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InfoSol encourages all SAP BusinessObjects customers using SAP BI 4.2 SP5 and higher to retire WACS and use RESTful web services on Apache Tomcat instead.
Background
Historically, the RESTful web services in SAP BusinessObjects used a special service called the Web Application Container Service, or WACS. The WACS server was introduced in BusinessObjects XI 3.1 to fill a gap when SAP BusinessObjects dropped support for Microsoft Internet Information Service (IIS) as a web application server. WACS could run the BI Launch Pad and CMC for customers that did not wish to adopt the Java-based Apache Tomcat server bundled with SAP BusinessObjects. Over time, the WACS server gained additional capabilities, such as supporting the RESTful SDK.
Beginning with SAP BI 4.2 SP5, the RESTful Web Services were decoupled from WACS and could be deployed on Apache Tomcat instead. The procedure for switching from WACS to Tomcat was documented in SAP KB 2889746 and this SAP Community article).
Then SAP deprecated several features in BI 4.3 SP2, as described in SAP KB 3028832. SAP deprecated WACS in BI 4.3 and removed it entirely in BI 2025 (see SAP KB 3560025 and 3581113). For a full list of deprecated features in BI 4.3, check out the SAP Business Intelligence Suite Release Restrictions on the SAP Help Portal.
Once your BusinessObjects landscape is using Apache Tomcat for RESTful web services, the WACS server can be stopped and disabled. This action has the added benefits of conserving server resources and preparing your landscape for a BI 2025 upgrade.
Special Consideration for InfoBurst
InfoSol InfoBurst can use either WACS or Apache Tomcat to integrate with SAP BusinessObjects. If you intend to disable WACS on your BusinessObjects platform, be sure to confirm that all BusinessObjects platforms in InfoBurst are using Apache Tomcat connectivity and not WACS. For more information about configuring SAP BusinessObjects platforms in InfoBurst, refer to the InfoBurst Platform Management guide.
Next Steps
With WACS fully removed in BI 2025, now is the time to take action. If you need guidance on switching to Tomcat, validating your RESTful services, or planning your upgrade strategy, contact InfoSol and let our experts ensure your system is ready.
