Query SAP BusinessObjects BI Data as a SQL Server Database in Node.js

You can use CData Connect Cloud to query SAP BusinessObjects BI data through a SQL Server interface. Follow the procedure below to create a virtual database for SAP BusinessObjects BI in Connect Cloud and start querying using Node.js.

CData Connect Cloud provides a pure MySQL, cloud-to-cloud interface for SAP BusinessObjects BI, allowing you to easily query live SAP BusinessObjects BI data in Node.js — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. As you query data in Node.js, CData Connect Cloud pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to SAP BusinessObjects BI, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return SAP BusinessObjects BI data.

Configure SAP BusinessObjects BI Connectivity for NodeJS

Connectivity to SAP BusinessObjects BI from NodeJS is made possible through CData Connect Cloud. To work with SAP BusinessObjects BI data from NodeJS, we start by creating and configuring a SAP BusinessObjects BI connection.

1. Log into Connect Cloud, click Sources, and then click Add Connection

2. Select "SAP BusinessObjects BI" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to SAP BusinessObjects BI.

   To connect to your SAP Business Objects BI instance, you must set the following connection properties:

   • Url: set this to the rest API URL. After logging into the Central Management Console, choose 'Applications' from the combo box. Double-click on 'RESTful Web Service' and you'll see the access URL. By default it is, http://{Server-Name}:6405/biprws.
   • User: set this to the username of your instance.
   • Password: set this to the password of your instance.
   
4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add SAP BusinessObjects BI Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect Cloud through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect Cloud. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect Cloud app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create.
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to SAP BusinessObjects BI data from Node.js.

Query SAP BusinessObjects BI from Node.js

The following example shows how to define a connection and execute queries to SAP BusinessObjects BI with the SQL Server module. You will need the following information:

• server: tds.cdata.com
• port: 14333
• user: a Connect Cloud user (e.g. [email protected])
• password: the PAT for the above user
• database: The connection you configured for SAP BusinessObjects BI (SAPBusinessObjectsBI1)

Connect to SAP BusinessObjects BI data and start executing queries with the code below:

var sql = require('mssql')
var config = {
	server: 'tds.cdata.com',
	port: 14333, 
	user: '[email protected]', //update me
	password: 'CONNECT_USER_PAT', //update me	
	options: {
		encrypt: true,
		database: 'SAPBusinessObjectsBI1'
	}
}

sql.connect(config, err => { 
    if(err){
        throw err ;
    }
    new sql.Request().query('SELECT * FROM MyCustomReport', (err, result) => {
        console.dir(result)
    })
        
});

sql.on('error', err => {
    console.log("SQL Error: " ,err);
})