| name | bdc-onboarding |
| description | Use when the user is setting up SAP BDC for the first time, provisioning the tenant, onboarding admins/users, asking about BDC availability/regions/SLAs, or needs a getting-started walkthrough. Trigger phrases include "set up BDC", "onboard BDC", "BDC tenant", "BDC availability", "BDC regions", "BDC getting started", "first time BDC", "provision BDC". |
SAP Business Data Cloud Onboarding Guide
Prerequisites & Entitlements
Before provisioning SAP BDC, verify you have:
- S-User ID: Required to access SAP for Me provisioning portal
- Commercial entitlement to SAP Business Data Cloud product package
- Contact person designation: Your sales account executive sends initial invitation email with 7-day validity
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Required for system owner to create bundled identity tenants
- Cloud Foundry environment: Required for BDC tenant deployment and SAP Cloud Identity Services integration
Phase 1: Tenant Provisioning
Access SAP for Me
- Navigate to SAP for Me (https://me.sap.com)
- Sign in with your S-User ID credentials
- Go to Portfolio & Products
- Locate SAP Business Data Cloud in My Product Packages
- Access the Provisioning and Integration Dashboard
The Provisioning Dashboard
The dashboard displays:
- Overview tab: Current solutions, quota distribution, auto-provisioned SAP Business Warehouse Private Cloud Edition
- Applications tab: Where you provision solution components (SAP Datasphere, SAP Databricks, SAP Analytics Cloud)
- Solutions tab: Your existing provisioned solutions with status
- Resources tab: Resource hierarchies organized into resource groups and folders
- Customer Landscape tab: Formation configurations for system integration
Allocate Capacity Units
- Total capacity units assigned per contract are shown in the Quota Distribution card
- SAP Warehouse Private Cloud Edition receives its contractual quota automatically
- Allocate remaining units to other solutions (SAP Datasphere, Databricks, etc.) as needed during provisioning
- Note: Each solution component = 1 solution + 1 tenant within a single resource group
Phase 2: Identity Setup (SAP Cloud Identity Services)
Prerequisites for Bundled Identity
- SAP BDC tenant must be Cloud Foundry-based
- Not available for private cloud (AliCloud) or sovereign cloud (NS2)
- System owner must have MFA enabled
- System owner email must match an S-User ID (create one if needed)
Provision SAP Cloud Identity Services Tenant
- In Identity Provider Administration Tool (identity.sap.com)
- On your BDC tenant card, select + Add SAP Cloud Identity Services
- Choose:
- Provision New SCI Tenant: Auto-matches BDC tenant type (Test, Prod, etc.)
- Use Existing SCI Tenant: Link to already-provisioned tenant
- For new tenant: Enter administrator first/last name and email (auto-populated from your account)
- Confirm and start provisioning (takes up to 1 hour)
- Monitor progress bar; can close and check status later on tenant card
Configure Authentication
After SCI provisioning completes:
- Select Configure Authentication
- Choose User Attribute mapping:
- USER ID: Map IdP Subject Name Identifier to BDC User ID
- Email: Map to BDC email address
- Custom Attribute: Map to custom field (requires manual SAML User Mapping column updates for existing users)
- (Optional) Enable Dynamic User Creation: New users auto-created with default role upon first login
- Validate login in test browser (private/guest mode) using provided URL
- Confirm and finish configuration
Note: Subject Name Identifier is case-sensitive; must match exactly (user@company.com ≠ User@company.com)
Optional: Corporate IdP Federation
Configure SAP Cloud Identity Services to forward SAML authentication to your corporate IdP for centralized identity management.
Phase 3: Initial Login & Account Activation
- Owner role receives Welcome email with activation links (valid 7 days)
- Click activation link to set password; automatically logged in after
- Activation link opens via SAP for Me → BDC Resources tab → main tenant URL
- If activation expires: Use "Forgot password?" on login page with the email address from Welcome email
- If no Welcome email: Check Spam/Junk folders or contact your account executive
Phase 4: User Management & Roles
Core BDC Roles
| Role | Permissions |
|---|
| System Owner | Provision/configure tenant, create identity services, manage MFA |
| BD Administrator | Create/manage users, install intelligent applications, activate data packages, manage roles & privileges |
| DW Administrator | Manage SAP Datasphere spaces, copy preparation/application spaces, add Modeler users to scoped roles |
| DW Modeler | Model data in SAP Datasphere, install data products, adjust view sources |
| Consumer | Read access to published analytics and data in SAP Analytics Cloud stories |
| Standard Role | Default role assigned to dynamically-created users; auto-created via SAML |
Create Users
Users with BD Administrator role can create accounts in:
- Security → Users menu
- Assign roles and set user attributes (User ID, Email, Custom Mapping for SAML)
- For SAML-mapped users, ensure SAML User Mapping column matches your IdP Subject Name Identifier
Create Custom Roles
BD Administrators can create custom roles with specific privileges via:
- Security → Users and Roles → Create Roles
- Define granular permissions for intelligent applications and data products
Phase 5: Install Intelligent Applications
Prerequisites
- Intelligent application entitlement must be active in your global account
- At least one SAP source system tenant (S/4HANA Cloud, BW/4HANA, etc.) exists in a BDC formation
- SAP Note 3607594: Review before installing or updating intelligent applications
Install Process
- Open SAP Business Data Cloud cockpit
- Navigate to Intelligent Applications and Data Packages → Available tab
- Select desired application; review documentation and data products
- Click Install; Install Options dialog opens
- Source System: Select SAP system providing business data (connection test runs)
- System Alias: Auto-assigned to distinguish multi-source installations
- Business Name (optional): Custom name appended to Datasphere spaces (up to 200 characters)
- Install Location: Select formation containing source system
- Click Install
Installation Details
- Status changes to Installation in progress
- Creates 3 protected SAP Datasphere spaces (import connections, replication flows, views, analytic models)
- Starts Initial & Delta load replication flows to keep data fresh
- Creates protected SAP Analytics Cloud workspace with stories
- Completion indicated by Installed status
Post-Installation Admin Steps (Datasphere)
- Add Modeler users to preparation space scoped role
- Monitor replication flows for data freshness
- Configure row-level security in preparation space permissions table (max 5,000 permissions per user)
- Run delivered task chains as scheduled
- Add Consumer users to application space scoped role for story/dashboard access
Post-Installation Admin Steps (Analytics Cloud)
- Grant story folder access to same Consumer users
- Configure appropriate workspace permissions
Warning: Install applications sequentially, not in parallel (parallel installation consumes more resources and increases timeout risk).
