This diagram shows the interaction of platform components when you view a Lumira document stored on the SAP Business Intelligence (BI) Platform
View a Lumira document stored on the SAP Business Intelligence (BI) Platform
Refresh a Lumira document based directly on a database and stored on the SAP Business Intelligence (BI) Platform
This diagram shows the interaction of platform components when you refresh a Lumira document based directly on a database and stored on the SAP Business Intelligence (BI) Platform
Refresh a Lumira document based on a universe (UNX) stored on SAP Business Intelligence (BI) Platform
This diagram shows the interaction of platform components when you refresh a Lumira document based on a universe (UNX) stored on SAP Business Intelligence (BI) Platform
Set a schedule for Lumira document stored on SAP Business Intelligence (BI) Platform
This diagram shows the interaction of platform components when you set a schedule for a Lumira document stored on SAP Business Intelligence (BI) Platform
Run a scheduled Lumira document on the SAP Business Intelligence (BI) Platform
This diagram shows the interaction of platform components when a scheduled Lumira document on the SAP Business Intelligence (BI) Platform runs
View all components in BI 4.1 SP5
This interactive diagram shows important architecture components in the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.1 SP5 platform. For more information about how the platform components interact during common business intelligence tasks, please refer to the related process flow tutorials at http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-8292
SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.1 Supported Platforms (PAM)
Supported Platforms (PAM) for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.1 and above. This presentation describes compatibility with external platforms and technologies.
Complete SSO overview
The following document is intended to summarize the various SSO options available to users, from authenticating to the BI platform all the way down to the database. The document does not cover the 'how to' as various white papers exist.
The first table summarizes the various ways the system can perform single sign-on to the web based appplications.
Front End SSO | Web Access Point | AD Kerberos SSO | SAPSSO2 tickets | Trusted Authentication | SiteMinder (4.x agent) |
OpenDocument | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
BI Portal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
CMC (4.1 SP6+) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
DSWSBOBJE | Yes | No | Yes*,web only | No | |
biprws | Yes | No | Yes | No |
-OpenDocument refers to the direct link to report functionality.
-BI Portal is the main portal used to access & view reports
-CMC = Central Management Console
-dswsbobje = web services.
Note that to support Kerberos SSO, your CMS (Central Management Server) must be installed on a windows machine.
Trusted Authentication can generally be used for any authentication method which is not natively supported by BI4, such as SAML, x509 etc.
Thick Clients, such as Crystal Reports Designer, Web Intelligence and others can also be configured for SSO to logon to BI4.
The following table summarizes this:
Client | AD kerberos |
Crystal Reports 2011 | Yes |
Crystal Reports for Enterprise | Yes |
Webi Rich Client | Yes |
Information Design Tool | Yes |
Universe Designer | Yes |
Live Office | Yes |
BI Widgets | Yes |
QUAAWS | Yes |
Dashboard Designer (Xcelsius) | Yes |
Note that for the Java based clients, you will need to perform some additional steps to support AD SSO, such and configuring a krb5.ini file. This applies to clients such as Crystal Reports for Enterprise, Information Design Tool, and Visual Intelligence. Please refer to the Authentication chapter of the respective client tool for more information.
The clients can also be further configured further to perform single sign-on to the database, which is elaborated further in tables below.
Once a user has been authenticated to the BI platform, their SSO ticket can in some cases be passed further down to the database for a seamless end to end SSO story.
SSO to database based on Kerberos can be configured for the following databases, note that the user must logon to the BI platform using Active Directory for the kerberos ticket to be passed down to the database. Note however that this cannot be used for scheduling, as the kerberos ticket will not be available to the system when the user is not online. For scheduled tasks, the database credentials must be stored.
Kerberos |
HANA (not for Olap Analysis) |
SQL Server (incl. Analysis Server) |
Oracle |
Teradata via ODBC through UNX (4.1 only) |
Yes, there are plans to expand this list in the future.
For SAP data access, the following methods can be configured. You will need to configure the correct method depending on the client tool being used. "SNC" is configured on the "SNC Settings" tab of the SAP authentication configuration area of the Central Management Console. "STS (Security Token Service)" is configured on the "Options" tab of the SAP authentication configuration area, in the "SAP SSO Service" section.
SAP Data SSO
SNC | STS |
Webi .unv connections | Webi .unx connections |
Universe Design Tool | Webi BICS connections |
Crystal Reports 2011 | Crystal Reports for Enterprise |
Analysis for Office also supports client side SNC for direct access to BW. | Information Design Tool |
Explorer | |
Analysis for Office | |
Analysis Olap | |
Dashboards |
In order to gain SSO access to SAP data, a user does NOT have to logon with their SAP credentials. For an example of how users can authenticate using Active Directory and then single sign-on to SAP systems, please refer to this how to: How to map SAP users and LDAP users in SBO BI4.0 CMC - Business Intelligence (BusinessObjects) - SCN Wiki
The SAP authentication can also be leveraged from thick clients. A user logging onto Webi Rich Client can leverage STS for example to access BW data.
HANA SSO summary:
Tool | User/Password | Kerberos | SAML (BI 4.1) |
Explorer | Y | Y (1) | Y |
Dashboards | Y | Y (1) | Y |
Web Intelligence | Y | Y (1) | Y |
Crystal Reports 2011 | Y | Y (1) | Y |
Crystal Reports for Enterprise | Y | Y (1) | Y |
Analysis, Edition for Office | Y | Y (1) | N |
Analysis, Edition for OLAP | Y | N | Y |
(1) * BI must be running on windows or linux.
