exit code 0 to indicate success, or another value to indicate failure. For example: -prescript "script.bat arg1 arg2" -postscript <script name> This option allows running a script after successful execution of the bridge. The script must be located in the bin directory (or as specified with M_SCRIPT_PATH in conf/conf.properties), and have .bat or .sh extension. The script path must not include any parent directory symbol (..). The script should return exit code 0 to indicate success, or another value to indicate failure. For example: -postscript "script.bat arg1 arg2" -cache.clear Clears the cache before the import, and therefore will run a full import without incremental harvesting. If the model was not changed and the -cache.clear parameter is not used (incremental harvesting), then a new version will not be created. If the model was not changed and the -cache.clear parameter is set (full source import instead of incremental), then a new version will be created. -backup <directory> Allows to save the input metadata for further troubleshooting. The provided <directory> must be empty. -restore <directory> Specify the backup <directory> to be restored. DATA CONNECTION OPTIONS Data Connections are produced by the import bridges typically from ETL/DI and BI tools to refer to the source and target data stores they use. These data connections are then used by metadata management tools to connect them (metadata stitching) to their actual data stores (e.g. databases, file system, etc.) in order to produce the full end to end data flow lineage and impact analysis. The name of each data connection is unique by import model. The data connection names used within DI/BI design tools are used when possible, otherwise connection names are generated to be short but meaningful such as the database / schema name, the file system path, or Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). The following option allows to manipulate connections. These options replaces the legacy options -c, -cd, and -cs. -connection.cast ConnectionName=ConnectionType Casts a generic database connection (e.g. ODBC/JDBC) to a precise database type (e.g. ORACLE) for SQL Parsing, e.g. -connection.cast "My Database"="MICROSOFT SQL SERVER". The list of supported data store connection types includes: ACCESS APACHE CASSANDRA DB2/UDB DENODO GOOGLE BIGQUERY HIVE MYSQL NETEZZA ORACLE POSTGRESQL PRESTO REDSHIFT SALESFORCE SAP HANA SNOWFLAKE MICROSOFT SQL AZURE MICROSOFT SQL SERVER SYBASE SQL SERVER SYBASE AS ENTERPRISE TERADATA VECTORWISE HP VERTICA -connection.rename OldConnection=NewConnection Renames an existing connection to a new name, e.g. -connection.rename OldConnectionName=NewConnectionName Multiple existing database connections can be renamed and merged into one new database connection, e.g. -connection.rename MySchema1=MyDatabase -connection.rename MySchema2=MyDatabase -connection.split oldConnection.Schema1=newConnection Splits a database connection into one or multiple database connections. A single database connection can be split into one connection per schema, e.g. -connection.split MyDatabase All database connections can be split into one connection per schema, e.g. -connection.split * A database connection can be explicitly split creating a new database connection by appending a schema name to a database, e.g. -connection.split MyDatabase.schema1=MySchema1 -connection.map SourcePath=DestinationPath Maps a source path to destination path. This is useful for file system connections when different paths points to the same object (directory or file). On Hadoop, a process can write into a CSV file specified with the HDFS full path, but another process reads from a Hive table implemented (external) by the same file specified using a relative path with default file name and extension, e.g. -connection.map /user1/folder=hdfs://host:8020/users/user1/folder/file.csv On Linux, a given directory (or file) like /data can be referred to by multiple symbolic links like /users/john and /users/paul, e.g. -connection.map /data=/users/John -connection.map /data=/users/paul On Windows, a given directory like C:\data can be referred to by multiple network drives like M: and N:, e.g. -connection.map C:\data=M:\ -connection.map C:\data=N:\ -connection.casesensitive ConnectionName... Overrides the default case insensitive matching rules for the object identifiers inside the specified connection, provided the detected type of the data store by itself supports this configuration (e.g. Microsoft SQL Server, MySql etc.), e.g. -connection.casesensitive "My Database" -connection.caseinsensitive ConnectionName... Overrides the default case sensitive matching rules for the object identifiers inside the specified connection, provided the detected type of the data store by itself supports this configuration (e.g. Microsoft SQL Server, MySql etc.), e.g. -connection.caseinsensitive "My Database" -connection.level AggregationLevel Specifies the aggregation level for the external connections, e.g.