Secure Data Integration between

SAP BusinessObjects

Applies to:
SAP BusinessObjects Disclosure Management10.0 SP1. For more information, visit the Enterprise
Performance Management homepage.

Summary
This paper explains how to set up a connection to read report-data from BPC or FC. This approach uses the
distribute function of the EPM Excel Add-in to generate reports automatically and describes how DM
consumes the data.
The benefit is that data integration is secure and allows no manual modification of data before it is available
in the DM data cache.
Authors:

Thorsten Jopp, Jason Reid, Caroline Stephens (Solution Management)

Company: SAG AG
Created on: 16 October 2011

Author Bio
Thorsten Jopp is part of SAP`s EPM Solution Management team and has been working on DM and
SAP BusinessObjects Notes Management since 2006.

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

Table of Contents
Requirements ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
Landscape ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Permissions ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
Step 1 Create a shared folder ......................................................................................................................... 3
Step 2 Choose a report .................................................................................................................................... 4
Step 3 Create a distribution list ........................................................................................................................ 5
Step 4 Schedule Distribution ........................................................................................................................... 7
In EPM10 Add-in ............................................................................................................................................. 7
In BPC7.5 ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
Step 5 Configure Connection inside DM ......................................................................................................... 8
Step 6 Connect to the DM Data Cache ......................................................................................................... 10
Check configuration .......................................................................................................................................... 11
Related Content ................................................................................................................................................ 12
Copyright........................................................................................................................................................... 13

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

Requirements
Before starting to set up the connection, you need to make sure that these requirements are fulfilled:
Landscape
This How 2 assumes the following landscape

SAP BusinessObjects Disclosure Management 10.0 SP1 or higher

o

DM Client

Microsoft Excel installed on DM Server

EPM 10 Excel Add-in or BPC 7.5 Add-in

BPC or FC

Permissions
In order to be able to set up this connection you need to have Remote Desktop Connection with an
Administrator user to the DM server.
You also need a user for BPC or FC with sufficient permissions to create a distribution list.

Step 1 Create a shared folder

Log on over Remote Desktop Connection to the DM Server and create a Folder (for example c:\BPC-DMdata) on the hard disk. Make sure that the BPC-User and DM-User have read&write permission to that
folder, while normal users can have only read access.

Figure 1: Create folder

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

Step 2 Choose a report

DM can read data in report format - the advantages are that existing reports can be used and there is no
need to create specialized integration reports for DM. In addition, users are already familiar with the report
structure.
As an example report you can use the Balance Sheet report from the IFRS-Starter Kit.

Figure 2: Balance Sheet Report

Open that report and select the corresponding dimension members so that you can see the values you want
to transfer to DM.
Note: In BPC 7.5 you need to have the report stored in the report library. Please note the URL of the report, as it is
required later in the distribution list.

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

Step 3 Create a distribution list

Create a new Distribution list in the EPM10 Add-in under Distribution New Template. Select the report
you want use and define the dimension members.

Figure 3: EPM10 Add-on Distribution List

Make sure the user you define in this distribution list has the required permissions to read the data.

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

Figure 4: EPM10 Add-on Distribution List

Figure 5: BPC 7.5 Distribution List

Save your distribution list.
Note: In BPC 7.5 you can find an example distribution list template under:
data\WebFolders\SAP_IFRS\Consolidation\EEXCEL\Z-APPSHELL\LEGACY\DISTRIBUTION TEMPLATE.xls

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

Step 4 Schedule Distribution

In EPM10 Add-in
After you have saved your distribution list go to Distribution Distribute.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Choose Lockdown and Save to folder

Schedule
Select your Distribution List
Select the folder that was created in Step 1
Define the time and date when data should be refreshed (you can change this later inside Windows
Task Scheduler)

In BPC7.5
After you have saved your distribution list go to ePublish Offline Distribution Wizard.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Choose Lockdown and Save to folder

Schedule
Select your Distribution List
Select the folder that was created in Step 1
Define the time and date when data should be refreshed (you can change this later inside Windows
Task Scheduler)

Figure 6: BPC 7.5 Scheduling

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

Step 5 Configure Connection inside DM

Make sure that generation of the report has run at least once, so that the report files are located in the folder.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Open Excel and start the DM Ribbon

Click on Datasources
New
Excel File
Give the new connection a name and a description
Choose the report excel file that was created by the distribute-function

Figure 7: New DataSource based on report

To be able to let the server read later that data, you must add this new datasource to the Content Refresh
configuration of the DM server.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Log in with an administrator to DM

Administration
Content Refresh
Download the config20.xml file
Open Windows Explorer
Go to %APPDATA%/cundus AG/cundusBIPublisher and open the config20.xml file
Copy the section of the new BPC data source

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

8. Edit the downloaded config20.xml from the DM Server and paste the text at the right before
</DataSources></CONFIG>
9. Save the changes and upload the changed config20.xml file

Note: If users should later be able to refresh not only over the server content refresh, but also over the client refresh, you
need to set up the connection to the shared folder with the report-excel file manually on each client.

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

Step 6 Connect to the DM Data Cache

Inside DM open a period and a report type data cache. Add a new chapter and click on edit. Start the DM
ribbon and:
1. Create datalink
2. New
3. Select your BPC Datasource

4. Press OK
5. Press OK again
You have now created a data link that reads data into the datacache, based on the values from the report
that was published by the distribution-function.
Apply your changes to check the data cache back into DM.

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

Check configuration
To see if your connection is working you should change some data in your BPC or FC datasource and wait
for the next scheduled distribution. Then log in to DM, open your data cache chapter, navigate to Content
refresh and click on start refresh.

After a successful refresh you can view the differences to the version before by clicking on Show changes.

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

Related Content
Documentation Disclosure Management
Documentation EPM10 Excel Add-in
For more information, visit the Enterprise Performance Management homepage.

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How-to connect BPC to Disclosure Management

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