SAML to HANA is based on a trust directly between BI4 and HANA. This does not mean that you can use SAML to signon to BI4 and that same SAML assertion ticket gets passed down to HANA. BI4 must be configured as a trusted identity provider in HANA. The same users must exist in HANA and BI4.
What other SSO options do I have?
The BI platform also supports storing database credentials to be used for accessing the database. In some cases, as with kerberos & offline scheduling, this cannot be avoided. Also, for database sources which are not currently listed, stored credentials are the best options available at this time.
Useful Links:
Configuring Active Directory Authentication: Be sure the follow the excellent whitepaper attached to the note.
http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1631734
Configuring Active Directory SSO on unix:
http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1636349
Configuring SAP Authentication and SSO:
Configuring OLAP SSO for MSAAS:
Setting up HANA and BI for SAML
Configuring SAML with SAP HANA and SAP BusinessObjects 4.1 - Part 1
Setting up Trusted Authentication:
Using QUERY_STRING: http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1593628
Using HTTP_HEADER: http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1603002
Official Product Tutorials – SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform 4.x
The following tutorials have been developed to help you get started using the Business Intelligence Suite products. New content is added as it becomes available, so check back on a regular basis.
You can submit and vote on ideas for enhancements to this product.
Looking for eLearning for the rest of the Business Intelligence Suite? Go to sap.com/LearnBI.
Note |
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The process flows are interactive diagrams that show how platform components interact during common business intelligence tasks. If a diagram does not display correctly, please refresh its browser window to reload it. |
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General Platform
- NEW for 4.1 SP5 View all components in BI 4.1 SP5 interactive diagram
- 4.1 View all components in BI 4.1 interactive diagram
- View all components in BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 interactive diagram
- View all components in BI 4.0 interactive diagram
- Log on to BI launch pad process flow
- Start the Server Intelligence Agent process flow
Central Management Console
- Create OLAP Connections to BW tutorial
- Set a schedule for a program object process flow
- Run a schedule for a program object process flow
Lumira
- NEW for 4.1 SP5 View a Lumira document process flow
- NEW for 4.1 SP5 Refresh a Lumira document based directly on a database process flow
- NEW for 4.1 SP5 Refresh a Lumira document based on a universe (UNX) process flow
- NEW for 4.1 SP5 Set a schedule for Lumira document process flow
- NEW for 4.1 SP5 Run a scheduled Lumira document process flow
Crystal Reports 2011
- Set a schedule for a report process flow
- Run a schedule for a report process flow
- Run a scheduled publication of a report process flow
- View a report instance when the page is in the cache process flow
- View a report instance when the page is not in the cache process flow
- View a report on demand process flow
Crystal Reports for Enterprise
- Set a schedule for a report process flow
- Run a schedule for a report process flow
- View a report instance when the page is in the cache process flow
- View a report instance when the page is not in the cache process flow
- View a report on demand process flow
Live Office
- Insert a Web Intelligence part process flow
- Refresh a Web Intelligence part process flow
- Insert a Crystal Report part process flow
- Refresh a Crystal Report part process flow
Web Intelligence
- Set a schedule for a Web Intelligence document process flow
- Run a schedule for a Web Intelligence document process flow
- View a Web Intelligence document on demand process flow
- Export a document process flow
- Refresh a document based on a multi-source universe process flow
- Refresh a document based on a dimensional universe process flow
- Refresh a document in Web Intelligence Desktop in one-tier mode process flow
- Refresh a document in Web Intelligence Desktop in two-tier mode process flow
- Refresh a document in Web Intelligence Desktop in three-tier mode process flow
- Refresh a document based on an SAP NetWeaver BW BEx Query using BICS connectivity process flow
- Refresh a document based on an SAP Netweaver BW data using a relational UNX universe process flow
- Refresh a document based on a multi-source datasource using a relational UNX universe process flow
- Refresh a document based on OLAP data using a multidimensional UNV universe process flow
- Refresh a document based on OLAP data using a multidimensional UNX universe process flow
Analysis, edition for OLAP
- View an Analysis, edition for OLAP workspace process flow
Dashboards
- View a dashboard when the query result is in the cache process flow
- View a dashboard when the query result is not in the cache process flow
- Design a new dashboard based on a universe process flow
- Preview a new dashboard based on a universe process flow
- Save a new dashboard to the platform process flow
Design Studio
- View an SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio document (based on SAP NetWeaver BW) in a web or mobile client process flow
- Refresh an SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio document (based on SAP NetWeaver BW) in a web or mobile client process flow
- Refresh an SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio document (based on SAP HANA) in a web or mobile client process flow
- Refresh an SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio document (based on a dimensional UNX universe) in a web or mobile client process flow
Explorer
- Log on to Explorer process flow
- Display list of information spaces in Explorer process flow
- Display list of data sources in Explorer process flow
- Create an information space based on Excel process flow
- Index an information space based on Excel process flow
- Create an information space based on a universe process flow
- Index an information space based on a universe process flow
- View an information space based on a universe or Excel file process flow
Upgrade Management Tool
- Upgrade content directly from an older version of the platform process flow
- Perform a complete upgrade tutorial
- Perform an incremental upgrade tutorial
Lifecycle Management
- Create a promotion job to promote content from a live source system to a live destination system process flow
- Run a promotion job to promote content from a live source system to a live destination system process flow
To report a technical issue with a tutorial, send an email to: BI_Suite_eLearning@sap.com.
