Extend Google Sheets with SAP ByDesign Data

Interact with SAP ByDesign data from Google Sheets through macros, custom functions, and add-ons. The CData API Server enables connectivity to SAP ByDesign data from cloud-based and mobile applications like Google Sheets. The API Server is a lightweight Web application that produces OData services for SAP ByDesign.

Google Apps Script can consume these OData services in the JSON format. This article shows how to create a simple add-on that populates a Google Spreadsheet with [Inventory Balance] data.

Set Up the API Server

If you have not already done so, download the CData API Server. Once you have installed the API Server, follow the steps below to begin producing secure SAP ByDesign OData services:

Connect to SAP ByDesign

To work with SAP ByDesign data from Google Sheets, we start by creating and configuring a SAP ByDesign connection. Follow the steps below to configure the API Server to connect to SAP ByDesign data:

1. First, navigate to the Connections page.
2. Click Add Connection and then search for and select the SAP ByDesign connection. 👁 Selecting a data source (SQLite is shown)
   
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.
   👁 Connecting to a datasource (SQLite is shown)
   
4. After configuring the connection, click Save & Test to confirm a successful connection.

Configure API Server Users

Next, create a user to access your SAP ByDesign data through the API Server. You can add and configure users on the Users page. Follow the steps below to configure and create a user:

1. On the Users page, click Add User to open the Add User dialog.
2. Next, set the Role, Username, and Privileges properties and then click Add User. 👁 Configure a new user
   
3. An Authtoken is then generated for the user. You can find the Authtoken and other information for each user on the Users page: 👁 API Server user settings
   

Creating API Endpoints for SAP ByDesign

Having created a user, you are ready to create API endpoints for the SAP ByDesign tables:

1. First, navigate to the API page and then click Add Table . 👁 Add tables
   
2. Select the connection you wish to access and click Next. 👁 Select the connection (SQLite is shown)
   
3. With the connection selected, create endpoints by selecting each table and then clicking Confirm. 👁 Adding tables from the connection (SQLite is shown)
   

Gather the OData Url

Having configured a connection to SAP ByDesign data, created a user, and added resources to the API Server, you now have an easily accessible REST API based on the OData protocol for those resources. From the API page in API Server, you can view and copy the API Endpoints for the API:

Retrieve SAP ByDesign Data

Open the Script Editor from your spreadsheet by clicking Tools -> Script Editor. In the Script Editor, add the following function to populate a spreadsheet with the results of an OData query:

function retrieve(){
 var url = "https://MyUrl/api.rsc/[Inventory Balance]?select=Id,ID,ProductCategoryID,ProductCategoryID";
 var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url,{
 headers: {"Authorization": "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode("MyUser:MyAuthtoken")}
 }); 
 var json = response.getContentText();
 var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
 var a1 = sheet.getRange('a1');
 var index=1;
 var [inventory balance] = JSON.parse(json).value;

 var cols = [["Id","ID","ProductCategoryID","ProductCategoryID"]]; 
 sheet.getRange(1,1,1,4).setValues(cols);

 row=2;
 for(var i in [inventory balance]){
 for (var j in [inventory balance][i]) {
 switch (j) {
 case "Id":
 a1.offset(row,0).setValue(account[i][j]);
 break;
 case "ID":
 a1.offset(row,1).setValue(account[i][j]);
 break;
 case "ProductCategoryID":
 a1.offset(row,2).setValue(account[i][j]);
 break;
 case "ProductCategoryID":
 a1.offset(row,3).setValue(account[i][j]);
 break;
 } 
 }
 row++;
 }
}

Follow the steps below to add an installable trigger to populate the spreadsheet when opened:

1. Click Resources -> Current Project's Triggers -> Add a New Trigger.
2. Select retrieve in the Run menu.
3. Select From Spreadsheet.
4. Select On open.

After closing the dialog, you are prompted to allow access to the application.

You can test the script by clicking Publish -> Test as Add-On. Select the version, installation type, and spreadsheet to create a test configuration. You can then select and run the test configuration.