SAP BW Direct Query Authentication (SSO)

[Anonymous]

Hi All,
I'm developing some PBI reports. The data source is SAP BW. As I know in direct query mode, we wouldn't set authentication on PBI side.

The SSO setup is required. After that the authentications on SAP BW side would be validity on PBI. The SSO setup will be perform from basis team. I was started to developing reports, I just want to know if there is anyting I have to do on PBI Desktop side. For ex settings or permissions.

I started to developing Database authentication mode. Should i change it to windows authentication mode ? and there is an additional option on windows authentication like SNC. What is the meaning of SNC ?

[sturlaws]

In the project I was involved in, we ended up with the same situation you are describing. We were unable to map the logged in user in power bi to the corresponding user in SAP BW. We found no solution to this. We also did an extensive search for companies which had managed to solve this problem, but we did not find anyone.

In the end we abandoned the project, and started exporting data from SAP BW to a SQL data warehouse. 

[sturlaws · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous,

I have been involved in an attempt at setting up SSO connection between Power BI and SAP BW, and that was really tricky. The documentation is a nice starting point: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/service-gateway-sso-kerberos, but be prepared to spend a lot of time getting the details right.

cheers,
Sturla

[Anonymous]

Hi.

I'm currently trying to establish SSO with my Basis team. We got gateway and all steps from official docs were done. However when test from gateway side there is unrecognized UPN used for test. I went one step further. I can establish connection to SAP BW from desktop with Windows authentication mode and BW works already with SSO with another BI platform fine.  So I created two simple reports on PBI desktop with Windows authenitcation mode. On made in import mode and another i Direct Query mode. This one with import mode works fine after assigning gateway, I can refresh data set however Im not sure which credentials  (user) is used to refresh data set then. Probably always it is my own user and this is not what I have expected from SSO. Another report with DQ mode cannot be opened after assigning the same gateway, it shows cannot load data model error.  Can you advice which setting should be choosed to have such a result that once somebody opens the report then his user name is used to connect BW. It is possible in import mode or just only DQ mode? Thank you in advance.

[Anonymous]

Hi @sturlaws ,

I understand that there is nothing to do in PBI Desktop side.

I will forward the document to the relevant team.

Regards