How to install language pack in existing SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform 4.0
Scenario
In this document we will see how to install a language pack in existing SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform 4.0.
Prerequisites
As per the installation guide prior to SP05, it was not possible to Add or Remove language packs in a BI 4.0 system. In SP05 it is possible to add and remove language packs IF and ONLY IF the original full install was from the full BI 4.0 SP04 package (not a patch).
If the original base install of BI 4.0 was FP03 or earlier then it is only possible to remove/add language packs that were installed at the original install time. This is because these installers do not install the language packages onto the machine that are required to add the languages into Business Objects with the SP05 installer.
Step-by-Step Procedure
Go to Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features, select your product and click Uninstall/Change. Select the Modify option and add or remove languages from the "Choose Langage Packs" screen.
Select the language accordingly.Our case it was French.
Provide the CMS name as the host name of the CMS Server
Reference
SAP Note#1799908 - How do you add or remove a language pack from an existing SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform 4.0 installation?
RIG Webinar - SAP BusinessObjects BI – What's new in release 4.1 SP6
his presentation was shown as part of our webinar series 'BI Upgrade': sessions that drill down into various topics relevant for your BI Upgrade, Migration and Deployment projects. Support Package 6 of SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.1 boasts with a number of notable updates that you should definitely know about. In this webinar, Merlijn Ekkel, Director Solution Go-To-Market, guides you through the most important innovations and improvements, which include WebI, Semantic Layer, Analysis for OLAP, to name just a few. A link to the recording of this and other webinars can be found on our SCN Events Page: http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-56308
Business Intelligence platform 4.0/4.1 and Crystal Server 2011/2013 - Version Information
Where can I find my version number?
You can find the version number (also referred to as the build number) for your software in several locations, including:
- On Windows, in the Add or Remove Programs dialog. The update indicates the current level.
- In the Help > About menu of most BI platform client tools, such as the universe design tool.
What does my version number mean?
The version number of your software appears as 14.x.y.abc. This number corresponds to a particular Support Package (or Feature Pack) and Patch level as follows:
- 14 = Major release 4.0/2011.
- x = Minor release number.
- y = Support Package level.
- abc = Build number corresponding to your Patch level.
For example, 14.0.2.481 corresponds to 4.0 Support Package 2 Patch 6, or Patch 2.6.
The following table lists the version numbers for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform 4.0, and what Feature Pack (FP), Support Package (SP), and Patch level the version number corresponds to. These levels are the same for both the client and server installation programs and also apply to SAP Crystal Server 2011.
Where can I find version information for BI platform 4.1 and Crystal Server 2013?
Starting in 4.1, the installation program creates and updates a version.txt file where you can check the current version of your BI platform server installation. The file is located at:
- <BIP_INSTALL_DIR>/sap_bobj/enterprise_xi40/linux_x64/version/ (Unix)
- <BIP_INSTALL_DIR>\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win64_x64\version\ (Windows)
This file contains the build number and version name for the last update applied to your installation. For example:
14.1.0.981
4.1 Patch 2
See "Checking the installed version" in the following installation guides:
Where can I find version information for previous SAP BusinessObjects releases?
Version information for previous software releases can be found in the following articles:
- SAP Note 1287906: How to determine the version number of BusinessObjects XI 3.x in Windows
- Crystal Reports 2008 (and 9.1, XI R1, XI R2) - Version and Download information for Service Packs
Table 1: SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform 4.0
Version (Build) number | FP, SP, or Patch level |
---|---|
14.0.0.760 | 4.0 RTM |
14.0.0.904 | 4.0 Patch 4 |
14.0.0.918 | 4.0 Patch 5 |
14.0.0.940 | 4.0 Patch 6 |
14.0.0.954 | 4.0 Patch 7 |
14.0.0.970 | 4.0 Patch 8 |
