SAP BusinessObjects Crystal Reports XI (File) - Import
Bridge Requirements
This bridge:is only supported on Microsoft Windows.
requires the tool to be installed to access its SDK.
Bridge Specifications
| Vendor | SAP |
| Tool Name | BusinessObjects (BO) Crystal Reports |
| Tool Version | 11.x to 14.x |
| Tool Web Site | http://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/large/intelligenceplatform/bi/lereporting/ |
| Supported Methodology | [Business Intelligence] BI Report (Relational Source, Dimensional Source, Expression Parsing, Report Structure) via Java API on Report (.RPT) File |
| Data Profiling |  |
| Incremental Harvesting | |
| Multi-Model Harvesting | |
| Remote Repository Browsing for Model Selection | |
SPECIFICATIONS
Tool: SAP / BusinessObjects (BO) Crystal Reports version 11.x to 14.x via Java API on Report (.RPT) File
See http://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/large/intelligenceplatform/bi/lereporting/
Metadata: [Business Intelligence] BI Report (Relational Source, Dimensional Source, Expression Parsing, Report Structure)
Component: BoCrystalReportRasFile version 11.2.0
OVERVIEW
REQUIREMENTS
This import bridge requires SAP BusinessObjects SDKs and a specific Java JRE as explained below.
JAVA REQUIREMENTS
BusinessObjects supports Java 8 only and is not compatible with any version of OpenJDK which may be the default JRE.
Use the Miscellaneous parameter to point to a Java Environment supported by BusinessObjects.
BUSINESSOBJECTS SDK REQUIREMENTS
The import bridge relies on the BusinessObjects Crystal Report RAS Java API to import the Reports metadata. Therefore, BusinessObjects Crystal Report must be properly installed on the machine executing this import bridge.
The BusinessObjects BI Platform SDK is based on CORBA technology.
When connecting to a remote server, the CORBA networking layer performs a bi-directional resolution of the server name/address.
Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the specified server name/address can be resolved in the client environment.
The name resolution is usually successful when the client and server are part of the same enterprise network.
However when connecting from a client network to a server in a different network (for example Amazon AWS),
it may be necessary to configure an entry in the local host file (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts) like so:
1.2.3.4 servername
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What username and password should I supply as login?
A: If you are importing a Crystal Reports document from the BO CMS repository, provide a valid BO username and password, the same way you would open the document in Crystal Reports.
If you are not sure about which username and password to use, contact your BO system administrator.
If you are importing a Crystal Reports document from a local .RPT file, no login is required. The 'Guest' account is used internally to connect and initiate a RAS session.
Q: Why does the Crystal Report Application Server (RAS) fail to start?
A: Since version 12.0 (XI 3.0), one needs to configure the RAS manually, as follows:
- Using the CMS Administration web console, enable the Guest account.
As of version XI 3.0, the Guest account is disabled by default.
- Using the CMS Administration web console, configure the RAS server startup command line with a parameter -ipport to specify a port number that you know to be free. For example, you can set the ipport switch to specify the default port 1566 with -ipport "1566". For further details, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator's Guide.
For older versions 11.x, similar recommendations still apply, the Guest account must be enabled, and the RAS server must be running and enabled. Use the Central Configuration Manager to check the status of the Report Application Server (RAS).
Q: What are the recommended firewall settings for running this import bridge?
A: This import bridge relies on the BusinessObjects client components to be able to communicate reliably with the BO server.
Crystal must be able to logon with the CMS, download and open documents. If your firewall is not properly configured, the import bridge may hang indefinitely, or fail with no clear explanation. For detailed firewall settings, please ask your system administrator and refer to the BusinessObjects documentation. Alternatively, you can disable the firewall and check the import bridge runs correctly without it.
There is a tool available from SAP BusinessObjects which can test for some of these connectivity issues. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Business Objects XI -> Diagnostic Tool. You must login with the same credentials as you use with the MIMB import bridge. Then go to the menu Tests -> Run All Tests. You should see that all tests 'Pass'.
In addition, one may customize the configuration file used to control what tests are performed. It is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Business Objects\common\4.0\java\lib\TestClasses.XML in the default SAP BusinessObjects client installation.
If any of these tests fail, please contact the local SAP BusinessObjects Administrator to resolve these issues. Please refer to Chapter 5, 'Working with Firewalls' in the SAP BusinessObjects Administration Guide.
