How to use SQLAlchemy ORM to access SAP BusinessObjects BI Data in Python

The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems effectively. With the CData Python Connector for SAP BusinessObjects BI and the SQLAlchemy toolkit, you can build SAP BusinessObjects BI-connected Python applications and scripts. This article shows how to use SQLAlchemy to connect to SAP BusinessObjects BI data to query SAP BusinessObjects BI data.

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

Connecting to SAP BusinessObjects BI Data

Connecting to SAP BusinessObjects BI data looks just like connecting to any relational data source. Create a connection string using the required connection properties. For this article, you will pass the connection string as a parameter to the create_engine function.

To connect to your SAP Business Objects BI instance, you must set the following connection properties:

• Url: set this to the rest API URL. After logging into the Central Management Console, choose 'Applications' from the combo box. Double-click on 'RESTful Web Service' and you'll see the access URL. By default it is, http://{Server-Name}:6405/biprws.
• User: set this to the username of your instance.
• Password: set this to the password of your instance.

Follow the procedure below to install SQLAlchemy and start accessing SAP BusinessObjects BI through Python objects.

Install Required Modules

Use the pip utility to install the SQLAlchemy toolkit and SQLAlchemy ORM package:

pip install sqlalchemy
pip install sqlalchemy.orm

Be sure to import the appropriate modules:

from sqlalchemy import create_engine, String, Column
from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker

Model SAP BusinessObjects BI Data in Python

You can now connect with a connection string. Use the create_engine function to create an Engine for working with SAP BusinessObjects BI data.

NOTE: Users should URL encode the any connection string properties that include special characters. For more information, refer to the SQL Alchemy documentation.

engine = create_engine("sapbusinessobjectsbi:///?User=username&Password=password&Url=http://myinstance:6405/biprws")

Declare a Mapping Class for SAP BusinessObjects BI Data

After establishing the connection, declare a mapping class for the table you wish to model in the ORM (in this article, we will model the MyCustomReport table). Use the sqlalchemy.ext.declarative.declarative_base function and create a new class with some or all of the fields (columns) defined.

base = declarative_base()
class MyCustomReport(base):
	__tablename__ = "MyCustomReport"
	StoreName = Column(String,primary_key=True)
	TotalRevenue = Column(String)
	...

Query SAP BusinessObjects BI Data

With the mapping class prepared, you can use a session object to query the data source. After binding the Engine to the session, provide the mapping class to the session query method.

Using the query Method

engine = create_engine("sapbusinessobjectsbi:///?User=username&Password=password&Url=http://myinstance:6405/biprws")
factory = sessionmaker(bind=engine)
session = factory()
for instance in session.query(MyCustomReport).filter_by(State="CA"):
	print("StoreName: ", instance.StoreName)
	print("TotalRevenue: ", instance.TotalRevenue)
	print("---------")

Alternatively, you can use the execute method with the appropriate table object. The code below works with an active session.

Using the execute Method

MyCustomReport_table = MyCustomReport.metadata.tables["MyCustomReport"]
for instance in session.execute(MyCustomReport_table.select().where(MyCustomReport_table.c.State == "CA")):
	print("StoreName: ", instance.StoreName)
	print("TotalRevenue: ", instance.TotalRevenue)
	print("---------")

For examples of more complex querying, including JOINs, aggregations, limits, and more, refer to the Help documentation for the extension.

Free Trial & More Information

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData Python Connector for SAP BusinessObjects BI to start building Python apps and scripts with connectivity to SAP BusinessObjects BI data. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.