14.0.0.986 | 4.0 Patch 9 |
14.0.0.996 | 4.0 Patch 10 |
14.0.1.287 | 4.0 SP1 |
14.0.1.313 | Patch 1.1 |
14.0.1.330 | Patch 1.2 |
14.0.1.342 | Patch 1.3 |
14.0.1.360 | Patch 1.4 |
14.0.1.375 | Patch 1.5 |
14.0.1.397 | Patch 1.6 |
14.0.2.364 | 4.0 SP2 |
14.0.2.388 | Patch 2.1 |
14.0.2.397 | Patch 2.2 |
14.0.2.416 | Patch 2.3 |
14.0.2.439 | Patch 2.4 |
14.0.2.455 | Patch 2.5 |
14.0.2.481 | Patch 2.6 |
14.0.2.507 | Patch 2.7 |
14.0.2.532 | Patch 2.8 |
14.0.2.556 | Patch 2.9 |
14.0.2.565 | Patch 2.10 |
14.0.2.594 | Patch 2.11 |
14.0.2.619 | Patch 2.12 |
14.0.2.641 | Patch 2.13 |
14.0.2.657 | Patch 2.14 |
14.0.2.682 | Patch 2.15 |
14.0.2.703 | Patch 2.16 |
14.0.2.721 | Patch 2.17 |
14.0.2.740 | Patch 2.18 |
14.0.2.762 | Patch 2.19 |
14.0.2.798 | Patch 2.20 |
14.0.2.846 | Patch 2.21 |
14.0.3.613 | 4.0 FP 3 |
14.0.3.630 | Patch 3.1 |
14.0.3.657 | Patch 3.2 |
14.0.3.678 | Patch 3.3 |
14.0.3.691 | Patch 3.4 |
14.0.3.711 | Patch 3.5 |
14.0.3.735 | Patch 3.6 |
14.0.3.757 | Patch 3.7 |
14.0.3.777 | Patch 3.8 |
14.0.3.796 | Patch 3.9 |
14.0.3.818 | Patch 3.10 |
14.0.4.738 | 4.0 SP 4 |
14.0.4.770 | Patch 4.1 |
14.0.4.797 | Patch 4.2 |
14.0.4.819 | Patch 4.3 |
14.0.4.831 | Patch 4.4 |
14.0.4.855 | Patch 4.5 |
14.0.4.880 | Patch 4.6 |
14.0.4.896 | Patch 4.7 |
14.0.4.915 | Patch 4.8 |
14.0.4.936 | Patch 4.9 |
14.0.4.968 | Patch 4.10 |
14.0.4.982 | Patch 4.11 |
14.0.4.1003 | Patch 4.12 |
14.0.4.1024 | Patch 4.13 |
14.0.4.1046 | Patch 4.14 |
14.0.4.1094 | Patch 4.15 |
14.0.4.1182 | Patch 4.16 |
14.0.5.882 | 4.0 SP 5 |
14.0.5.915 | Patch 5.1 |
14.0.5.927 | Patch 5.2 |
14.0.5.957 | Patch 5.3 |
14.0.5.974 | Patch 5.4 |
14.0.5.1003 | Patch 5.5 |
14.0.5.1019 | Patch 5.6 |
14.0.5.1036 | Patch 5.7 |
14.0.5.1058 | Patch 5.8 |
14.0.5.1080 | Patch 5.9 |
14.0.5.1100 | Patch 5.10 |
14.0.5.1121 | Patch 5.11 |
14.0.5.1151 | Patch 5.12 |
14.0.5.1181 | Patch 5.13 |
14.0.5.1195 | Patch 5.14 |
14.0.5.1249 | Patch 5.15 |
14.0.6.1036 | 4.0 SP 6 |
14.0.6.1079 | Patch 6.1 |
14.0.6.1100 | Patch 6.2 |
14.0.6.1121 | Patch 6.3 |
14.0.6.1145 | Patch 6.4 |
14.0.6.1180 | Patch 6.5 |
14.0.6.1193 | Patch 6.6 |
14.0.6.1209 | Patch 6.7 |
14.0.6.1230 | Patch 6.8 |
14.0.6.1255 | Patch 6.9 |
14.0.6.1272 | Patch 6.10 |
14.0.6.1312 | Patch 6.11 |
14.0.6.1348 | Patch 6.12 |
14.0.7.1147 | 4.0 SP7 |
14.0.7.1180 | Patch 7.1 |
14.0.7.1208 | Patch 7.2 |
14.0.7.1227 | Patch 7.3 |
14.0.7.1243 | Patch 7.4 |
14.0.7.1276 | Patch 7.5 |
14.0.7.1290 | Patch 7.6 |
14.0.7.1335 | Patch 7.7 |
14.0.7.1346 | Patch 7.8 |
14.0.7.1387 | Patch 7.9 |
14.0.7.1430 | Patch 7.10 |
14.0.7.1460 | Patch 7.11 |
14.0.7.1509 | Patch 7.12 |
14.0.8.1229 | 4.0 SP8 |
14.0.8.1280 | Patch 8.1 |
14.0.8.1308 | Patch 8.2 |
14.0.8.1335 | Patch 8.3 |
14.0.8.1363 | Patch 8.4 |
14.0.8.1394 | Patch 8.5 |
14.0.8.1429 | Patch 8.6 |
14.0.8.1453 | Patch 8.7 |
14.0.8.1485 | Patch 8.8 |
14.0.8.1524 | Patch 8.9 |
14.0.8.1563 | Patch 8.10 |
14.0.8.1622 | Patch 8.11 |
14.0.9.1345 | 4.0 SP9 |
14.0.9.1387 | Patch 9.1 |
14.0.9.1408 | Patch 9.2 |
14.0.9.1446 | Patch 9.3 |
14.0.9.1474 | Patch 9.4 |
14.0.9.1495 | Patch 9.5 |
14.0.9.1534 | Patch 9.6 |
14.0.9.1571 | Patch 9.7 |
14.0.9.1612 | Patch 9.8 |
14.0.9.1682 | Patch 9.9 |
14.0.9.1720 | Patch 9.10 |
14.0.10.1493 | 4.0 SP10 |
14.0.10.1544 | Patch 10.1 |
14.0.10.1583 | Patch 10.2 |
14.0.10.1615 | Patch 10.3 |
14.0.10.1656 | Patch 10.4 |
14.0.10.1698 | Patch 10.5 |
14.0.10.1742 | Patch 10.6 |
14.0.10.1769 | Patch 10.7 |
14.0.10.1803 | Patch 10.8 |
14.0.11.1696 | 4.0 SP11 |
14.0.11.1753 | Patch 11.1 |
14.0.11.1787 | Patch 11.2 |
14.0.11.1824 | Patch 11.3 |
Table 2: SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform 4.1
Version (Build) number | SP or Patch level |
---|---|
14.1.1.1036 | 4.1 SP1 |
14.1.1.1072 | Patch 1.1 |
14.1.1.1106 | Patch 1.2 |
14.1.1.1127 | Patch 1.3 |
14.1.1.1142 | Patch 1.4 |
14.1.1.1193 | Patch 1.5 |
14.1.1.1203 | Patch 1.6 |
14.1.1.1251 | Patch 1.7 |
14.1.1.1273 | Patch 1.8 |
14.1.1.1299 | Patch 1.9 |
14.1.1.1329 | Patch 1.10 |
14.1.1.1390 | Patch 1.11 |
14.1.2.1121 | 4.1 SP2 |
14.1.2.1171 | Patch 2.1 |
14.1.2.1195 | Patch 2.2 |
14.1.2.1216 | Patch 2.3 |
14.1.2.1250 | Patch 2.4 |
14.1.2.1278 | Patch 2.5 |
14.1.2.1311 | Patch 2.6 |
14.1.2.1354 | Patch 2.7 |
14.1.2.1369 | Patch 2.8 |
14.1.2.1406 | Patch 2.9 |
14.1.2.1435 | Patch 2.10 |
14.1.2.1495 | Patch 2.11 |
14.1.3.1257 | 4.1 SP3 |
14.1.3.1300 | Patch 3.1 |
14.1.3.1334 | Patch 3.2 |
14.1.3.1366 | Patch 3.3 |
14.1.3.1405 | Patch 3.4 |
14.1.3.1419 | Patch 3.5 |
14.1.3.1448 | Patch 3.6 |
14.1.3.1496 | Patch 3.7 |
14.1.3.1518 | Patch 3.8 |
14.1.3.1562 | Patch 3.9 |
14.1.3.1620 | Patch 3.10 |
14.1.4.1327 | 4.1 SP4 |
14.1.4.1378 | Patch 4.1 |
14.1.4.1412 | Patch 4.2 |