-connection.level catalog The list of the supported values: server catalog schema (default) BUSINESS OBJECTS OPTIONS Note that the import bridge's default JRE may not be compatible with SAP BusinessObjects depending on: - the JRE version: e.g. OpenJDK 11 instead of Oracle or SAP JVM 8 - the JRE architecture: For XI versions 4.2 and older, a 32 bit JRE is needed for BusinessObjects Universes that use ODBC/OLE DB connections, Therefore, the import bridge should use the JRE delivered with BusinessObjects, e.g. "C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win32_x86\jre8\bin\java.exe" For XI versions 4.3 and newer, a 64 bit SAP JRE is needed for BusinessObjects Universes that use ODBC/OLE DB connections, Therefore, the import bridge should use the JRE delivered with BusinessObjects, e.g. "C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win64_x64\sapjvm\jre\bin\java.exe" In addition, a BusinessObjects repository may contain two types of Universes that may have different JRE requirements: - a classic BusinessObjects Designer's universe.UNV for which is read by a C++ COM based import bridge. - the newer BusinessObjects Information Design Tool (IDT)'s universe.UNX for which a specific JRE can specified as defined below: -businessobjects.idt.java32.memory <path> (previously -idtJre32m) Sets the maximum size of the memory used by the JRE for IDT, e.g. -businessobjects.idt.java32.memory 1G -businessobjects.idt.java32.memory 1024M |
STRING |
Bridge Mapping
| Meta Integration Repository (MIR) Metamodel (based on the OMG CWM standard) |
"SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence (Webi) XI" Metamodel BoWebIntelligence |
Mapping Comments |
| BaseType | Object Type | |
| DataType | See datatype conversion array | |
| Name | Based on the datatype | |
| PhysicalName | Derived from the datatype | |
| ClassifierMap | ClassifierMap objects are used to hold the lineage of DataProviders, Queries, DocumentVariables | |
| Operation | expression text | can be a BO native expression or a SQL statement |
| Condition | Filter | |
| Name | name | |
| DataAttribute | DataProvider Column, Query Column | |
| Name | name | |
| Position | position | |
| DataSet | DataProvider, Query | Each DataProvider is imported as DataSet. Each of its queries is also imported as lower-level DataSet |
| Name | name | |
| DerivedType | List Of Values | The import of Objects' ListOfValues is controlled by a bridge option |
| DataType | See datatype conversion array | |
| DesignPackage | Universe Class | DesignPackages reflect the reporting objects organization hierarchy, as well as the Class structure of objects used from a Universe |
| Name | name | |
| UserDefined | set to True for Universe Classes | |
| Dimension | Universe Class | |
| Description | description | |
| Name | name | |
| UserDefined | set to True | |
| DimensionAttribute | Universe Object | Objects of type Dimension or Detail as imported as dimension attributes |
| Description | description | |
| Name | name | |
| DrillPath | Hierarchy | |
| DrillPathLevelAssociation | Hierarchy Element | |
| FeatureMap | FeatureMap objects are used to hold the lineage of DataProvider columns, Query columns and DocumentVariables | |
| Operation | expression text | can be a BO native expression or a SQL statement |
| Filter | Universe Filter | |
| Description | description | |
| Name | name | |
| Level | Hierarchy Element | |
| Measure | Universe Object | Objects of type measure are imported as measures |
| Description | description | |
| Name | name | |
| OlapSchema | Universe | Represents the universes this document depends on |
| Report | Document | |
| Name | name | |
| ReportAttribute | ReportExpression | |
| Name | name | |
| Usage | Axis | |
| ReportChart | Chart | |
| Name | name | |
| ReportDataSet | ReportExpression | Represent groups of ReportExpressions by DataProvider or type |
| ReportField | Formula Cell | |
| ReportList | Section, Form | |
| Name | name | |
| ReportMatrix | Crosstab | |
| Name | name | |
| ReportPage | Report | |
| Name | name | |
| ReportPageBody | Report Body | |
| ReportPageFooter | Report Footer | |
| ReportPageHeader | Report Header | |
| ReportTable | Table | |
| Name | name | |
| ReportText | Text Cell | |
| Value | value | |
| StoreModel | Document | |
| Comment | comments | |
| Name | name | |
| TypeValue | List Of Values | The import of Objects' ListOfValues is controlled by a bridge option |
| Value | value |