Install the SAP HANA Client

The SAP HANA client provides a set of utilities and drivers to connect to and query a SAP HANA database from multiple programming APIs, such as Node.js, Python or Java as shown below.

For a complete list, see SAP HANA Client Interface Programming Reference.

For a list of newly added features, see New and Changed Features in the SAP HANA Client or the release notes.

The SAP HANA client can be used to connect to different versions of SAP HANA. For example, a 2.13.x client can connect to SAP HANA Cloud, SAP HANA Service, or SAP HANA 2.0. For more information, see SAP HANA client and server cross-version compatibility.

1. Download the client installer for your platform (Microsoft Windows, Linux, or Mac) from the SAP Development Tools website under the HANA tab and the SAP HANA Client 2.0 section.

   An alternate location to download the client installer (SAP Software Downloads) is described in step 3 which includes the SAP Common Crypto library and additional platforms such as Windows 32-bit and AIX. SAP Software Downloads also may contain newer versions and patches before they are available on the SAP Development Tools site.

   

2. On Microsoft Windows, unzip the downloaded file in a temporary location.

   On Linux or a Mac, use the following:

   Shell (Linux or Mac)

   Copy

   tar -zxvf hanaclient*.tar.gz
   

3. Start the graphical installer hdbsetup or use the command line installer hdbinst.

   Shell (Microsoft Windows)

   Copy

   hdbsetup.exe
   

   Shell (Linux or Mac)

   Copy

   ./hdbsetup
   

   Set the install directory to C:\sap\hdbclient on Microsoft Windows or to users/your_user/sap/hdbclient on Linux or macOS and complete the installation.

   

   If the install fails, try running the installer with administrator privilege (i.e. On Microsoft Windows, right-click on hdbsetup.exe and choose Run as an administrator).

   If an older version is already installed, it can be upgraded or it can be uninstalled by running hdbuninst from the folder where the client is installed. For example c:\sap\hdbclient\install\hdbuninst

4. After the installation process is completed, update your path environment variable so that the SAP HANA client programs such as hdbsql can be found on your path. On Microsoft Windows, click the Start icon and search for environment variables.

   

   For details on how to configure your path on a Mac see this blog post.

   ---

   To configure your path on Linux:

   Open an editor to edit the file .bash_profile, .profile, or .zshrc (macOS with zsh).

   Shell (Linux or Mac)

   Copy

   pico ~/.bash_profile
   

   Replace pico with your preferred text editor.

   Add the following line to it after changing it to match the location of where the SAP HANA client was installed.

   Shell (Linux or Mac)

   Copy

   export PATH=$PATH:/home/dan/sap/hdbclient
   

   Run the source command to immediately apply all the changes made to the .bash_profile file

   Shell (Linux or Mac)

   Copy

   source ~/.bash_profile
   

5. In the hdbclient folder, notice that files such as hdbsql and the client database drivers are available.

   

6. Run the following command in a newly opened shell to verify the installation succeeded and the path is correct.

   Shell

   Copy

   hdbsql -v
   

   

The install from SAP Development Tools does not contain the SAP Cryptographic Library. This can be seen by examining the C:\SAP\hdbclient\manifest.mf file.

The SAP Cryptographic Library is only required when client-side data encryption is used, for LDAP Authentication or for cases where a preference is to use the SAP Common Crypto Library over the libraries provided by the OS. For more information, see the following:

• Client-Side Data Encryption in the Security Guide

• Client-Side Data Encryption Guide

• Download and Install SAP Common Crypto Library in the SAP HANA Client Installation and Update Guide

• Connect to SAP HANA with a Secure Connection from Python

Another download location is the Software Downloads, which requires signing in before downloading. Software Downloads provides additional platforms such as 32-bit Windows and AIX. Versions of the SAP HANA client downloaded from here include the SAP Common Crypto Library.

For additional details on supported platforms, see SAP Note 3165810 - SAP HANA Client Supported Platforms and SAP Note 2938939 - SAP HANA Client Legacy Platforms.

1. Download the software.

   If you have a license for SAP HANA Cloud, follow the instructions at Download and Install the SAP HANA Client.

   If you have a license for an on-premise version of SAP HANA, follow the instructions provided at Install the SAP HANA Client on Microsoft Windows.

   The downloaded software is the same regardless of which one is used.

   

2. Extract the software using SAPCAR.

   The downloaded file is a .sar file and the utility SAPCAR is needed to extract it. SAPCAR can also be downloaded from Software Downloads.

   The command to extract a .sar file is shown below. The command options are extract, verbose and file.

   Shell (Microsoft Windows Command Prompt)

   Copy

   SAPCAR_1010-70006231.EXE -xvf IMDB_CLIENT*.SAR
   

   Shell (Linux or Mac)

   Copy

   chmod u+x SAPCAR
   ./SAPCAR_1010-70006178.EXE -xvf IMDB_CLIENT*.SAR
   

   For further information on SAPCAR or if you are having troubles using it, see SAP HANA, SAPCAR, and macOS.

Congratulations! You now have the SAP HANA client installed.