14.1.4.1448 | Patch 4.3 |
14.1.4.1484 | Patch 4.4 |
14.1.4.1509 | Patch 4.5 |
14.1.4.1543 | Patch 4.6 |
14.1.4.1601 | Patch 4.7 |
14.1.4.1621 | Patch 4.8 |
14.1.4.1655 | Patch 4.9 |
14.1.4.1690 | Patch 4.10 |
14.1.5.1501 | 4.1 SP5 |
14.1.5.1533 | Patch 5.1 |
14.1.5.1568 | Patch 5.2 |
14.1.5.1606 | Patch 5.3 |
14.1.5.1634 | Patch 5.4 |
14.1.5.1666 | Patch 5.5 |
14.1.5.1698 | Patch 5.6 |
14.1.6.1702 | 4.1 SP6 |
BI 4 Upgrade Resources
Building a customer focused BI Application on SAP BusinessObjects part2
This is the second part of the series focused on customer focused analytics. If you have not seen it yet you can check the part 1 here.
I am going to discuss how to build a custom application URL to host BI contents so that a user group gets their BI contents available in just one place rather than having to go through launchpad and bunch of folders. I am going to discuss on a step by step approach how to configure in IIS webserver so all the screen shots are specific to IIS only.
Prerequisites
Three items need to be installed/configured on the server in order to prepare to serve up IIS websites:
- IIS services should be configured on the server
- .Net Framework 4.5 should be installed
Configure IIS Services on the server
Go to the Server Manager console on the server and select the option Add Roles -
Select the web server IIS role anc click next -
Once the installation is over, you will be able to see the role and services installed -
Install .Net Framework 4.5
Download the .Net 4.5 setup from Microsoft site.
Double click on the downloaded .exe file to start the setup.
Follow the on screen instructions to complete the setup.
How to Setup a Custom IIS Website for housing opendoc links
1. Content Home Folder for Site
Create Directory Folder
Create a folder that will server as the home folder for the website, this is required while creating the website.
Apply Access Levels to Site Folder
Go to the properties of the home folder that was created for the web site and add the ‘Everyone’ group with execute access –
2. Create the Website In IIS
Add the Web Site
Open up the Windows Server IIS manager console in one of two ways:
Start > Run > inetmgr > hit enter
or …
Start > Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services Manager
Right click on ‘Sites’ and select the option – Add Web Site.
Fill in the detail fields corresponding to the application area for which we are creating the site. These are…
Site Name: This name should match that of the Application Area established in the BO Launchpad
Physical Path: This is the path to the home contenet folder for the site that you created in an earlier step
Host Name: This equates to the web URL that users will enter to visit the web page (see example, below, for the “Inventory” application).
Application Pool Settings
In IIS left pane, click on Application Pools to see all application pools for your sites. For your new site, make sure that the application pool is set to use the latest version of .Net Framework . If it is not, double click the application pool and in the dialoge window select the latest version for .Net Framework.
Bindings
In IIS left pane, right-click on your new application site and select Edit Bindings… Make sure that both bindings are present on the website – the short name and the fully qualified name.
3. Finalize Web Content Customization
Populate the Home Directory with Sample Web Content
Once the website is created, the code needs to be put in the home folder we created.
Modify Customized Content Files
There are couple of things that we need to modify for the sites for each application area that we are rolling out the site for.
The following three files need to be modified to change the site as per the new application.
Default.aspx
The timeout popup setting is in this file in the section for function Init() , if required it can be changed. We are currently using a standard timer value of 7140000.
Web.config
The title of the Web Site and the working environment is present in this file –
The Workingenv parameter decides which links will be used from the links.xml file.
The Title parameter decided what will be the title of the webpage.
Links.xml
the opendoc links, title of the different tabs and the tooltip help is present in this file –
Based on the working environment we set in the web.config, the opendoc links will be picked from the links.xml file.
while inserting the links, we needto modify them a bit –
4. Request DNS Alias for the server/loadbalancer
Once the website is created, make sure to create an simple alias for the users to accessthe site – for example http://sales, http://quality etc.
