How to integrate apps to SAC via oAuth – set up Background Execution for biExport

The Background Execution of biExport in SAP Analytics Cloud is set up as an oAuth Client. The Background Execution is the basis for various features of biExport:

• Generation of Briefing Books
• Scheduling
• Broadcasting
• Information Bursting

The idea is that via the oAuth authorization, the SAC user grants the biExport service access with the same credentials - therewith biExport reuses the user's authorization. This session can be used to execute dashboard URLs and to retrieve the information from the dashboard.

This post explains how you set up an oAuth Client for SAP Analytics Cloud in general, using the example of connecting to our biExport Cloud Service.

Setting up an oAuth Client in SAC

To set up oAuth Clients for SAP Analytics Cloud navigate to System and on to Administration. In the Administration view, select the App Integration tab. The configuration of oAuth Clients is the first option on that tab.

If you already have configured clients, you will see them in the list of Configured Clients.

To add a new oAuth client, choose Add new oAuth client.

In the New oAuth Client popup, to connect the biExport Cloud Service, you maintain the following fields:

1. Name “biExport Cloud Service”
2. Purpose “Interactive Usage”
3. Redirect URL https://designstudioexport.biexcellence.com/sac/oauth.html

The Refresh Token Lifetime is fixed to 720 hours or 30 days. biExport keeps the token alive for exactly this period of time and securly stores the token for reuse. Also, the token is refreshed when the user executes biExport at the frontend. This allows biExport to use the token concept also for long-lasting export schedules.

After clicking Add, SAC will create the Client ID and the Secret.

Click on Done and you are indeed already done!

Using the oAuth Client in the biExport Widget

Now you can switch to the Analytic Designer. In the Styling pane of the biExport Widget, under Custom Widget Additional Properties you find one parameter group called Background Eecution.

The dropdown box for oAuth Client displays all oAuth Clients that have been configured in the tenant. In my case, I have one connection to the biExport Cloud Serivce, but also one to my own local installation.

Simply choose the biExport client and all necessary parameters will be automatically filled in!

Et voila: You can now compile multiple views into one Briefing Book, schedule the generation of PDF, PowerPoint, Word or Excel documents, or even set up Broadcasting or Information Bursting from SAP Analytics Cloud!