Show TOC

Background documentationSecurity Risks with the SQL Editor and MDX Editor Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

You can use the SQL Editor to create and modify SQL statements for querying relational data sources. The SQL Editor can access any relational data service defined using the BI JDBC Connector on the portal.

You can use the MDX Editor to create and modify MDX statements for querying OLAP data sources. The MDX Editor can access any OLAP data service defined using the BI ODBO Connector or the BI XMLA Connector on the portal.

SQL and MDX Editor functionality is available in Visual Composer in the following ways:

  • On the   BI   SQL Editor   and   BI   MDX Editor   menus.

  • In the workspace, from the context menu of a relational or OLAP query from a data service defined using one of the BI Java Connectors mentioned above.

  • In the MDX Statement and SQL Statement fields on the input ports of corresponding data services, which allow you to send query statements to the databases.

For security purposes, the SQL and MDX Editor functionality is turned off by default in Visual Composer. Therefore, if you try to access it, the following message is displayed: You are not authorized to use this functionality.

To enable SQL and MDX Editor functionality, use the following parameters in the Visual Administrator:

  • vc.bi.sqlEditorEnabled - SQL Editor and SQL Statement from input port are visible

  • vc.bi.mdxEditorEnabled - MDX Editor and MDX Statement from input port are visible

See Configuring Optional Properties in the Visual Administrator in the SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer Installation & Configuration Guide for step-by-step instructions.

Note Note

Change document logging is not available with the SQL or MDX Editors; only database logging (SQL Editor) or OLAP server logging (MDX Editor) is available.

End of the note.

Caution Caution

Warning:

Significant caution should be taken when using the SQL and MDX Editor functionality, to avoid the potential for corrupting data and to prevent users from viewing data that they are not authorized to see.

To prevent potential security risks, we urge the database administrator to restrict user authorization on any data source defined on the portal using the BI JDBC Connector, BI ODBO Connector, or BI XMLA Connector. We recommend that you set the proper authorizations for your users on the database level, and that you use dialog users (individual database user names) for user mapping on the portal.

Note that if you enable this functionality and save models that expose SQL and MDX statement fields on the input ports of data services, these fields, and hence the potential security risks, will persist in the models even if you later disable this functionality. In addition, the fields persist in models that you export and import into a Visual Composer system in which the functionality is disabled. We therefore recommend you carefully consider security risks before enabling this functionality.

End of the caution.