Alias names being requested should be SAME as the bindings that have been provided for the web site.
Once the alias has been created, access the web site using any browser and confirm that it is working as expected.
Now finally once you are done with these you will have a website where you can embed the BI content for a personalized experience of your end user community.
Reclaiming of Licenses on browser close of Open Document, CMC and BI Launchpad
This feature is available from BI 4.1 SP06 onwards.
Prior to SP06, when an open Document, CMC, BILaunchpad is accessed and if user closes the browser, user session remains active and is dropped only after 20 minutes (default http session timeout value).
As user session remains alive the corresponding license is also not released. Especially for Open Document there is no way for the user to log off explicitly. This Impacts the number of concurrent licenses.
From BI 4.1 SP06 onwards, if browser with open document link with active session is closed then the current user session is logged off and therefore the licenses are immediately reclaimed.
Similarly Licenses are reclaimed on browser close of BILaunchpad and Central Management Console also.
SAP BI 4.1 - Solution Expert Webinars
Webinars covering all things important for BI projects. Register for upcoming sessions or watch recordings of past events.
Overview | Top Online Resources | Events |
Technical Webinar Series: Upgrading to the SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform 4.1
Once again will we provide a series of free webinars that are focused on upgrading to the SAP BI Platform 4.1. This webinar series is a supplement to other information assets found on SCN.
Webinar title, date, registration and presenter information is given below - all webinars will start at 7am PDT, unless otherwise specified. Webinar dates and times may be subject to change.
- Registration links: will be enabled a few days before the scheduled webinar date.
- Recordings: will be posted no later than a week after the event.
If you 'follow' this page, you will receive notifications of any updates, including new webinar content, dates and registration links - also recordings of all completed webinars will be made available from this page. Stay Tuned !
Upcoming Webinars - Registrations | Date | Presenter | ||
Sizing your BI Platform, using the SAP Sizing Tool | Jul 07 | HJ | ||
Configuration of the DataFederator (BW ABAP JCO and IDT Semantic Layer) | Aug 4 | JR | ||
ASUG What's coming in BI 4.2 | Sep 15 | |||
UNX Adoption: the APOS WebI Migrator | Sep 29 | AP | ||
h | ||||
Recordings of Past Webinars | Date | Presenter | ||
Sizing your BI Platform, using the SAP Sizing Tool (recording coming soon) | Jul 07 | HJ | ||
![]() | What's new in BI 4.1 SP6 (recording | presentation) | Jun 23 | ME | |
![]() | Best Practices for WebI (recording) | Jun 23 | JB | |
![]() | A guided Tour: How to best make use of Online Resources (recording) | May 18 | HB | |
![]() | BI 4.1 Monitoring - (Recording) | Nov 13 | TJ | |
![]() | Troubleshooting - (Recording) | Nov 06 | GS | |
![]() | Promotion Management & Version Management - (Recording) | Oct 23 | MS | |
![]() | WebI Calculation Engine Changes - (Recording) | Oct 16 | PG | |
![]() | DeskI to WebI Conversion & Desktop Compatibility Pack - (Recording) | Oct 09 | ME | |
![]() | Upgrading from XI Release 2/3.1 to 4.1 and updating From BI 4.0 to 4.1 - (Recording) | Sep 25 | ME | |
![]() | User Authentication & Single Sign-On - (Recording) | Sep 11 | TZ | |
![]() | BusinessObjects BI Strategy & Roadmap - (Recording) | Sep 09 | JL | |
![]() | Installation & Patching - (Recording) | Sep 04 | HJ | |
![]() | Deployment Best Practices - (Recording) | Aug 29 | HJ | |
![]() | Sizing & Virtualization - (Recording) | Aug 14 | CL | |
![]() | Update Best Practices - (Recording) | Jul 30 | SR | |
![]() | Value Prop & Tools - (Recording) | Jul 17 | HB |
Product Specialist Webinars - Analytics:SAP LumiraE |
Sample Auditing Universe and Reports for SAP BusinessObjects_4_x
Here you can download updated version (v3) (for 4.1 only) as well as older version (v2) (for 4.0 and 4.1) of Sample Auditing Universe and Reports for SAP BusinessObjects 4.x (4.0 and 4.1). The v3 package is made of v2 universe and reports packaged in a lcmbiar file for easier deployment. The attached sample auditing universe and reports may help you started in the process of developing custom auditing reports for SAP Business Objects 4.x. The reports and the universe can be used as a starting point in the process of developing your custom auditing universe and reports.
SAP Crystal Reports Server 2013, OEM Edition Product Availability Matrix (PAM)
This presentation lists specific platforms and configurations for the SAP Crystal Reports Server 2013, OEM Edition and plus.
Create Flat File Universe Using Information Design Tool
Applies to:
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform, SAP BusinessObjects Semantic Layer and SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence.
Summary
This article provides step by step process of creating universe on flat file using Information Design Tool (IDT). In addition it also mentions the details of key points to be considered while creating flat file universe through IDT. The content in this article is intended for semantic layer users and designers those who would wish to create flat file universes and provide developers access via web Intelligence etc.
Note: Flat file in this article refers to .CSV, .Txt and other supported files.
Author:Mallikarjuna Chary Narayandas
Company:Gyansys Inc.
