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Extend Google Sheets with SAP SuccessFactors Data
Make calls to the API Server from Google Apps Script.
Interact with SAP SuccessFactors data from Google Sheets through macros, custom functions, and add-ons. The CData API Server, when paired with the ADO.NET Provider for SAP SuccessFactors (or any of 200+ other ADO.NET Providers), enables connectivity to SAP SuccessFactors data from cloud-based and mobile applications like Google Sheets. The API Server is a lightweight Web application that produces OData services for SAP SuccessFactors 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 ExtAddressInfo data and, as you make changes, executes updates to SAP SuccessFactors data.
Set Up the API Server
Follow the steps below to begin producing secure SAP SuccessFactors 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 SuccessFactors
After you deploy the API Server and the ADO.NET Provider for SAP SuccessFactors, provide authentication values and other connection properties needed to connect to SAP SuccessFactors by clicking Settings -> Connections and adding a new connection in the API Server administration console.
You can authenticate to SAP Success Factors using Basic authentication or OAuth with SAML assertion.
Basic Authentication
You must provide values for the following properties to successfully authenticate to SAP Success Factors. Note that the provider will reuse the session opened by SAP Success Factors using cookies. Which means that your credentials will be used only on the first request to open the session. After that, cookies returned from SAP Success Factors will be used for authentication.
- Url: set this to the URL of the server hosting Success Factors. Some of the servers are listed in the SAP support documentation (external link).
- User: set this to the username of your account.
- Password: set this to the password of your account.
- CompanyId: set this to the unique identifier of your company.
OAuth Authentication
You must provide values for the following properties, which will be used to get the access token.
- Url: set this to the URL of the server hosting Success Factors. Some of the servers are listed in the SAP support documentation (external link).
- User: set this to the username of your account.
- CompanyId: set this to the unique identifier of your company.
- OAuthClientId: set this to the API Key that was generated in API Center.
- OAuthClientSecret: the X.509 private key used to sign SAML assertion. The private key can be found in the certificate you downloaded in Registering your OAuth Client Application.
- InitiateOAuth: set this to GETANDREFRESH.
You can then choose the SAP SuccessFactors 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 SuccessFactors 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/ExtAddressInfo?select=Id,address1,zipCode,city";
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 extaddressinfo = JSON.parse(json).value;
var cols = [["Id","address1","zipCode","city"]];
sheet.getRange(1,1,1,4).setValues(cols);
row=2;
for(var i in extaddressinfo){
for (var j in extaddressinfo[i]) {
switch (j) {
case "Id":
a1.offset(row,0).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
case "address1":
a1.offset(row,1).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
case "zipCode":
a1.offset(row,2).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
case "city":
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 SuccessFactors 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/ExtAddressInfo("+id+")";
var putdata = "{\"@odata.type\" : \"CDataAPI.ExtAddressInfo\", \""+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 SuccessFactors data.
