Like many BusinessObjects administrator out there, I’m discovering these days a lot about the SAP “classic” technologies.  In this article I will be writing about SAP Sybase SQL Anywhere as it comes out-of-the-box as the Repository and Audit databases server for the latest SAP BO/BI products.  See Database Administration Tools for SQL Anywhere CMS and Audit DBs.

I have three main objectives:

1. I want to learn a new tech!
2. I would like to be able to manage (backup / restore / monitoring / more) my SAP BI 4.x databases.
3. I need new databases to configure SAP Data Services.  As I’m building a test VM, I don’t really need MS SQL, Oracle of any of the other usual vendors.  I don’t know if we are licensed to do this – to be checked with SAP.

The articles below on the BI Platform Space are why I need new databases:

• Tutorial: How to install SAP Data Services 4.2 – Part 1
• Tutorial: How to install SAP Data Services 4.2 – Part 2 [in progress]

Table of Contents:

Installing SAP Sybase SQL Anywhere Database Client

Run: SA1201_Client.exe

Click: Next

Click: OK

Click: Next

Select Country or Region: United Kingdom

I accept the terms of this agreement: selected

Click: Next

Click: Next

Click: Install

Click: Finish

Managing and Maintaining your SAP BI databases

I’m not a DBA and I won’t try to be!  There are plenty of clever people on this Space: SQL Sybase SQL Anywhere but hopefully this is going to be helpful for the beginners like me with this technology.

Open Sybase Central

Right-click: SQL Anywhere

Click: Connect…

Authentication: Database

User ID: dba (or whatever was selected during the SAP BI 4.x installation)

Password: ********

Action: Connect with an ODBC Data Source

Click: Browse

Select: BI4_CMS_DSN

Click: Connect

In this screen you have access to a lot of useful features such as Database Maintenance Tasks, list of Tables, Overview (for Statistics), etc

You can also find a great article by Jose Ramos: Backing Up the CMS and Audit Databases Using SQL Anywhere Maintenance Plans

Note: Doing the above steps will connect to the local instance and also list the Audit Database (BI4_Audit_DSN)

Click: Context

Select: BI4

Creating a new database in SAP Sybase SQL Anywhere

Open Sybase Central

Click: Tools menu > SQL Anywhere 12 > Create Database…

Click: Next

Click: Next

Enter the location and file name you want your database file to be

Click: Finish

Note: You could click Next to modify other optional configurations such as log files location, credentials, etc

You now have a new database.  The default credentials are:

• Username: dba
• Password: sql

I hope this was helpful.  I welcome and suggestions, comments or anything else to make this article better.

Thanks