Created on:June 22, 2013
Author Bio
The author has worked on several SAP BusinessObjects projects and has experience on using all the SAPBusinessObjectsBusiness Intelligenceplatform tools. Author has experience on working with SAPBusinessObjectsmobile including designing and accessingBusinessObjectscontent (Web Intelligence Reports, Crystal Reports, Dashboards, Analysis and Information Spaces) through IPAD /IPhone/ Android.
Introduction
This article provides step by step process of creating universe on flat file using Information Design Tool (IDT). In addition it also mentions the details of key points to be considered while creating flat file universe through IDT. The content in this article is intended for semantic layer users and designers those who would wish to create flat file universes and provide developers access via web Intelligence etc. Below are few key drivers of choosing a Flat file universe over web intelligence rich client report creation of flat files.
- Being able to apply query filters to restrict data coming from Excel
- Merge Dimension objects from Excel with objects from Universe queries
- Provide flexibility in terms of controlling object formats, data type conversions and add prompts etc.
Step By Step Process of Flat File Universe Creation
- Go to All Programs>SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform 4> SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform Client Tools> Information Design Tool (IDT) to launch IDT
- Create New Project by Choosing menu Option File>New>Project
- Enter Project Name (Ex: Flat File Universe Demo) and Specify Project Location. Designer can leave the default location as is or click on browse button to choose any location of choice. Click on Finish to complete creation of project.
- Right click on the project created above and choose New > Relational Connection
- Enter Resource name and description and then click on “Next >”
- Choose Generic>Text Files>BusinessObjects OpenConnectivity as middle ware in order to connect to flat files (.CSV, .txt etc.) & click “Next >”
- Choose Location Type as Local and Provide information to connect to flat file such as file path and click on Test connection. Click on Finish once Connection is tested successful.
- Now the Local connection is ready.
- Publish connection to the repository choosing appropriate folder location on repository and Clicking on Finish.
Note: Designer should have been already connected to BO server on IDT or else he may have to do it at this step.
- Designer will receive a publish successfully message. Now press “Yes” to create a shortcut to local folder. Designer will receive a Shortcut created successfully message.
- Go to project >Right Click>New>Data Foundation and Enter data foundation name, Choose connection short cut and click on Finish.
- Expand the connection listed in data foundation and drag and drop the table to the schema window and save your data foundation.
- Go to project> Right Click> New>Business Layer and Choose Relational Data Foundation, Enter Business Layer name and Select the data foundation created in previous steps and click Ok and Finish.
- Business Layer is generated with Classes and Objects as below and overall project should look as below. If designer chooses to re-organize or rename the classes and objects he can do it and save the Business Layer after changes.
- Go to Business Layer >Right Click > Publish>To a Repository.
- Perform Check Integrity and Click Next to choose an appropriate folder and Click Finish to publish the Business Layer to repository.
Now the that the UNX universe created would work fine with local connection for rich client reports, if designer wants this universe to be allowing queries from BI Launchpad to run fine without any error messages then he has to update the connection published to repository using steps below.
- Go to Repository resources>Connections>Flat file connection and double click on the flat file connection to open properties
- Choose Edit Connection and Update the File path or pattern to the server URL as below where the Flat file should have been placed by BusinessObjects Administrator in the specified location as below.
Note1: This file location on BusinessObjects server would be different if the BusinessObjects server is deployed on Unix or Windows OS.
Note2: Since designer is updating the connection from repository resources, No connection publish step is required.
Even though the connection is updated with right folder location pointing to BusinessObjects server, when designer performs Test connection it returns the error message as below and data preview of query would also result in an error message as below. However, the query built from web intelligence through BI launch pad runs fine and users can create and execute reports on this Flat File universe.
References
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform
SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence.
SAP BusinessObjectsWeb Intelligence... |SCN
Disclaimer and Liability Notice
This document may discuss sample coding or other information that does not include SAP official interfaces and therefore is not supported by SAP. Changes made based on this information are not supported and can be overwritten during an upgrade.
SAP will not be held liable for any damages caused by using or misusing the information, code or methods suggested in this document and anyone using these methods does so at his/her own risk.
SAP offers no guarantees and assumes no responsibility or liability of any type with respect to the content of this technical article or code sample, including any liability resulting from incompatibility between the content within this document and the materials and services offered by SAP. You agree that you will not hold, or seek to hold, SAP responsible or liable with respect to the content of this document
Apache + Shibboleth SSO with Tomcat for BI Platform using Trusted Authentication
This document describes the steps needed to integrate Shibboleth (a SAML2 federated authentication/identity provider) with BI Platform using Trusted Authentication to achieve SSO (within the web browser, does not tie into Active Directory).
This document assumes you have already:
- Installed BIP 4.1 (used SP2 P2) with Tomcat. We used Windows 2008 R2, but nothing here is very OS-specific.
