The Aschauer firm in Vienna has announced an open source SAP Java connector plugin for the data integration components of the Pentaho version 4.0 business intelligence suite.

The new SAP connector will go into the next version 4.0 of the Pentaho Data Integration Community Edition as a plugin. It allows Pentaho's software for business intelligence (BI) to call up SAP's Business Application Programming Interface (BAPI). A user can thereby integrate the BAPI into Pentahos' extract-transform-load (ETL) process to get to the SAP data. ETL is a method to transform extracted data of various formats to fit operational needs on a target database or data warehouse. On the SAP side, explains Aschauer EDV GmbH, the user integrates the SAP Java Connector (SAP JCo), which is available free with every SAP system installation, into Pentaho. Integration will also require a GUI for bringing in SAP functions and parameters.

The data integration components, which have recently come out in a preview to version 4.0, belong to the open source multi-module Pentaho framework. The framework includes the BI suite as well as components for data mining, reporting, analysis, and various admin and user dashboards. Pentaho is under GPL and available in cost-based and community versions (see a comparison). Aschauer provides support and further software development services, among them for Pentaho (based in Orlando FL). Aschauer's managing director Bernd Aschauer says, "We are proud to contribute to the community. It allows businesses who run SAP a larger degree of independence."