LIMITATIONS
Refer to the current general known limitations at https://metaintegration.com/Products/MIMB/Help/#!Documents/mimbknownlimitations.html
SUPPORT
Provide a troubleshooting package with:
- the debug log (can be set in the UI or in conf/conf.properties with MIR_LOG_LEVEL=6)
- the metadata backup if available (can be set in the Miscellaneous parameter with -backup option, although this common option is not implemented on all bridges for technical reasons).
Q: How do I provide metadata to the support team to reproduce an issue?
A: For BusinessObjects Crystal Reports 11.x and 12.x (XI), either save the document(s) in .RPT format, or create a Business Intelligence Archive file (*.BIAR) using the BusinessObjects Import Wizard utility (ImportWiz.exe) and include documents of interest in it.
To save the report as a file in .RPT format:
1. Open the Crystal Report Viewer and import the report from the enterprise repository.
2. Under File -> Save, Save the report locally.
Bridge Parameters
| Parameter Name | Description | Type | Values | Default | Scope | ||||||
| Version | Select here the version of Crystal Reports you want to connect to. This software version must be installed on the computer running this import bridge. For 14.3 (XI R4.3) SP2 and above, select 14.3.2 as version. For 14.x (XI R4.x) Service Packs, select 14.0 as version. For all 12.1 (XI R3.1) Service Packs, select 12.1 as version. For all 11.5 (XI R2) Service Packs, select 11.5 as version. For all 11.0 (XI) Service Packs, select 11.0 as version. |
ENUMERATED |
|
14.3.2 | |||||||
| System | Enter the name of the BusinessObjects repository to login to. - For BusinessObjects version 11.x and 12.x (XI), this is the name of the Central Management Server. This server will be used to login, by default on port 6400. E.g. localhost |
STRING | Mandatory | ||||||||
| File | Specify here the Crystal Report file (*.rpt) to import. | FILE | *.rpt | Mandatory | |||||||
| Java API path | The import bridge reads metadata from BusinessObjects Crystal Report using RAS remote access Java JAR libraries. Specify in this parameter the directory path where the JAR libraries are located. The client installation usually provides the libraries in the following directory: For BusinessObjects 14.x: C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\java\lib For BusinessObjects 12.0 and 12.1: C:\Program Files\Business Objects\common\4.0\java\lib For BusinessObjects 11.5: C:\Program Files\Business Objects\common\3.5\java\lib For BusinessObjects 11.0: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Business Objects\3.0\java\lib |
DIRECTORY | Mandatory | ||||||||
| Miscellaneous | INTRODUCTION Specify miscellaneous options starting with a dash and optionally followed by parameters, e.g. -connection.cast MyDatabase1="MICROSOFT SQL SERVER" Some options can be used multiple times if applicable, e.g. -connection.rename NewConnection1=OldConnection1 -connection.rename NewConnection2=OldConnection2; As the list of options can become a long string, it is possible to load it from a file which must be located in ${MODEL_BRIDGE_HOME}\data\MIMB\parameters and have the extension .txt. In such case, all options must be defined within that file as the only value of this parameter, e.g. ETL/Miscellaneous.txt JAVA ENVIRONMENT OPTIONS -java.memory <Java Memory's maximum size> (previously -m) 1G by default on 64bits JRE or as set in conf/conf.properties, e.g. -java.memory 8G -java.memory 8000M -java.parameters <Java Runtime Environment command line options> (previously -j) This option must be the last one in the Miscellaneous parameter as all the text after -java.parameters is passed "as is" to the JRE, e.g. -java.parameters -Dname=value -Xms1G The following option must be set when a proxy is used to access internet (this is critical to access https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/ and exceptionally a few other tool sites) in order to download the necessary third-party software libraries. Note: The majority of proxies are concerned with encrypting (HTTPS) the outside (of the company) traffic and trust the inside traffic that can access proxy over HTTP. In this case, an HTTPS request reaches the proxy over HTTP where the proxy HTTPS-encrypts it. -java.parameters -java.parameters -Dhttp.proxyHost=127.0.0.1 -Dhttp.proxyPort=3128 -Dhttp.proxyUser=user -Dhttp.proxyPassword=pass MODEL IMPORT OPTIONS -model.name <model name> Override the model name, e.g. -model.name "My Model Name" -prescript <script name> This option allows running a script before the bridge execution. The script must be located in the bin directory (or as specified with M_SCRIPT_PATH in conf/conf.properties), and have .bat or .sh extension. The script path must not