In This Session

With the advent of the RESTful Web Services API in the 4.x
release of the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform, integration to
backend systems from custom applications and streamlined
end-user workflows has become much less cumbersome and
faster to deliver
We will investigate the various options for integrating custom
workflows and UI modifications using simple demo code
Discuss the different APIs and identify their strengths and
weaknesses
Provide Starter Code samples that you can apply and extend
in your own environment

What Well Cover

What is RESTful anyway?

Why is RESTful solution better than traditional SDK options?
Where to go for setup / configuration / execution
What are some good use cases for RESTful implementation
Demo of real world scenarios
How to implement a secure / trusted architecture
Wrap-up

PSA

What is RESTful anyway?

Representational State Transfer (REST) is a style of software

architecture for distributed systems such as the World Wide Web.
REST has emerged as the predominant web API design model.

API

BOBJ

Demo End Result

What Well Cover

What is RESTful anyway?

Why is RESTful solution better than traditional SDK options?
Where to go for setup / configuration / execution
What are some good use cases for RESTful implementation
Demo of real world scenarios
How to implement a secure / trusted architecture
Wrap-up

Why is RESTful solution better than traditional SDK

options?

Traditional SDKs require supporting libraries to be compiled with

the custom application and a creates a dependency on the client
application with the server.

RESTFul services just expose HTTP end points with a SIMPLE

interface for interacting with the service. GET / PUT / POST /
DELETE are all supported

Example URI
http:// <Server IP> :<port>/biprws/raylight/v1/documents/

Pick Your Language

What are Web Intelligence RESTful Web Services?

API used for manipulating WebI Documents

List / Open / Save / Close
Retrieve data from a data provider
Schedule Documents

It cannot be used to create SAP Web Intelligence

documents.
9

RESTful Architecture
base URI, such as http://example.com/resources/
Internet media type for the data. e.g. JSON / XML
standard HTTP methods (e.g., GET, PUT, POST, or
DELETE)
hypertext links to reference state
hypertext links to reference related resources

A RESTful Web Service can carry a

PAYLOAD this is the DATA that is
passed to / from the server

10

Lets breakdown the process

11

Lets See It!

12

What Well Cover

What is RESTful anyway?

Why is RESTful solution better than traditional SDK options?
Where to go for setup / configuration / execution
What are some good use cases for RESTful implementation
Demo of real world scenarios
How to implement a secure / trusted architecture
Wrap-up

13

Where to go for setup / configuration / execution

RESTful SDK is available for the BI Platform 4.x.

Crystal Reports for Enterprise (CR4e) RESTful API.
Web Intelligence SDK with full parity with REBEAN/RENET is
supported in 4.1.

For SAMPLES and Technical guides

s http://scn.sap.com/community/restful-sdk

BI RESTful SDK is installed as part of the BI Platform installation

process

14

What Well Cover

What is RESTful anyway?

Why is RESTful solution better than traditional SDK options?
Where to go for setup / configuration / execution
What are some good use cases for RESTful implementation
Demo of real world scenarios
How to implement a secure / trusted architecture
Wrap-up

15

Sample Use Cases for RESTFul BI

Custom Web Application that Calls WebI Report using RESTful to

schedule the report and present the output within the application
Automated process to run multiple Web Intelligence reports on a
set schedule and create EXCEL output files
Automatic TESTING process that runs reports and monitors
systems performance.
Dynamically switch data providers for a report based on the users
profile

You cannot CREATE objects using platform REST

SDK. Use JAVA SDK if this is required!
16

Sample Use Cases for RESTFul BI

Custom Web Application that Calls WebI Doc using RESTful to

schedule the report and present the output within the application
Automated process to run multiple Web Intelligence reports on a
set schedule and create EXCEL output files
Automatic TESTING process that runs reports and monitors
systems performance.
Dynamically switch data providers for a report based on the users
profile

17

What Well Cover

What is RESTful anyway?

Why is RESTful solution better than traditional SDK options?
Where to go for setup / configuration / execution
What are some good use cases for RESTful implementation
Demo of real world scenarios
How to implement a secure / trusted architecture
Wrap-up

18

Example URIs
WebI documents
../biprws/raylight/v1/documents

A WebI document
../biprws/raylight/v1/documents/{documentID}

A WebI documents pages:

../biprws/raylight/v1/documents/{documentID}/pages

WebI document reports:

../biprws/raylight/v1/documents/{documentID}/reports

A WebI document report:

../biprws/raylight/v1/documents/{documentID}/reports/{reportID}

19

Code Example: Logon

URL: http://localhost:6405/biprws/logon/long
Payload:
{
"userName": userName,
"password": your_password,
"auth": authMode
}
Returns
Logon Token

20

Code Example: Logon

<entry>
<author>
<name>@MyServer:6400</name>
</author>
<id>tag:sap.com,2010:bip-rs/logon/long</id>
<title type="text">Logon Result</title>
<updated>2013-09-03T21:46:47.360Z</updated>
<content type="application/xml">
<attrs>
<attr name="logonToken"
type="string">MyServer:6400@{3&2=10209,U3&2v=MyServer:6400,UP&6
6=60,U3&68=secEnterprise:Administrator,UP&S9=12,U3&qe=100,U3&vz
=yCFAVGKDkzcAIefcqibDE9m8WGhlPyIyPjzijsiChX8,UP}
</attr>
</attrs>
</content>
</entry>
21

Using REST Client

22

Testing Tools

23

Lets See It!

RESTFul LIVE Examples

24

Web Intelligence Extension Points

Lots of Flexibility

HTML container (Panel)

Interop. with Canvas
Undocumented features!

Can not place content

on main canvas
Source: Example Centigon CMaps integration with Web Intelligence

25

More WebI Customization

Custom Panel
JQuery Date Picker
Custom Refresh button with animation

26

More WebI Customization

Custom Panel
JQuery Date Picker
Custom Refresh button with animation

27

Lets See It!

Web Intelligence Extension Points

28

What Well Cover

What is RESTful anyway?

Why is RESTful solution better than traditional SDK options?
Where to go for setup / configuration / execution
What are some good use cases for RESTful implementation
Demo of real world scenarios
How to implement a secure / trusted architecture
Wrap-up

29

Configure WACS Server

30

Configure Secure Web Server

31

Configure Secure Web Server

32

CMC Settings Review

33

Where to Find More Information

www.kingfisherinc.com/RESTFulBIWS
s Blog describing the details of building components
Ted Ueda, Scripting Web Intelligence: the RESTful Raylight Web
Services http://scn.sap.com/
s SCN Blog series
http://help.sap.com/businessobject/product_guides/sbo41/en/sbo
41_webi_restful_ws_en.pdf
s Official SAP Documentation

34

What Well Cover

What is RESTful anyway?

Why is RESTful solution better than traditional SDK options?
Where to go for setup / configuration / execution
What are some good use cases for RESTful implementation
Demo of real world scenarios
How to implement a secure / trusted architecture
Wrap-up

35

7 Key Points to Take Home

RESTful is the new API for custom web applications

Supported: BI Platform, WebI, CR4e
Unsupported: Crystal Reports, Dashboards, Design Studio
Easy to implement
Roll out sample code in DEVELOPMENT
Be creative with WebI Extension Points
Design custom workflows to optimize business processes

Sample RESTFul Web Services for WebI

www.kingfisherinc.com/SAPInsider2015/RESTful.zip
36

Your Turn!

How to contact me:

Matt Hawkins
Matt.Hawkins@kingfisherinc.com
@MattHawkins
Please remember to complete your session evaluation
37