Authorization in BI 7 - Part 1

Authorization in BI 7 - Part 1

via Content in SCN by Priyanka Joshi on 5/22/12

This blog will give the information related to Authorization concept available in SAP BW. Also, steps are given to maintain report related authorization.

Why is Authorization required in SAP BW?

• To avoid the unwanted access to various objects as well as data in SAP BW system.
• To assign restricted access of data to report users.

Authorization in SAP BW 3.x 

• BW 3.x required Infoprovider Check to activate or deactivate authorization on the given reports.

What's new in SAP BI  7 for Authorization?

• Analysis authorization
• New standard authorization objects have been added.
  • http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04s/helpdata/en/be/076f3b6c980c3be10000000a11402f/frameset.htm
    

Prerequisites for authorization

• Decide for which all reports an authorization is required.
• Make list of infoobjects which will act as authorization specific infoobjects in reports.
• Check whether all the required infoobjects are Authorization Relevant or not, if not marked then activate the flag.
• 
• Now check the Authorization Mode in SPRO
  • For SAP BW 3.x - Obsolete concept with RSR authorization objects.
  • For SAP BI 7 or above - Current procedure with analysis authorizations.
  • 
  • SPRO path
    • SAP Customizing Implementation Guide
      • SAP NetWeaver
        • Business Intelligence
          • Settings for Reporting and Analysis
            • General Settings for Reporting and Analysis
              • Analysis Authorizations: Select Concept
• If you want to use any navigational attribute in authorization then it has to be authorization relevant in master data infoobject as shown in following screen.
• 

Steps to create authorization object for SAP BI 7

• Go to t-code RSECADMIN
• Select Maintenance button 

• Maintain Authorization : Initial Screen will appear.
• 
• Enter the technical name of authorization object to be created.
• Click on Create Authorization (F5)
• 
• Maintain Authorizations : Create screen will appear with message in status bar 'Special Characteristics Missing'.
• 
• Why these special chars are required, see what SAP has to say about it
• 
• Fill up short, medium & long text fields.
• Click on the button 'Insert Special Charact.' as shown below.
• Following objects with default selection will get added.
• 
• Further, get the list of all the 'Infoproviders' you want to add in this authorization object.
• Each infoprovider has set of 'Authorization Relevant Infoobjects', all of them have to be added.
• Check one by one infoprovider for the 'Authorization Relevant Infoobjects' as shown below.
• 
• New window will pop-up for Infocube Authorizations.
• 
• You can specify required infoprovider's name directly or can use F4 help to get the name of infoprovider from the list.
• As per the reporting requirement user either
  • Insert Aggregation Authorizations: For the Totals in report, aggregation authorization ':' is used.
  • Insert Full Authorizations: It will assign '*'.
• Once you specify the name of infoprovider and hit enter, list of all authorization relevant infoobjects, from the given cube/DSO will appear.
• 
  
• Select all the infoobjects from the list using Select All (F7) and hit enter.
• All the selected objects will get added as shown below.
• 
• Repeat the procedure for all the infoproviders.
• As shown in the above screen shot, all infoobjects have value (*) in the intervals field. If you want to change value for any of the infoobjects, use following steps.
  • Use Details button to go to the maintenance screen OR
  • Double click the infoobject to reach the maintenance screen.
• In the maintenance screen, 2 options are given.
  • Value Authorizations: You can specify single, multiple single or range of values.
  • Hierarchy Authorizations: Hierarchy node values can be assigned.
• 
• Value Authrozations.
  • 1st column - Including/Excluding : Specify either I or E to include of exclude the assigned value.
  • 2nd column - Operator : Specify value from the given list as per your requirement.
• 
  • 3rd & 4th column - Technical Character : Here you have to mention values which are required for the authorization.

1. Value (*) can be mentioned to assign Full Authorization.
2. Use Add/ Delete Rows option to add more single values.
3. Whenever single, multiple single or range values are maintained add ( : ) as 1 more row to avoid the summary calculation related errors at runtime.

• Once you are done by assigning all the required values, click on Save button and exit.
• If you make changes in the existing authorization object, on saving it pops up following message
• 
• Select Yes and new changes with old definition will be saved.

• Hierarchy Based Authorization
  • To assign hierarchy node go to Hierarchy Authorizations in details of particular infoobject.
  • Click on Create button to assign hierarchy node.
  • Following window will pop up where you can select the required hierarchy and particular node.
  • 
  • Click on Select Hierarchy button to open the hierarchy variant screen.
  • New window will show the available variants of hierarchy.
  • 
  • Double click on the required variant and Hierarchy variant name will get populated.
  • Now, detail node needs to be selected. Click on Select Node option.
  • 
  • Select the required node from the list given
  • Once the values for Hierarchy & Nodes are selected, you have to set Type of Authorization.
  • For Type of Authorization following 4 options are given
    • 0 - Only the selected nodes
    • 1 - Subtree below nodes
    • 2 - Subtree below nodes to Level ( Incl. )
    • 3 - Complete hierarchy
    • 4 - Subtree below nodes to ( and Incl. ) Level ( Relative )
  • Now hit enter and main screen will appear where you can see Hierarchy Node value with type of authorization maintained.
  • When you are maintaining hierarchy node value then in the Value Authorizations only ( : ) value needs to be maintained to avoid the error at runtime.
  • Save the authorization object.