Load SAP Data to a Database Using Embulk

Embulk is an open source bulk data loader. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for SAP ERP, Embulk easily loads data from SAP to any supported destination. In this article, we explain how to use the CData JDBC Driver for SAP ERP in Embulk to load SAP data to a MySQL dtabase.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live SAP data. When you issue complex SQL queries to SAP, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to SAP and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).

Getting Started

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Configure a JDBC Connection to SAP Data

Before creating a bulk load job in Embulk, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for SAP ERP\lib).

Embulk supports JDBC connectivity, so you can easily connect to SAP and execute SQL queries. Before creating a bulk load job, create a JDBC URL for authenticating with SAP.

The driver supports connecting to an SAP system using the SAP Java Connector (SAP JCo). Install the files (sapjco3.jar and sapjco3.dll) to the appropriate directory for the hosting application or platform. See the "Getting Started" chapter in the help documentation for information on using the SAP JCo files.

In addition, you can connect to an SAP system using Web services (SOAP). To use Web services, you must enable SOAP access to your SAP system and set the Client, RFCUrl, User, and Password properties, under the Authentication section.

For more information, see this guide on obtaining the connection properties needed to connect to any SAP system.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the SAP JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

java -jar cdata.jdbc.saperp.jar

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

👁 Using the built-in connection string designer to generate a JDBC URL (Salesforce is shown.)

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for SAP:

jdbc:saperp:Host=sap.mydomain.com;User=EXT90033;Password=xxx;Client=800;System Number=09;ConnectionType=Classic;Location=C:/mysapschemafolder;

Load SAP Data in Embulk

After installing the CData JDBC Driver and creating a JDBC connection string, install the required Embulk plugins.

Install Embulk Input & Output Plugins

1. Install the JDBC Input Plugin in Embulk.
   https://github.com/embulk/embulk-input-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-input-jdbc

embulk gem install embulk-input-jdbc

2. In this article, we use MySQL as the destination database. You can also choose SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or Google BigQuery as the destination using the output Plugins.
   https://github.com/embulk/embulk-output-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-output-mysql

   embulk gem install embulk-output-mysql
   

With the input and output plugins installed, we are ready to load SAP data into MySQL using Embulk.

Create a Job to Load SAP Data

Start by creating a config file in Embulk, using a name like saperp-mysql.yml.

1. For the input plugin options, use the CData JDBC Driver for SAP ERP, including the path to the driver JAR file, the driver class (e.g. cdata.jdbc.saperp.SAPERPDriver), and the JDBC URL from above
2. For the output plugin options, use the values and credentials for the MySQL database

Sample Config File (saperp-mysql.yml)

in:
	type: jdbc
	driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.saperp.jar
	driver_class: cdata.jdbc.saperp.SAPERPDriver
	url: jdbc:saperp:Host=sap.mydomain.com;User=EXT90033;Password=xxx;Client=800;System Number=09;ConnectionType=Classic;Location=C:/mysapschemafolder;
	table: "MARA"
out: 
	type: mysql
	host: localhost
	database: DatabaseName
	user: UserId
	password: UserPassword
	table: "MARA"
	mode: insert

After creating the file, run the Embulk job.

embulk run saperp-mysql.yml

After running the the Embulk job, find the Salesforce data in the MySQL table.

Load Filtered SAP Data

In addition to loading data directly from a table, you can use a custom SQL query to have more granular control of the data loaded. You can also perform increment loads by setting a last updated column in a SQL WHERE clause in the query field.

in:
	type: jdbc
	driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.saperp.jar
	driver_class: cdata.jdbc.saperp.SAPERPDriver
	url: jdbc:saperp:Host=sap.mydomain.com;User=EXT90033;Password=xxx;Client=800;System Number=09;ConnectionType=Classic;Location=C:/mysapschemafolder;
	query: "SELECT MANDT, MBRSH FROM MARA WHERE [RecordId] = 1"
out: 
	type: mysql
	host: localhost
	database: DatabaseName
	user: UserId
	password: UserPassword
	table: "MARA"
	mode: insert

More Information & Free Trial

By using CData JDBC Driver for SAP ERP as a connector, Embulk can integrate SAP data into your data load jobs. And with drivers for more than 200+ other enterprise sources, you can integrate any enterprise SaaS, big data, or NoSQL source as well. Download a 30-day free trial and get started today.