September 1, 2016 5 minute read

Connecting external SAP BW to SAP Solution Manager applications

In several previous blogs I already mentioned that you can bridge data silos and bring external SAP BW data into applications like Business Process Operations dashboards, Dependency Diagrams or Progress Management Board via BEx query. In Business Process Operations dashboards that means that you can report on SAP Solution Manager and SAP BW data in parallel. With the help of Dependency Diagrams you can easily visualize how operational, problem-oriented Business Process Analytics key figures can have an impact on your overarching Business KPIs (e.g. Days Sales Outstanding) which will be measured in SAP BW. The Progress Management Board allows then the progress tracking of Business Process Analytics key figures or SAP BW business KPIs.

This blog explains the steps you need to perform in order to see the external BW data in the above mentioned SAP Solution Manager applications. The description is basically taken from chapter 4.4 of the Best Practice document about Dependency Diagrams (~15 pages in total).

SAP BW Connector Setup

The first step is that you create once a corresponding connector instance, so that the SAP Solution Manager knows which SAP BW system should be connected and which RFC connection should be used.

As of SAP Solution Manager 7.1 SP14 you will find under BPO Reporting Structure the tab for the Data Source Manager. Under Connector you will find the BW Query Connector called BPO_BW_Query.

Go to the Tab Data Source Manager
Select the BPO_BW_Query Connector
Click ‘add’ to configure a Connector Instance to your BW system.
Maintain a Name and a Description for the Connector Instance
Select the Read RFC Connection to your BW system and enter the system Name.
Under Application you add the BPO Dashboards as Application by clicking on ‘Add’
Create your Connector Instance
Save it. If you reload the tab you should see two green lights under Status and Active

AKF Setup for BEx query

The next step is to maintain an Analytical Key Figure (AKF) that specifies which BEx query should be used for data retrieval from which Info Provider. This query needs to be defined in SAP BW obviously.

We are still in the same UI where we just created the connector instance and click on the button Maintain BW Query AKF.

Click ‘Add’.
Enter a technical name and a Description.
Select the Connector Instance you created before.
Use the F4 Help to find your BW Query. The Info Cube will be automatically selected if you add the Query.
Use the F4 Help to select the key figure. This is basically the measurement coming from the Query (i.e. the amount of days in this example).
Save.

The RFC User maintained in the Read RFC Connection to your SAP BW system for the BEx query needs the following authorizations:

Object	Authorization Field
S_RFC	RFC_TYPE=FUGR
	RFC_NAME= RZX0
	RFC_NAME=/SDF/E2EEM_COLLECTORS
	RFC_NAME=AGS_BPM_RI_CONN;
	RFC_NAME=SYST;
	RFC_NAME=SUNI;
	ACTVT=16

S_RFC	RFC_TYPE=FUNC
	RFC_NAME=RSZ_X_COMPONENT_LIST_GET
	RFC_NAME=/SDF/E2EEM_GET_DATA
	ACTVT=16

/SDF/E2E	ACTVT=03

S_SRT_ELOG	ACTVT=03

S_SRT_PLOA	WS_NAME=*;USR_ACCESS=1;
	ACTVT=03

AI_DIAGE2E	ACTVT=03

Use the AKF in the respective SAP Solution Manager application

Now that you created you AKF for the respective BEx query it can be used like any other AKFI that you created previously based on Business Process Analytics. So you can go now into the Business Process Operations setup and assign the new BW AKF to some panel, or you can go into the Dependency Diagram setup and use the AKF as root or child tile, or you assign the AKF to your newly created Progress Management Board.

Connecting external SAP BW to SAP Solution Manager applications

SAP BW Connector Setup

AKF Setup for BEx query

Use the AKF in the respective SAP Solution Manager application

Further reading

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