Transferring Data Using DB Connect
Purpose
By default, when the BI application server starts, SAP kernel opens a connection to the database on which the SAP system is running. In the remainder of this section, this connection is referred to as the (SAP) default connection. All SQL commands that are submitted by the SAP kernel or ABAP programs (irrespective of whether they are open or native SQL commands), automatically refer to this default connection; they run in the context of the database transaction that is active in this connection. Connection data, such as database user name, user password, or database name are taken either from the profile parameters or from the corresponding environment variables (this is database specific).
You use DB Connect to open other database connections in addition to the default connection and use these connections to transfer data into a BI system from tables or views.
See also:
Implementation Considerations
If you want to create a connection to an external database, you need relevant knowledge and experience of the source database in the following areas:
● Tools
● Database-specific SQL syntax
● Database-specific functions
You also need relevant knowledge of the source application so that you can transfer semantically utilizable data into BI.
If the BI DBMS and the source DBMS are different, you have to install a database-specific DB client for the respective source-database management system (DBMS) on the BI application server before you can use the DB Connect functions.
In all cases, you need to license the database-specific DB client with the database manufacturer. For information about the database-specific DB client, see the information from the respective database manufacturers.
In addition, the SAP-specific part of the database interface (the Database Shared Library (DBSL)) must be installed on the BI application server for the corresponding source database management system. For more information, see Installing the Database Shared Library (DBSL).
The information contained in the DB Connect documentation is subject to change. Always refer to the SAP Notes listed in the documentation.
Integration
Using DB Connect, BI offers flexible options for extracting data directly into BI from tables and views in database management systems that are connected to BI using connections other than the default connection. You can use tables and views in database management systems that are supported by SAP to transfer data. You use DataSources to make the data known to BI. The data is processed in BI in the same way as data from all other sources.
Features
With DB Connect, you can load data into BI from a database system that is supported by SAP, by:
● Connecting a database to BI as a source system, thereby creating a direct point of access to external relational database management systems (RDBMS).
● Making metadata known to BI by generating a DataSource.
Example
A purchasing application runs on a system that is based on DBMS X. Before you can analyze the data in the purchasing application, you have to load the data into a BI system. The BI system is based on DBMS Y. DBMS Y can be the same as DBMS X or can be different to DBMS X. If DBMS Y is the same as DBMS X, you do not need to install the database-specific client and the database-specific DBSL. DB Connect allows you to connect the DBMS of the purchasing application and extract data from the database tables or views and transfer it into BI.