¶ SAP BI Security and Authorization
Subject: SAP-BI (Business Intelligence)
In the SAP Business Intelligence (SAP BI) environment, security and authorization play a pivotal role in protecting sensitive business data and ensuring that only authorized users can access relevant information. As organizations rely increasingly on data-driven decision-making, maintaining robust BI security frameworks becomes essential to prevent data breaches, maintain compliance, and safeguard intellectual property.
This article explores the core concepts, components, and best practices surrounding SAP BI Security and Authorization, providing insights for SAP BI administrators, developers, and security consultants.
¶ Understanding SAP BI Security
SAP BI security revolves around controlling access to BI content such as InfoProviders, queries, reports, and dashboards within the SAP BW and SAP BusinessObjects environments. It ensures that users can only see, execute, or modify objects they are permitted to, based on their roles and responsibilities.
¶ Key Components of SAP BI Security and Authorization
- SAP Users: Defined in the SAP system (via transaction codes like SU01).
- User Groups: Collections of users for easier role assignment.
- Users are assigned to roles that govern their access.
¶ 2. Roles and Profiles
- Roles: Represent sets of permissions or authorizations bundled logically by job function.
- Profiles: Generated from roles and contain detailed authorization data.
- Roles are assigned to users to grant the necessary access rights.
Authorization objects are the core elements that define access criteria in SAP. They contain fields that represent different dimensions of access control, such as:
- Activity: What kind of action (display, change, create) the user can perform.
- Object: The specific object or data the user is allowed to access.
Example authorization objects in SAP BI:
- S_RS_COMP: Controls access to InfoProviders.
- S_RS_RSEC: Controls access to queries.
- S_RS_AUTH: Controls authorization on characteristics (like company codes, plants).
SAP BW secures data on multiple layers:
Controls access to BI objects like InfoProviders, queries, reports, and workbooks.
Limits access to specific data slices within InfoProviders based on characteristic values (e.g., a sales manager only sees data for their region).
- Achieved through Authorization Variables or Authorization-Restricted Characteristics.
- Authorization relevant characteristics are linked with authorization objects, enabling dynamic filtering.
¶ 5. BEx Analyzer and Web Intelligence Security
- Access to BEx queries and reports in BEx Analyzer or SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence respects SAP BW authorizations.
- SAP BusinessObjects uses BOE platform security combined with SAP BW security for hybrid scenarios.
¶ 1. Define Clear Roles and Responsibilities
- Design roles based on job functions, avoiding overly broad access.
- Follow the principle of least privilege to minimize unnecessary access.
- Restrict data access via characteristics linked to user authorizations (e.g., region, department).
- Create user-specific variables in queries that dynamically filter data based on user roles.
¶ 4. Regularly Review and Audit Authorizations
- Periodic audits help identify and fix excessive or obsolete permissions.
- Transport roles between development, test, and production systems carefully to maintain consistency.
- Complex Authorization Logic: Dynamic filtering may become complex with overlapping roles.
- Performance Impact: Excessive authorizations can degrade query performance.
- Synchronization: Ensuring SAP BW and SAP BusinessObjects security roles are synchronized.
- SU01: User maintenance
- PFCG: Role maintenance
- RSUSR003: Authorization check report
- RSR_SECURITY: BW authorization overview
- RSA1: BW Administrator Workbench for managing InfoProviders and security settings
Effective SAP BI Security and Authorization frameworks are vital for safeguarding enterprise data while enabling appropriate access for users. By understanding SAP’s multi-layered authorization model—covering user roles, authorization objects, and data-level security—organizations can balance security with usability. Continuous monitoring and adherence to best practices help maintain a secure and efficient SAP BI environment.
- SAP Help Portal: SAP BW Security Guide
- SAP Community Wiki: Best Practices in SAP BI Authorization
- SAP Press: “Practical Guide to SAP NetWeaver BW Security”