Extend Google Sheets with SAP Netweaver Gateway Data

Make calls to the API Server from Google Apps Script.

Interact with SAP Netweaver Gateway data from Google Sheets through macros, custom functions, and add-ons. The CData API Server, when paired with the ADO.NET Provider for SAP Netweaver Gateway (or any of 200+ other ADO.NET Providers), enables connectivity to SAP Netweaver Gateway data from cloud-based and mobile applications like Google Sheets. The API Server is a lightweight Web application that produces OData services for SAP Netweaver Gateway and any source supported by the CData ADO.NET Providers.

Google Apps Script can consume these OData services in the JSON format. This article shows how to create a simple add-on that populates a Google Spreadsheet with SalesOrderLineItems data and, as you make changes, executes updates to SAP Netweaver Gateway data.

Set Up the API Server

Follow the steps below to begin producing secure SAP Netweaver Gateway OData services:

Deploy

The API Server runs on your own server. On Windows, you can deploy using the stand-alone server or IIS. On a Java servlet container, drop in the API Server WAR file. See the help documentation for more information and how-tos.

The API Server is also easy to deploy on Microsoft Azure, Amazon EC2, and Heroku.

Connect to SAP Netweaver Gateway

After you deploy the API Server and the ADO.NET Provider for SAP Netweaver Gateway, provide authentication values and other connection properties needed to connect to SAP Netweaver Gateway by clicking Settings -> Connections and adding a new connection in the API Server administration console.

SAP Gateway allows both basic and OAuth 2.0 authentication. You can use basic authentication to connect to your own account, or you can use OAuth to enable other users to retrieve data from your service with their accounts. In addition to authenticating, set the following connection properties to access SAP Gateway tables.

Url: Set this to the URL of your environment, or to the full URL of the service. For example, the full URL might appear as: https://sapes5.sapdevcenter.com/sap/opu/odata/IWBEP/GWSAMPLE_BASIC/. In this example, the environment URL would just be: https://sapes5.sapdevcenter.com.
Namespace: Set the appropriate Service Namespace. In the example above, IWBEP is the namespace. It is optional if the full URL to the service is specified.
Service: Set this to the service you want to retrieve data from. In the example above, the service is GWSAMPLE_BASIC. It is not required if the full URL is specified.

Authenticate via Basic Authentication

In basic authentication, you use your login credentials to connect. Set the following properties:

User: This is the username you use to log in to SAP Gateway.
Password: This is the password you use to log in to SAP Gateway.

Authenticate via OAuth Authentication

You can connect to SAP Gateway using the embedded OAuth connectivity (without setting any additional authentication connection properties). When you connect, the OAuth endpoint opens in your browser. Log in and grant permissions to complete the OAuth process. See the OAuth section in the online Help documentation for more information on other OAuth authentication flows.

You can then choose the SAP Netweaver Gateway entities you want to allow the API Server to access by clicking Settings -> Resources.

Authorize API Server Users

After determining the OData services you want to produce, authorize users by clicking Settings -> Users. The API Server uses authtoken-based authentication and supports the major authentication schemes. Access can also be restricted based on IP address: Connections from all addresses except localhost are blocked by default, so you will need to allow connections from Google's servers for this article. You can authenticate as well as encrypt connections with SSL.

Retrieve SAP Netweaver Gateway Data

Open the Script Editor from your spreadsheet by clicking Tools -> Script Editor. In the Script Editor, add the following function to populate a spreadsheet with the results of an OData query:



function retrieve(){
  var url = "https://MyUrl/api.rsc/SalesOrderLineItems?select=Id,ProductID,Quantity,Quantity";
  var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url,{
    headers: {"Authorization": "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode("MyUser:MyAuthtoken")}
  }); 
  var json = response.getContentText();
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  var a1 = sheet.getRange('a1');
  var index=1;
  var salesorderlineitems = JSON.parse(json).value;

  var cols = [["Id","ProductID","Quantity","Quantity"]]; 
  sheet.getRange(1,1,1,4).setValues(cols);

  row=2;
  for(var i in salesorderlineitems){
    for (var j in salesorderlineitems[i]) {
      switch (j) {
        case "Id":
          a1.offset(row,0).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "ProductID":
          a1.offset(row,1).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "Quantity":
          a1.offset(row,2).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "Quantity":
          a1.offset(row,3).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
      }      
    }
    row++;
  }
}

Follow the steps below to add an installable trigger to populate the spreadsheet when opened:

Click Resources -> Current Project's Triggers -> Add a New Trigger.
Select retrieve in the Run menu.
Select From Spreadsheet.
Select On open.

After closing the dialog, you are prompted to allow access to the application.

Post Changes to SAP Netweaver Gateway Data

Add the following function to post changes to cells back to the API Server:



function buildReq(e){
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  var changes = e.range;
  var id = sheet.getRange(changes.getRow(),1).getValue();
  var col = sheet.getRange(1,changes.getColumn()).getValue();
  
  var url = "http://MyServer/api.rsc/SalesOrderLineItems("+id+")";
  var putdata = "{\"@odata.type\" : \"CDataAPI.SalesOrderLineItems\",  \""+col+"\": \""+changes.getValue()+"\"}";;
  UrlFetchApp.fetch(url,{
    method: "put",
    contentType: "application/json",
    payload: putdata,
    headers: {"Authorization": "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode("MyUser:MyAuthtoken")}
  });

}

Follow the steps below to add the update trigger:

Click Resources -> Current Project's Triggers.
Select buildReq in the Run menu.
Select From Spreadsheet.
Select On edit.

You can test the script by clicking Publish -> Test as Add-On. Select the version, installation type, and spreadsheet to create a test configuration. You can then select and run the test configuration.

As you make changes to cells, the API Server executes updates to SAP Netweaver Gateway data.

Ready to get started?

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CData API Server