include any parent directory symbol (..). The script should return exit code 0 to indicate success, or another value to indicate failure. For example: -prescript "script.bat arg1 arg2" -postscript <script name> This option allows running a script after successful execution of the bridge. The script must be located in the bin directory (or as specified with M_SCRIPT_PATH in conf/conf.properties), and have .bat or .sh extension. The script path must not include any parent directory symbol (..). The script should return exit code 0 to indicate success, or another value to indicate failure. For example: -postscript "script.bat arg1 arg2" -cache.clear Clears the cache before the import, and therefore will run a full import without incremental harvesting. If the model was not changed and the -cache.clear parameter is not used (incremental harvesting), then a new version will not be created. If the model was not changed and the -cache.clear parameter is set (full source import instead of incremental), then a new version will be created. -backup <directory> Allows to save the input metadata for further troubleshooting. The provided <directory> must be empty. -restore <directory> Specify the backup <directory> to be restored. DATA CONNECTION OPTIONS Data Connections are produced by the import bridges typically from ETL/DI and BI tools to refer to the source and target data stores they use. These data connections are then used by metadata management tools to connect them (metadata stitching) to their actual data stores (e.g. databases, file system, etc.) in order to produce the full end to end data flow lineage and impact analysis. The name of each data connection is unique by import model. The data connection names used within DI/BI design tools are used when possible, otherwise connection names are generated to be short but meaningful such as the database / schema name, the file system path, or Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). The following option allows to manipulate connections. These options replaces the legacy options -c, -cd, and -cs. -connection.cast ConnectionName=ConnectionType Casts a generic database connection (e.g. ODBC/JDBC) to a precise database type (e.g. ORACLE) for SQL Parsing, e.g. -connection.cast "My Database"="MICROSOFT SQL SERVER". The list of supported data store connection types includes: ACCESS APACHE CASSANDRA DB2/UDB DENODO GOOGLE BIGQUERY HIVE MYSQL NETEZZA ORACLE POSTGRESQL PRESTO REDSHIFT SALESFORCE SAP HANA SNOWFLAKE MICROSOFT SQL AZURE MICROSOFT SQL SERVER SYBASE SQL SERVER SYBASE AS ENTERPRISE TERADATA VECTORWISE HP VERTICA -connection.rename OldConnection=NewConnection Renames an existing connection to a new name, e.g. -connection.rename OldConnectionName=NewConnectionName Multiple existing database connections can be renamed and merged into one new database connection, e.g. -connection.rename MySchema1=MyDatabase -connection.rename MySchema2=MyDatabase -connection.split oldConnection.Schema1=newConnection Splits a database connection into one or multiple database connections. A single database connection can be split into one connection per schema, e.g. -connection.split MyDatabase All database connections can be split into one connection per schema, e.g. -connection.split * A database connection can be explicitly split creating a new database connection by appending a schema name to a database, e.g. -connection.split MyDatabase.schema1=MySchema1 -connection.map SourcePath=DestinationPath Maps a source path to destination path. This is useful for file system connections when different paths points to the same object (directory or file). On Hadoop, a process can write into a CSV file specified with the HDFS full path, but another process reads from a Hive table implemented (external) by the same file specified using a relative path with default file name and extension, e.g. -connection.map /user1/folder=hdfs://host:8020/users/user1/folder/file.csv On Linux, a given directory (or file) like /data can be referred to by multiple symbolic links like /users/john and /users/paul, e.g. -connection.map /data=/users/John -connection.map /data=/users/paul On Windows, a given directory like C:\data can be referred to by multiple network drives like M: and N:, e.g. -connection.map C:\data=M:\ -connection.map C:\data=N:\ -connection.casesensitive ConnectionName... Overrides the default case insensitive matching rules for the object identifiers inside the specified connection, provided the detected type of the data store by itself supports this configuration (e.g. Microsoft SQL Server, MySql etc.), e.g. -connection.casesensitive "My Database" -connection.caseinsensitive ConnectionName... Overrides the default case sensitive matching rules for the object identifiers inside the specified connection, provided the detected type of the data store by itself supports this configuration (e.g. Microsoft SQL Server, MySql etc.), e.g. -connection.caseinsensitive "My Database" -connection.level AggregationLevel Specifies the aggregation level for the external connections, e.g.