DataFlux Data Management Studio 2.5: User Guide

Adding Domain Enabled ODBC Connections

• Overview
• Prerequisites
• Add a Domain-Enabled ODBC Connection
• Using a Domain-Enabled Connection in a Batch Job

Overview

A standard ODBC connection has some disadvantages. For example, suppose that you use a standard ODBC connection in a job. You will have to save user credentials for the connection in order to execute the job. Alternatively, you could create a domain-enabled ODBC connection that references the ODBC connection and an appropriate authentication server domain, as shown in the next figure.

In the previous figure, HR ODBC is a standard ODBC connection. ORACLE is an authentication domain for the same resource that is specified in the ODBC connection. The credentials that are required to use the ODBC connection are accessible from the domain on the authentication server. When a user who is a member of the specified domain uses the domain-enabled connection, he or she is authenticated by the authentication server and is permitted to access the information that is specified in the ODBC connection. In many cases, this approach is better than forcing users to authenticate every time they use the connection in a profile, for example, or to save user credentials with a connection that is used in a job.

Prerequisites

It is assumed that following resources are available in your DataFlux Data Management Studio session.

• A standard ODBC DSN for the data source that you want to access. For information about adding such a connection, see Adding ODBC Connections.
• An authentication domain, user, and login for the ODBC DSN above. You might simply be told which domain to use, or you (or an administrator) might have to register this domain. For information about domains and users, see Adding Authentication Server Domains and Users.
• See the usage note: Domain-Enabled Connections Cannot Use Shared Logins.

Add a Domain-Enabled ODBC Connection

If the prerequisites have been met, perform the following steps to add a domain-enabled connection.

1. Click the Data riser on the DataFlux Data Management Studio desktop.
2. Select the New Data Connection menu in the Data Connections pane on the right. Then select Domain Enabled ODBC Connection to display the connection dialog that is shown in the previous Overview section.
3. Enter a Name and Description for the domain-enabled connection.
4. In the ODBC DSN field, select a standard ODBC connection to a resource that you want to access.
5. In the Domain name field, enter the name of the authentication server domain for the same resource that is specified in the ODBC connection.
6. Test the connection by clicking Test Connection.
7. Click OK to save the new connection and return to the Data riser.
8. Refresh the Data riser in order to see the new connection in the Data Connections folder in the left pane. Select View, and then select Refresh from the main menu. The new connection should appear in the Data Connections folder.

Using a Domain-Enabled ODBC Connection in a Batch Job

When a job is executed in batch mode, any user credentials that are required by data connections in the job must be retrieved at run-time. One way to do this is to combine the following features: 

• An authentication domain from the authentication server that is specified for the DataFlux Data Management Server that executes the job. The authentication server could be either a DataFlux Authentication Server or a SAS Metadata Server.
• A domain-enabled ODBC connection, as described above.
• A method for programmatically logging in to the authentication server in order to access DBMS logins. For an example, see Run a Job with a DSN That Specifies an Authentication Server Domain.