Search External SAP ByDesign Objects in Salesforce Connect

CData Connect AI, enables you to access SAP ByDesign data from cloud-based applications like the Salesforce console and mobile applications like the Salesforce Mobile App. In this article, you will use CData Connect AI and Salesforce Connect to access external SAP ByDesign objects alongside standard Salesforce objects.

Connect to SAP ByDesign from Salesforce

To work with live SAP ByDesign data in Salesforce Connect, we need to connect to SAP ByDesign from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the SAP ByDesign data.

Connect to SAP ByDesign from Connect AI

CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
👁 Adding a Connection

2. Select "SAP ByDesign" from the Add Connection panel
👁 Selecting a data source

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to SAP ByDesign.

   Set the following connection properties to connect to SAP ByDesign.

   • Url: Set this to the Url of your SAP ByDesign site. For example, https://test.sapbydesign.com
   • User: Set this to the username of your account.
   • Password: Set this to the password of your account.
   • CustomService or AnalyticsService: Only one of these must be specified. If you have a custom service you want to retrieve data from, specify CustomService. If you want to retrieve the reports of a analytical service, specify AnalyticsService.
     If neither is specified, 'cc_home_analytics.svc' will used as a default for the AnalyticsService property. If you are not sure what service to specify, you can always query the Services view to list available services.
   👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add SAP ByDesign Connection page and update the User-based permissions. 👁 Updating permissions
   

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create. 👁 Creating a new PAT
   
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

Configure SAP ByDesign Endpoints for Salesforce Connect

After connecting to SAP ByDesign, create a workspace for your desired table(s).

1. Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace). 👁 The Workspaces page.
   👁 Adding a new Workspace.
   
2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
3. Select the SAP ByDesign connection (e.g. SAPByDesign1) and click Next. 👁 Selecting an Asset (Salesforce is shown).
   
4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm. 👁 Selecting Tables (Salesforce is shown).
   
5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to SAP ByDesign data from Salesforce Connect.

Connect to SAP ByDesign Data as an External Data Sources

Follow the steps below to connect to the feed produced by Connect AI.

1. Log into Salesforce and click Setup -> Integrations -> External Data Sources.
2. Click Now External Data Sources.
3. Enter values for the following properties:
   • External Data Sources: Enter a label to be used in list views and reports.
   • Name: Enter a unique identifier.
   • Type: Select the option "Salesforce Connect: OData 4.0".
   • URL: Enter the URL to the OData endpoint of Connect AI: https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
4. Select JSON in the Format menu.
5. In the Authentication section, set the following properties:
   • Identity Type: If all members of your organization will use the same credentials to access Connect AI, select "Named Principal". If the members of your organization will connect with their own credentials, select "Per User".
   • Authentication Protocol: Select Password Authentication to use basic authentication.
   • Certificate: Enter or browse to the certificate to be used to encrypt and authenticate communications from Salesforce to your server.
   • Username: Enter a CData Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected]).
   • Password: Enter the user's PAT.

Synchronize SAP ByDesign Objects

After you have created the external data source, follow the steps below to create SAP ByDesign external objects that reflect any changes in the data source. You will synchronize the definitions for the SAP ByDesign external objects with the definitions for SAP ByDesign tables.

1. Click the link for the external data source you created.
2. Click Validate and Scan.
3. Select the SAP ByDesign tables you want to work with as external objects.

Access SAP ByDesign Data as Salesforce Objects

After adding SAP ByDesign data as an external data source and syncing SAP ByDesign tables as external objects, you can use the external SAP ByDesign objects just as you would standard Salesforce objects.

• Create a new tab with a filter list view:

  👁 Viewing external objects from Salesforce (NetSuite is shown)
  

• Create reports of external objects:

  👁 Reporting on external objects from Salesforce (NetSuite is shown)
  

Simplified Access to SAP ByDesign Data from Cloud Applications

At this point, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live SAP ByDesign data from Salesforce. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in cloud applications like Salesforce, refer to our Connect AI page.