-connection.level catalog The list of the supported values: server catalog schema (default) BUSINESS OBJECTS OPTIONS Note that the import bridge's default JRE may not be compatible with SAP BusinessObjects depending on: - the JRE version: e.g. OpenJDK 11 instead of Oracle or SAP JVM 8 - the JRE architecture: For XI versions 4.2 and older, a 32 bit JRE is needed for BusinessObjects Universes that use ODBC/OLE DB connections, Therefore, the import bridge should use the JRE delivered with BusinessObjects, e.g. "C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win32_x86\jre8\bin\java.exe" For XI versions 4.3 and newer, a 64 bit SAP JRE is needed for BusinessObjects Universes that use ODBC/OLE DB connections, Therefore, the import bridge should use the JRE delivered with BusinessObjects, e.g. "C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win64_x64\sapjvm\jre\bin\java.exe" In addition, a BusinessObjects repository may contain two types of Universes that may have different JRE requirements: - a classic BusinessObjects Designer's universe.UNV for which is read by a C++ COM based import bridge. - the newer BusinessObjects Information Design Tool (IDT)'s universe.UNX for which a specific JRE can specified as defined below: -businessobjects.idt.java32.memory <path> (previously -idtJre32m) Sets the maximum size of the memory used by the JRE for IDT, e.g. -businessobjects.idt.java32.memory 1G -businessobjects.idt.java32.memory 1024M |
STRING |
Bridge Mapping
| Meta Integration Repository (MIR) Metamodel (based on the OMG CWM standard) |
"SAP BusinessObjects Crystal Reports XI (File)" Metamodel BoCrystalReportRas |
Mapping Comments |
| AliasClassifier | AliasTable | |
| Name | Name | |
| AliasFeature | AliasColumn | |
| Name | Name | |
| Attribute | Database Field | |
| Name | DisplayName | |
| PhysicalName | Name | |
| Position | In the order returned by the API. | |
| BaseType | Database Field Datatype | BaseTypes are created to represent the columns and objects datatype |
| DataType | See datatype conversion array | |
| Name | Derived from the datatype | |
| PhysicalName | Derived from the datatype | |
| Class | Database Table | |
| CppClassType | Set to ENTITY | |
| CppPersistent | Set to True | |
| Name | Name | |
| ClassifierMap | Used to connect and store lineage of Alias Tables, Queries and ReportDataSets | |
| Condition | Filter | |
| Name | Name | |
| DatabaseSchema | Database Schema | |
| Name | Name | |
| DerivedType | Database Field Datatype Report Field Datatype | |
| DataType | Datatype | |
| Length | length | |
| Name | Derived from the datatype | |
| PhysicalName | Derived from the datatype | |
| DesignPackage | DesignPackages are created to represent each report's "Database Expert" and each DatabaseConnection's tables | |
| Dimension | QueryTable, Universe Class | Query Tables are imported as Dimensions, and their SQL expression is stored on the ir source ClassierMap Classes used froma Universe are also imported as Dimension |
| Name | Name | |
| DimensionAttribute | QueryTable Column, Universe Object | |
| Name | Name | |
| FeatureMap | Used to connect and store lineage of Alias Table Columns, Queries Columns and ReportAttributes | |
| Filter | Report Filter | |
| Join | TableLink | |
| JoinRole | TableLink | |
| Left | left side | |
| Multiplicity | cardinality | |
| Measure | Universe Measure | |
| Name | Name | |
| OlapSchema | Universe | For Reports sourcing from Universe(s) |
| Report | Report, Subreport | |
| Name | Name | |
| ReportAttribute | ReportField | |
| Name | Name | |
| ReportChart | Chart | |
| Name | Name | |
| ReportDataSet | ReportFields | |
| ReportField | ReportField | |
| ReportMatrix | Crosstab | |
| Name | Name | |
| ReportPage | Report, Subreport | one ReportPage is created for each Report and Subreport |
| ReportPageBody | Report, Subreport | one ReportPageBody is created for each Report and Subreport |
| ReportPageFooter | Report Footer Area | |
| Name | Name | |
| ReportPageHeader | Report Header Area | |
| Name | Name | |
| ReportRectangle | Report Detail Area Report Page Header Area Report Page Footer Area Report Group Area | |
| Name | Name | |
| ReportText | Report Text, SubReport Link | |
| Name | Name | |
| StoreModel | RPT File | The model is built using the relational and reporting metadata found in the report file |
| Comment | Comments | |
| Description | Description | |
| Name | File Name |