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Function documentationModel Connection Development Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

Model connection development involves setting up the connectivity between strategy management users, the Application Server user they are associated with, and the dimensional model those users can access when creating or viewing dashboards, scorecards, and reports.

Integration

Model connections are integrated with Web authentication users, Application Server users, dimensional models, application groups, and contexts. The combination of all these items enables a secure and custom experience of the application and the data in the dimensional model for a Web authentication user.

This list shows the progression of how certain objects are created and linked to the model connection to develop an integrated, secure, and custom environment. Many tasks can be done in no particular order but are listed in this order for the sake of this discussion.

  • Authentication users are added to the application by the system administrator using either SAP NetWeaver UME or SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise. The user management system recognizes them as valid strategy management users when they start the application.

  • A dimensional model is created with application data. Application Server users are added with potentially special views of the data in the model.

  • A model connection is created to specify the Web authentication users who can access the dimensional model in the application. Web authentication users are assigned to an Application Server user, thereby inheriting the Application Server user's view of data in the dimensional model.

  • An application group is created to specify the functionality and components available to certain Web authentication users in the application and the Administrator.

  • A context is created to define a set of objects available in the application.

  • Application groups get connected to a context. Now a set of users can use the objects in the application with certain access and permissions.

  • Model connections get connected to application groups when you assign a model connection to a context. Now the scorecard administrator can begin to set the KPIs, objectives, and perspectives for the context. At this point, a set of Web authentication users gain a combined set of permissions during an application session. The users in a particular application group experience a special view of the application. They are able to view all the objects defined for the context with special permissions into the functionality as well as access a special view of the data in the dimensional model. In short, the web authentication users now have special views into the model (data), and special views into the application.

The list of users for the model connection should be the same as the list of users in the application group for the context. If certain application group users do not have access to this model connection, those users cannot use the aspects of the application that require the dimensional model. If some model connection users do not have access to this context, those users cannot access this context in the application.

Prerequisites

You are running the Administrator as the strategy management administrator. If the Administration section is unavailable to you, it means you are not running the Administrator with an administrator username and password.

Users are known to the application. This is set up by the administrator when installing and configuring the application. For information, see the Server Configuration Guide for SAP BusinessObjects Strategy Management located on SAP Service Marketplace at   http://service.sap.com/instguidsecpm-stm   SAP BusinessObjects Strategy Management 7.5  .

The Application Server dimensional model is created.

Application Server users are added to the dimensional model.

The machine where the Administrator is installed has access rights to the port where Application Server is installed. If you can telnet <hostname> 8325 from a DOS window, then you have the appropriate access rights.

Features

You can do any of the following tasks when developing a model connection:

  • Create a model connection by clicking New. Specify only alphanumeric characters (a-z, 0-9) up to a maximum size of 64 characters. You must not use special characters in the name. You can create up to 500 model connections. For more information, see Creating a Model Connection.

  • Delete the selected model connection by clicking Delete.

  • Rename the selected model connection by clicking Rename.

  • Specify a different Application Server user for the model connection rather than the one selected. To do so, select the model connection and the Application Server user and click Rename.

  • View a model connection's definitions by selecting it in the Model Connections list. By default, the definitions for the first Application Server user are displayed.

  • View the Application Server users for a model connection in the Application Server Connections list.

  • View the Web authentication users assigned to an Application Server user by selecting the Application Server user name. All the Web authentication users appear in the user list in the Groups and users section.

  • Edit a model connection. To do so, select the model connection, then select the Application Server user, and then modify the fields.

  • Add an Application Server user to the selected model connection by clicking New in the Application Server Connections section and then entering a new name and password in the PAS User and Password text boxes. Make sure the Application Server user is a user of the model you are adding to the model connection definition.

    You might want to add more than one Application Server user if you want assign different views into the dimensional model. One Application Server might have a limited view of the dimensional model, while another user might have full view of the dimensional model. The Web authentication users assigned to an Application Server inherit the Application Server user settings and have the same view into the dimensional model.

    If you add additional PAS users to a model connection, and you use one or more system groups to define which authenticated users are assigned to which PAS users, you must make sure that authenticated users are not duplicated between PAS users. Otherwise, a connection is made with the first PAS user found, and that user may not be the desired PAS user.

  • Remove an Application Server user from the selected model connection. To do so, select the Application Server user you want to delete and click Delete.

  • Add a user to the selected model connection. By default, Everyone is selected for this connection and all Web authentication users who have access to this Application Server user also have access to the model connection. Only one Application Server Connection can have the Everyone setting for a model connection. To add a user, choose whether to display by System Groups or Users. Then select the users or the groups from the list and click Add. These users must have access to the Application Server user name.

    Users displays the first 500 users. If there are more users to display, use the Get full user list link.

  • Remove a user from the selected model connection by selecting the user or system group in the right-hand list in the Groups and users section and click Remove.

  • Test the connection to Application Server by selecting the model connection and Application Server user and clicking Test Connection. You receive a status message identifying whether the connection works as expected.

If you are adding and removing a large number of model connections or users, use the Table Editor (TED) program to process text files that maintain model connections and users. The text files contain commands that add or remove a large number of model connections and model connection users. To learn about using the Table Editor, see the Administrator's Guide for SAP BusinessObjects Strategy Management Interactive Publisher and Application Components located on SAP Service Marketplace at   http://service.sap.com/instguidsecpm-stm   SAP BusinessObjects Strategy Management 7.5  .

Activities

To develop model connections, click Manage Models in the Administration section.