What's New in SAS Data Surveyor 4.3 for SAP

Overview

SAS Data Surveyor 4.3 for SAP has the following new features and enhancements:
  • role-based access to the SAS Data Surveyor for SAP software in SAS Management Console
  • scheduling the extract of SAP metadata
  • enhanced authorization checks
  • enhanced CallRFC transformation
  • change data capture for extracting data from SAP
  • SAS RFC server changes
For information about changes to SAS/ACCESS Interface to R/3, see the What's New section of SAS/ACCESS Interface to R/3: User's Guide.

New Role-Based Access to SAS Data Surveyor for SAP

SAS Data Surveyor for SAP consists of a series of plug-ins to SAS Management Console and SAS Data Integration Studio. In this release, access to SAS Management Console data extraction plug-ins is granted by associating the ExtractionTool capability with a role and then associating the role with users and groups.
Use SAS Management Console to access the Plug-In Manager so that you can associate the ExtractionTool capability with a role. Then, use SAS Management Console to access the User Manager and associate the role with users and groups. For SAS Data Integration Studio, access to the plug-ins is not restricted.

Scheduling the Extract of SAP Metadata

When performing an initial metadata extact from an SAP R/3 or SAP Business Information Warehouse (BW) System with SAS Management Console, you can save the generated SAS program. You can then use the SAS program in a job to schedule the extraction of SAP metadata.

Enhanced Authorization Checks

SAS provides a set of Business Add-Ins (BAdI) that perform authorization checks for BW and business intelligence (BI) objects. The authorization checks are enabled or disabled by activating or deactivating the BAdIs. The authorization check implementation depends on the SAP release:
  • For SAP NetWeaver BI 7.0 and later, authorization checks are performed using the analysis authorization method. This provides an authorization check for the following items:
    • the infoProvider (infoCube, infoObject, DSO)
    • column-level restrictions on master data attributes and key figures
    • row-level restrictions on attributes
  • For SAP Systems older than SAP NetWeaver BI 7.0, SAS supports checking user authorization with the reporting authorization method. User authorization is checked at the InfoCubes, InfoObject, and ODS levels.

Enhanced CallRFC Transformation

You can use the SAP CallRFC transformation wizard to select and configure a function or Business Application Programming Interface (BAPI) from SAP RFC-enabled function modules. You can create jobs that use this transformation to extract data from SAP systems. You can then import that SAP data into SAS files, combine the SAP data with other data, or load it into an SAP System. In this release, the SAP CallRFC transformation wizard is enhanced to initialize the ports on the transform according to the expected parameters and tables that the selected function module uses. This enhancement makes the transform easier to use.

Schedule InfoPackage Transformation

This transformation was available in previous releases, but was not available on the Transformations tree. The transformation is now available under the SAP Transformations node. This transform can be added to a job, but it is used most often with the New SAP BW wizard. When the New SAP BW wizard is used and the infoPackage can be scheduled, the wizard includes the Schedule InfoPackage transformation automatically in the generated job.

Change Data Capture Options

The SAP BW Register Tables wizard generates SAS code for extracting data from your SAP System. Change data capture processing enables you to extract only the data that has changed since your last extraction. When the wizard generates loader jobs that use one of the following transformations, you can edit the Options tab on the properties for the transformation and enable change data capture:
  • Load dimension table
  • Loading fact table
  • Loading ODS

SAS RFC Server Changes

A SAS RFC Server was needed in previous releases to enable communication between the SAP LIBNAME engine provided by SAS/ACCESS Interface to R/3 and the SAP System. The SAS RFC Server required administration to start and stop, as well as configuration.
In SAS/ACCESS 4.3 Interface to R/3 software, the SAP LIBNAME engine communicates directly with the SAP System. This change eliminates the need for a SAS RFC Server in all operating environments except z/OS. A SAS RFC Server is needed for the z/OS operating environment.