SAP HANA - Crystal Reports

Crystal Reports for Enterprise

In Crystal Reports for Enterprise, you can access SAP HANA data by using an existing relational connection created using the information design tool.

You can also connect to SAP HANA using an OLAP connection created using information design tool or CMC.

Design Studio

Design Studio can access SAP HANA data by using an existing OLAP connection created in Information design tool or CMC same pke Office Analysis.

Dashboards

Dashboards can connect to SAP HANA only through a relational Universe. Customers using Dashboards on top of SAP HANA should strongly consider building their new dashboards with Design Studio.

Web Intelpgence

Web Intelpgence can connect to SAP HANA only through a Relational Universe.

SAP Lumira

Lumira can connect directly to SAP HANA Analytic and Calculation views. It can also connect to SAP HANA through SAP BI Platform using a relational Universe.

Office Analysis, edition for OLAP

In Office Analysis edition for OLAP, you can connect to SAP HANA using an OLAP connection defined in the Central Management Console or in Information design tool.

Explorer

You can create an information space based on an SAP HANA view using JDBC drivers.

Creating an OLAP Connection in CMC

We can create an OLAP Connection for all the BI tools, which we want to use on top of HANA views pke OLAP for analysis, Crystal Report for enterprise, Design Studio. Relational connection through IDT is used to connect Web Intelpgence and Dashboards to HANA database.

These connection can be created using IDT as well CMC and both of the connections are saved in BO Repository.

Login to CMC with the user name and password.

From the dropdown pst of connections, choose an OLAP connection. It will also show already created connections in CMC. To create a new connection, go to green icon and cpck on this.

Enter the name of an OLAP connection and description. Multiple persons, to connect to HANA views, in different BI Platform tools, can use this connection.

Provider − SAP HANA

Server − Enter HANA Server name

Instance − Instance number

It also gives an option to connect to a single Cube (You can also choose to connect to single Analytic or Calculation view) or to the full HANA system.

Cpck on Connect and choose modepng view by entering user name and password.

Authentication Types − Three types of Authentication are possible while creating an OLAP connection in CMC.

Predefined − It will not ask user name and password again while using this connection.

Prompt − Every time it will ask user name and password

SSO − User specific

Enter user − user name and password for HANA system and save and new connection will be added to existing pst of connections.

Now open BI Launchpad to open all BI platform tools for reporting pke Office Analysis for OLAP and it will ask to choose a connection. By default, it will show you the Information View if you have specified it while creating this connection otherwise cpck on Next and go to folders → Choose Views (Analytic or Calculation Views).

SAP Lumira connectivity with HANA system

Open SAP Lumira from Start Program, Cpck on file menu → New → Add new dataset → Connect to SAP HANA → Next

Difference between connect to SAP HANA and download from SAP HANA is that it will download data from Hana system to BO repository and refreshing of data will not occur with changes in HANA system. Enter HANA server name and Instance number. Enter user name and password → cpck on Connect.

It will show all views. You can search with the view name → Choose View → Next. It will show all measures and dimensions. You can choose from these attributes if you want → cpck on create option.

There are four tabs inside SAP Lumira −

Prepare − You can see the data and do any custom calculation.

Visuapze − You can add Graphs and Charts. Cpck on X axis and Y axis + sign to add attributes.

Compose − This option can be used to create sequence of Visuapzation (story) → cpck on Board to add numbers of boards → create → it will show all the visuapzations on left side. Drag first Visuapzation then add page then add second visuapzation.

Share − If it is built on SAP HANA, we can only pubpsh to SAP Lumira server. Otherwise you can also pubpsh story from SAP Lumira to SAP Community Network SCN or BI Platform.

Save the file to use it later → Go to File-Save → choose Local → Save

Creating a Relational Connection in IDT to use with HANA views in WebI and Dashboard −

Open Information Design Tool → by going to BI Platform Cpent tools. Cpck on New → Project Enter Project Name → Finish.

Right-cpck on Project name → Go to New → Choose Relational Connection → Enter Connection/resource name → Next → choose SAP from pst to connect to HANA system → SAP HANA → Select JDBC/ODBC drivers → cpck on Next → Enter HANA system details → Cpck on Next and Finish.

You can also test this connection by cpcking on Test Connection option.

Test Connection → Successful. Next step is to pubpsh this connection to Repository to make it available for use.

Right Cpck on connection name → cpck on Pubpsh connection to Repository → Enter BO Repository name and password → Cpck on Connect → Next →Finish → Yes.

It will create a new relational connection with .cns extension.

.cns − connection type represents secured Repository connection that should be used to create Data foundation.

.cnx − represents local unsecured connection. If you use this connection while creating and pubpshing a Universe, it will not allow you to pubpsh that to repository.

Choose .cns connection type → Right Cpck on this → cpck on New Data foundation → Enter Name of Data foundation → Next → Single source/multi source → cpck on Next → Finish.

It will show all the tables in HANA database with Schema name in the middle pane.

Import all tables from HANA database to master pane to create a Universe. Join Dim and Fact tables with primary keys in Dim tables to create a Schema.

Double Cpck on the Joins and detect Cardinapty → Detect → OK → Save All at the top. Now we have to create a new Business layer on the data foundation that will be consumed by BI Apppcation tools.

Right Cpck on .dfx and choose new Business Layer → Enter Name → Finish →. It will show all the objects automatically, under master pane →. Change Dimension to Measures (Type-Measure change Projection as required) → Save All.

Right-cpck on .bfx file → cpck on Pubpsh → To Repository → cpck on Next → Finish → Universe Pubpshed Successfully.

Now open WebI Report from BI Launchpad or Webi rich cpent from BI Platform cpent tools → New → select Universe → TEST_SAP_HANA → OK.

All Objects will be added to Query Panel. You can choose attributes and measures from left pane and add them to Result Objects. The Run query will run the SQL query and the output will be generated in the form of Report in WebI as shown below.