Pre-requisites for connecting SAP BODS with ECC

system
For connecting SAP BODS with ECC system, we need to create a SAP Applications datastore in Data
Services. For this we need to specify the data transfer method. This method defines how data that
is extracted by the ABAP running on the SAP application server becomes available to the Data
Services server.

The options are:

1. RFC: Use to stream data from the source SAP system directly to the Data Services data flow
process using RFC.
2. Direct download: The SAP server transfers the data directly to the Local directory using the
SAP-provided function GUI_DOWNLOAD or WS_DOWNLOAD.
3. Shared directory: Default method. The SAP server loads the transport file into the Working
directory on SAP server. The file is read using the Application path to the shared directory
from the Job Server computer.
4. FTP: The SAP server loads the Working directory on SAP server with the transport file. Then
the Job Server calls an FTP program and connects to the SAP server to download the file to
the Local directory.
5.

Custom Transfer: SAP server loads the Working directory on SAP server with the transport
file. The file is read by a third-party file transfer (custom transfer) program and loaded to the
Custom transfer local directory.

Prerequisites:
1.

Need to define a SAP Applications datastores which includes the following information
i. Connection information including the application server name, the language used by the
SAP client application, the client and system numbers
ii. Data transfer method used to exchange information between Data Services and the SAP
application.
iii. Security information, specifically the SAP security profile to be used by all connections
instigated from this datastore between Data Services and the SAP application.

2.

In case the Data Transfer Method is Direct Download the following checks should be ensured

i. Check whether direct download is the right method for us as it is actually calling the
gui_download ABAP function call which is very unreliable with bigger amounts of data.
ii. Transport of data takes about 40 times longer than with the other protocols.
iii. We cannot use 'execute in background' with this option
iv. Configuring it is simple; we just specify a directory on the jobserver in the field Client
Download Directory.
v. But we need to ensure whether this directory actually exists
3.

In case the Data Transfer Method is Shared Directory the following checks should be ensured
i. While the 'working directory on SAP server' is the point where the ABAP will write the file
to, the 'Application path to the shared directory' is the path to access this same directory
from the job server.
ii. Whatever we specify as working directory, SAP should have the write access to that.
iii. The files generated by the SAP account, the BODS user has to have read permissions for.
Typically, this is done by placing the BODS user into the same group as SAP is.

4.

In case the Data Transfer Method is FTP the following checks should be ensured

i. Ensure that through the command prompt we are able to login by using the hostname the ftp
server is running on, the username to login to ftp , and the password (In the command
prompt, call ftp 'hostname' and type username password)
ii. Next check what 'cd' (change directory) command we have to do in order to get to the working
directory on SAP server? Copy this path as the 'ftp relative path' in the datastore
properties.
iii. Next step would be to check permissions on the files. In general, SAP should create the files
with read permission on its main group; the ftp user should be part of that SAP group so it
can read the files.
Iv. Ensure that the directory the file should be downloaded will be a directory on the jobserver
computer.
5.

In case the Data Transfer Method is Custom Transfer we need to ensure

i. A batch file needs to be specified that does all the download.

6.

The execution mode should be generate_and_execute

To define SAP Application Datastore:

a)

In the Datastore tab of the object library, right-click and select New.

b)

Enter a unique name for the datastore in the Datastore name box.

c)

The name can contain alphanumeric characters and underscores. It cannot contain
spaces.

d)

For Datastore type, select SAP Applications.

e)

Enter the Application server name.

f)

Enter the User name and Password information.

g)

To add more parameters, click Advanced, enter the information as below and click
OK to successfully create a SAP Application Datastore.

Here the Working directory on SAP server is the point where the ABAP will write the file to and the
Generated ABAP directory is the path to access this same directory from the job server.