Phase 6: Activate Data Packages
Prerequisites
- SAP Note 3607594: Check before activation
- Authorization from BD Administrators
- SAP Datasphere space entitlement for modeling
Activation Steps
- Open SAP Business Data Cloud cockpit
- Navigate to Intelligent Applications and Data Packages → Packages tab
- Select package; click Activate
- Status moves to Active; data products now available in Catalog for consumption
Post-Activation
- Catalog admins: Share data products to consumer spaces
- Datasphere admins: Authorize spaces to install data products
- Datasphere users: Install activated products into their modeling spaces
Optional: Data Product Generator
To replicate SAP BW data into BDC:
- Configure Data Product Generator in source system
- Create data subscriptions to receive incremental updates
- Monitor refresh status in Datasphere
Phase 7: Manage Lifecycle (Updates, Deactivation, Uninstall)
Update Intelligent Applications & Packages
- SAP Note 3607594: Check for update prerequisites before each upgrade
- Status shows Update Available when new version released
- Updates include fixes, improvements, or new KPIs
- Click Update to install latest version
Deactivate Data Packages
- Used when package no longer needed or entitlement expires
- Before deactivating, check with SAP Admin whether entitlement renewal is planned
- BD Administrators perform deactivation via Packages tab
Uninstall Intelligent Applications
- Manual uninstall available when application no longer needed
- Used when entitlement has expired/terminated
- Before uninstalling, consult with SAP Administrator
- Removes all SAP Datasphere spaces and SAP Analytics Cloud content
Service Availability & Regions
Supported Regions (Controlled Release Rollout)
Current deployments across AWS, Azure, GCP hyperscalers:
- AWS: EU (Frankfurt EU10), Australia (AP10), Singapore (AP11), Tokyo (JP10), US East/Virginia (US10), Canada Montreal (CA10), Korea (AP12), Brazil (BR10), US West (US20), US East (US21), Brazil (BR20), Canada (CA20), Switzerland (CH20), Australia (AP20), Singapore (AP21)
- Azure: Europe Amsterdam (EU20), Switzerland (CH20)
- GCP: EU Frankfurt (EU30), India Mumbai (IN30), Saudi Arabia Dammam (SA30/SA31), US Iowa (US30)
Note: Solution component availability varies by region due to compliance/buildout timelines. Contact Account Executive for regional roadmap.
Browser Support
- Google Chrome: Latest version (continuous updates)
- Microsoft Edge: Chromium-based, latest version
- Exceptional instances may limit support; see browser documentation for full requirements
Compliance & Security
- BDC itself is not certified; component certifications apply to SAP Datasphere, SAP Analytics Cloud, BTP
- Data protection: Follows SAP global guidelines; see Personal Data Processing for SAP Cloud Services
- SLA: Refer to Service Level Agreement for SAP Cloud Services (covers uptime, credits, update windows)
- Maintenance windows: Check SAP Help Portal Maintenance Windows for SAP Cloud Services (search for your service)
Common First-Day Pitfalls
- Activation link expiration: Set password within 7 days of Welcome email
- SAML identity mismatch: Subject Name Identifier must match BDC user attribute case-sensitively
- Missing entitlements: Verify intelligent application & data package entitlements before installation
- Parallel installations: Install applications sequentially to avoid timeouts
- Permissions not configured: Row-level security requires explicit permission table setup in Datasphere
- User attribute mapping mismatch: Dynamic user creation requires matching IdP attributes with BDC User ID/Email
- MFA not enabled: System owner requires MFA for bundled identity services setup
- Region limitations: Not all features available in all regions; check availability table for limitations
Support & References
- SAP Note 3607594: Prerequisites for installing/updating intelligent applications
- SAP Note 3568017: Providing support user access for troubleshooting
- SAP Note 3619907: Bundled SAP Cloud Identity Services controlled release status
- Contact: Sales Account Executive or Customer Interaction Center (CIC) for provisioning assistance
- Help Portal: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_BUSINESS_DATA_CLOUD
References
references/onboarding.pdf — Complete SAP BDC onboarding guide (35 pages)references/availability.pdf — Regions, SLAs, compliance, and browser support (4 pages)
