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ITN ERP Connector for Pentaho Data Integration (Kettle) 4.0.0

Draft documentation Version 1

Contents 1. Introduction………………………………………………… 1

2. Installation …………………………………………………. 2

3. Functionality and Screenshots ………………………….…. 2

3.1. Setup connection to SAP and select SAP table ………. 2

3.2. Select exported fields ………………………………… 3

3.3. Where options…………………………………………. 3

3.4. Other functionality…………………………………….. 4

4. Example ………………………………………………...….. 5

1. Introduction

The ITN ERP Connector is a commercial open source Business Intelligence (BI) interface between SAP

and Open Source Business Intelligence platform Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) aka Kettle.

ITN ERP Connector provides PDI users with flexible and efficient tool for connecting to their SAP

database and exporting tables’ content into open source environment (Fig. 1).

Fig.1. ITN ERP Interface between SAP System and PDI

ITN ERP Connector supports implementation of different business tasks with SAP data: both

standardized performance measurement systems and ad-hoc analysis based on the integrated business

data. Thus controlling and management departments have a professional open source tool for corporate

management.

This document describes the functionality of ITN ERP Connector. In the next sections we present

installation procedure, screen shots of step-by-step PDI Input and finally small complete working

example. In case of further questions, functionality requests, exceptions or error messages please send an

email to Evgenia Egorova at business-intelligence@it-novum.de.

ITN ERP Connector for Pentaho Data Integration (Kettle) 3.2 can be downloaded from our internet home

page, http://www.it-novum.com/sap-pentaho-schnittstelle.html.

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2. Installation

SAP JCo3

This Input plugin is using SAP JCo3 3.0.2 connector. You find it on the SAP service marketplace

http://service.sap.com/connectors/ . To download the software you have to have a valid user.

After unpacking archive with SAP JCo3 file “sapjco3.jar” should be copied into folder <data-

integration\libext> and file “sapjco3.dll” in <data-integration\libswt\win32>

ITN ERP Connector Plugin

Archive file "ITNERPConn.zip should be unpacked into folder <data-integration\plugins\steps>.

After unzipping, plugin folder < ITNERPConnection> should contain 3 files:

itnLogo.gif

ITNERPConnector.jar

plugin.xml

3. Functionality and Screenshots

After successful installation of SAP JCo and ITN ERP Connector open PDI 4.0.0 (Spoon). The ITN ERP

Connector should appear in the Input section. Drug-n-drop it to the new Transformation window, Fig. 2.

The sequence of the steps to setup ITN ERP Connector Input is following:

1. Enter new connection to SAP R/3 System using your settings, Fig. 3.

2. Enter table name, Fig.6.

3. You can filter exported fields by pressing 'Select fields' button, Fig. 8. Results of the selection are

shown in Fig. 9.

4. Finally it is possible to filter data by entering SQL data filter in the ‘Where condition’ field, Fig. 10.

3.1. Setup connection to SAP and select SAP table

Fig. 2. Drug-n-drop ITN ERP Connector to the new

Transformation window

Fig. 3.Setup new connection to SAP (or choose

existing one from the list)

Figs. 4, 5, 7 show the error messages in the language of the SAP System.

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Fig. 4. SAP Client, user name or password are

wrong

Fig. 5. Such table does not exists

Fig. 6. Correct table name. But it will be verified

when you try to execute the transformation or

when you select fields.

Fig. 7. Your account was probably blocked due to

many login errors. You have to contact your SAP

responsible.

3.2. Select exported fields

Fig. 8.Selection of exported fields. If you choose

none of the fields, is the same, as if you have

chosen all the fields to extract.

Fig. 9. You can see the fields to extract but to

modify the list you have to press the ‘Select fields’

button

3.3. Where options

There is an option to filter extracted data by specifying SQL WHERE data filter.

Values should be given in single quotes ' '.

You can use () to separate AND and OR options.

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Fig. 10. SQL request

Example 1: NAME = 'Leonardo' AND SURNAME = 'da Vinci'

Example 2: CODE = '001' OR PRICE > '1000'

Example 3: (CODE = '001' OR CODE = '005') AND PRICE >= '1000'

Example 4 (only 2005): DATE LIKE '2005%'

Example 5 (only February for all years): DATE LIKE '____02%'

In the last example year is substituted by 4 underscore _ signs, where SAP 'Year' format is

'YYYYMMDD'.

3.4. Other functionality

There is a short ‘Help’ window with reminder of the steps and ‘Where’ field format, Fig. 11. Besides

there is ‘Log..’ button, which opens a text log file with history of all transformation made for current

connection, Fig. 13.

Fig. 12. Log file is created at the first attempt to

lunch the transformation.

Fig. 11. Help

Fig. 13. Log file contains information about all

transformations that were performed, including the

unsuccessful ones.

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4. Example: ITN ERP Connector in the example transformation

1. Setup connection to SAP sflight table

2. Rename exported values

3. Sort data using “currency” field

4. Include Excel file with conversion rates

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5. Use INNER Join to merge SAP data and Excel table

6. Calculator

7. Result: transformation flow and output table