How to work with SAP Business One Data in Apache Spark using SQL

Apache Spark is a fast and general engine for large-scale data processing. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for SAP Business One, Spark can work with live SAP Business One data. This article describes how to connect to and query SAP Business One data from a Spark shell.

The CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live SAP Business One data due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries to SAP Business One, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to SAP Business One and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can work with and analyze SAP Business One data using native data types.

Install the CData JDBC Driver for SAP Business One

Download the CData JDBC Driver for SAP Business One installer, unzip the package, and run the JAR file to install the driver.

Start a Spark Shell and Connect to SAP Business One Data

1. Open a terminal and start the Spark shell with the CData JDBC Driver for SAP Business One JAR file as the jars parameter: $ spark-shell --jars /CData/CData JDBC Driver for SAP Business One/lib/cdata.jdbc.sapbusinessone.jar
2. With the shell running, you can connect to SAP Business One with a JDBC URL and use the SQL Context load() function to read a table.

   To authenticate to SAP Business One you must provide the Userand Passwordproperties.

   To connect to data, specify Url. This is your SAP Business One Service Layer root URL.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

   For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the SAP Business One JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.sapbusinessone.jar

   Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

   Configure the connection to SAP Business One, using the connection string generated above.

   scala> val sapbusinessone_df = spark.sqlContext.read.format("jdbc").option("url", "jdbc:sapbusinessone:Url=http://localhost:50000/b1s/v1;User=username;Password=password;CompanyDB=dbname;").option("dbtable","Orders").option("driver","cdata.jdbc.sapbusinessone.SAPBusinessOneDriver").load()
3. Once you connect and the data is loaded you will see the table schema displayed.

4. Register the SAP Business One data as a temporary table:

   scala> sapbusinessone_df.registerTable("orders")

5. Perform custom SQL queries against the Data using commands like the one below:

   scala> sapbusinessone_df.sqlContext.sql("SELECT DocEntry, DocType FROM Orders WHERE DocType = dDocument_Items").collect.foreach(println)

   You will see the results displayed in the console, similar to the following:

Using the CData JDBC Driver for SAP Business One in Apache Spark, you are able to perform fast and complex analytics on SAP Business One data, combining the power and utility of Spark with your data. Download a free, 30 day trial of any of the 200+ CData JDBC Drivers and get started today.