- Installed Apache 2.4.12+ (must use VC10 version) with SSL as a reverse proxy for Tomcat using the AJP connector (see below)
- Apache HTTPS/443 connects to Tomcat AJP/8009 (see below)
- Apache HTTPS/4443 (or other port number) connects to Tomcat HTTP/8080 (see below)
- Installed/configured Shibboleth 2.5.3+ (see below)
- Configured Apache with Shibboleth to protect a static folder, such as /secure, that does not exist in the BIP install
- The Apache-Shibboleth securing process is working properly (without Tomcat)
- Your Enterprise user IDs match some attribute that will be returned from Shibboleth (uid, eppn, etc.), or you plan to rename your Enterprise users to match one of the Shibboleth attributes
- We only use Webi and Crystal, you may need to tweak your setup if you use other tools
Example Tomcat server.xml (relevant pieces only)
<Connector port="8080" protocol="HTTP/1.1" connectionTimeout="20000" redirectPort="443" compression="off" URIEncoding="UTF-8" /> . . . <Connector port="8009" protocol="org.apache.coyote.ajp.AjpNioProtocol" redirectPort="443" URIEncoding="UTF-8" enableLookups="false" tomcatAuthentication="false" address="127.0.0.1" scheme="https" connectionTimeout="20000" maxThreads="400"/> |
Example Shibboleth2.xml (relevant pieces only)
<ApplicationDefaults . . . REMOTE_USER="uid" #### <-- This is whatever attribute your IdP returns that will match your Enterprise accounts . . . > |
Example httpd.conf (relevant sections only)
. . . Listen 80 TimeOut 300 AcceptFilter http none AcceptFilter https none EnableSendfile off EnableMMAP off
<VirtualHost _default_:80> RewriteEngine on ReWriteCond %{SERVER_PORT} !^443$ RewriteRule ^/(.*) https://%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [NC,R,L] </VirtualHost>
ServerName yourserver.yourdomain.com UseCanonicalName On Include D:/opt/shibboleth-sp/etc/shibboleth/apache24.config ExtendedStatus On
#====================Configure mod_deflate============== AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml text/css text/javascript application/javascript application/x-javascript text/json ##### Should be on one line with previous DeflateCompressionLevel 9 SetEnvIfNoCase Request_URI \ \.(?:gif|jpe?g|png)$ no-gzip dont-vary |
Example ssl.conf (relevant sections only)
. . . Listen 443 <VirtualHost _default_:443> RewriteEngine on ProxyPass /Shibboleth.sso ! ProxyPassReverse /Shibboleth.sso ! ProxyPass / ajp://127.0.0.1:8009/ ProxyPassReverse / ajp://127.0.0.1:8009/ . . . <Location /BOE> AuthType shibboleth ShibRequestSetting requireSession 1 require shib-session </Location>
<Location /shib> AuthType shibboleth ShibRequestSetting requireSession 1 require shib-session </Location>
# The next 3 are required to use the Webi Java applet since it connects separately and Shibboleth gets confused <Location ~ "/BOE/portal/.*/AnalyticalReporting/webiApplet/.*"> Satisfy Any Allow from all AuthType None Require all granted </Location>
<Location ~ "/BOE/portal/.*/rebean3ws/services/.*"> Satisfy Any Allow from all AuthType None Require all granted </Location>
<Location ~ "/BOE/portal/.*/InfoViewAppActions/ajaxUre/.*"> Satisfy Any Allow from all AuthType None Require all granted </Location> </VirtualHost>
Listen 4443 <VirtualHost _default_:4443> . . . ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:8080/ ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:8080/ </VirtualHost> |
BIP Config
- For reference, see the BI Admin Doc, starting on page 229 about Trusted Authentication. The essential steps are below.
- Set the Authentication parameters similar to this, generate and download a new Shared Secret, then click Update
3. Put the shared secret file, TrustedPrincipal.conf on the WEB SERVER, in this directory
D:\BI4\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win32_x86\
4. Followed the SAP doc 1593628 to test the SSO using QUERY_STRING
- Create file global.properties in D:\BI4\tomcat\webapps\BOE\WEB-INF\config\custom with the following contents
sso.enabled=true
trusted.auth.user.param=user
trusted.auth.user.retrieval=QUERY_STRING
b. Save, then restart Tomcat
c. Should be able to get into Launch Pad now using the URL (e.g.)
https://myserver.mydomain.com:4443/BOE/BI?user=myuser
d. This demonstrates all the Trusted Authentication pieces are working, without Shibboleth
5. To put it all together, update the global.properties file so it looks like this
sso.enabled=true
trusted.auth.user.retrieval=REMOTE_USER
- Save, then restart Tomcat
- Close and reopen your browser
- Go to the URL, https://myserver.mydomain.com/BOE/BI
- You should be prompted to log in via Shibboleth
6. If you’re having trouble, you can use a /shib directory (create under Tomcat\webapps\) to see the values being passed from Apache/Shibboleth using a JSP, e.g.
<%@ page import="java.util.*" %> <html> <head> <title>Http Request Headers Example</title> </head> <body> <h2>HTTP Request Headers Received</h2> <table> <% Enumeration enumeration = request.getHeaderNames(); while (enumeration.hasMoreElements()) { String name = (String) enumeration.nextElement(); String value = request.getHeader(name); %> <tr><td><%= name %></td><td><%= value %></td></tr> <% } %> </table>
<% out.print("request.getRemoteUser: "+request.getRemoteUser()+"<br/>"); out.print("request.getUserPrincipal.getName(): "+request.getUserPrincipal().getName()+"<br/>"); %>
</body> </html> |
Login page setup
- We created a custom login page that presented links for both Shibboleth and Enterprise logins, under /auth, which then directs users to login via one of those methods
- Set up a redirect from /index.jsp (tomcat ROOT) to /auth/index.jsp, then present links to log on either via Shibboleth, or via Enterprise (port 4443)
- In \BI4\tomcat\webapps\BOE\WEB-INF\config\custom\BILaunchpad.properties, set url.exit to e.g.
https://yourserver.yourdomain.com/Shibboleth.sso/Logout?return=yourIDPlogoutURL
4. Stop/Restart Tomcat
5. Either way you log in, you will be redirected to the Shibboleth logout. This is done to handle weird address issues when logging in/out via different methods.