How to view Business Explorer (BEx) reports in SAP Cloud Platform Portal business sites
More and more customers are moving their portal entry point to the cloud, and ask to integrate and consume SAP applications from on-premise in the cloud.
SAP Business Explorer (SAP BEx) is a set of flexible reporting and analytical tools that resides in the SAP NetWeaver platform. Many end users need SAP BEx to evaluate their data and generate reports.
Administrators can configure a dedicated app in the SAP Fiori Launchpad configuration cockpit to enable authorized end users to launch SAP BEx reports from their SAP Fiori Launchpad or Portal freestyle sites.
To configure a BEx App in SAP Cloud Platform Portal, you need to first set a connection between SAP Cloud Platform and SAP NetWeaver Platform.
To set the connection between SAP Cloud Platform and SAP NetWeaver Platform:
- Configure a trust between SAP NetWeaver Java and SAP Cloud Platform
- Create a destination in your SAP Cloud Platform account that points to SAP NetWeaver platform. Note that the destination for setting the BEx connection should contain the additional property BEx with the value true.
Once the connection is established, you will be able to add applications of type BEx to your SAP Cloud Platform Portal sites. Each BEx application directs to a single BEx report. To configure the report that will be opened by the BEx application in your SAP Cloud Platform Portal, you would need to obtain its query string. You can get this string by following these steps:
- Open SAP Enterprise Portal (EP), navigate to your BEx role and open it.
- Select the report you would like to view in Cloud Portal from the available reports listed for this role, and open it.
- Copy the value of “BEx Web Application Query String”. if you can’t copy it from the displayed properties, select to view All properties and copy from that screen.
In SAP Cloud Platform Portal open the SAP Fiori Configuration Cockpit, select Apps, and create a new application. Select SAP Business Explorer (BEx) in the App Type field, set the System Alias to be the destination name of your SAP Business Explorer, and set the BEx Query to the BEx Web application Query String you copied from EP. Remember to add the newly created App to a group in the SAP Fiori launchpad.
Note: The App Type SAP Business Explorer (BEx) is available only if a destination to a BEx system is defined
Your SAP Fiori launchpad now also includes the newly created App tile.
When users click on a BEx App, the relevant BEx report is displayed in a new window.
Note:
To add an SAP BEx app to a freestyle site, you access Content Management from the side panel of the Site Designer, select Apps, and configure the SAP Business Explorer (BEx) app as explained in the procedure above.
"To configure a BEx App in SAP Cloud Platform Portal, you need to first set a connection between SAP Cloud Platform and SAP NetWeaver Platform."
Do we need a cloud connector some where above?
Hi Kumar,
There is no need to configure Cloud Connector.
Iris.
Thanks for the reply. I see what we are doing here. Assumption is that we are accessing the BeX report from within the firewall, which means Cloud Portal/FLP will generate the URL for Bex Report and we do a forward. So for sure this would work within firewall. Since Cloud portal can be accessed from internet, would I see the report from outside the firewall?
It is currently supported on as in internal access point as you noted. We will possibly add external access point later.
Hi Iris,
We are trying to access BEx report on onpremise NW Java system with SAP Cloud platform portal tile on FLP. The SAP Cloud connector is not able to connect to NW Java system. Is it supported outside of firewall now?
Thanks,
Venkata Kotta
Hi Venkata Kotta
The connection with BEx is direct and not through the cloud connector, but a direct connection.
Let me know if you need additional support
Iris.
Hi Iris,
thanks for your post. We are trying to migrate our on-Prem Portal to the SAP Cloud Portal.
Did I understand it correct, that your solution is only a "link" to the on-Prem Query on a Java System? So that there is currently no way to shut down our on-Prem Java System and move to the cloud?
You said that this might be possible later, was does later means?
Thanks and Regards,
Timo
Hi Timo
Integrating BEx reports is through the NW Java stack, so this will not allow you to shut down NW java as you mentioned.
There are alternative solutions for analytics in the cloud, for a full migration to cloud
Thanks
Iris
Hi Iris,
thanks for your answer,
Timo
Hi Iris,
The "Create Destination" link is not working anymore, so I not sure what I am doing wrong.
I've created an destination with "Proxy type" internet an added an Additional Propertie "Bex" is true
But when I add an new application then the application type Bex is not available.
Evert