This page is for administrators who need to connect PhixFlow to external databases using Driver Classes.

Overview

The PhixFlow application uses database driver jar files to communicate communicates with:

• the database on which it is installed.
• an external database from which it needs to load data.
  This is configured using a Datasource in an analysis model.

To configure PhixFlow to communicate with a database, you mustPhixFlow needs:

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• The appropriate database driver jar files

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• in its Driver Class File Directory. This location is set in System Configuration.

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• A Driver Class

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•  for the

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• database. One driver class can have multiple Driver Class Files.

PhixFlow is installed with the database driver jar files (stored where) and preconfigured driver classes for the three databases on which it can be installed:

• MariaDB
• Microsoft (MS) SQL Server
• Oracle.

PhixFlow automatically uses the appropriate driver class to communicate with its own database. You can use these driver classes in a datasource. However, you cannot update their properties or see their driver class files.

You may need to configure additional database drivers to support:

• other types of database
• different versions a database.

How to Configure a Driver

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Class

1. Find out which (usually JDBC)  database drivers you require. This information is available in the documentation for your database. Also check the System Requirements and Compatibility page for supported versions.  Communication Communication to a database may require multiple JDBC driver files. 
2. Download the required JDBC driver files from:
   • the database supplier (recommended)
   • or an open source repository, such as https://mvnrepository.com/.
3. Save them to the directory that is set as the System Configuration → Driver Class File Directory specified in System Configuration. You need permission to add system files to do this. 
4. For each database, create one Driver Class, see Adding or Changing a Driver Class, below.
5. In the driver class properties , → Driver Class File section, add all the JDBC driver files that the database requires; see Driver Classes and Driver Class File Properties, below.
6. For each JDBC driver file specify its name. If it class file that is saved to a sub-directory of the Driver Class File Directory, specify it's relative path.

If you want to connect to any other database,

go get the database drivers  

save them into the PhixFlow directory System Configuration / Driver Class File Directory

set up your own driver class/ driver class file(s) to point to the driver classes

There are a set of driver classes in the repository.

They are deprecated. Don’t use them.

They are not linked to any database driver jar files.

To configure communication with a database, you need:

1. the appropriate database driver jar files saved to a location outside the tomcat directory.
2. A Driver Class and Driver Class File set up in PhixFlow. Together these specify the location of the driver jar files
3. we recommend that they stop using these driver entries and instead that they set up user-defined drivers
4. in the short term they may install the driver files into $tomcat/lib, but they should be aware that we will remove the ability to do this in a future release

PhixFlow requires access to the database driver jar files in order to communicate with a database. Use the driver class properties to configure with the details of the database, its driver and the location of the jar files.

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• MariaDB
• Microsoft (MS) SQL Server
• Oracle

PhixFlow uses the appropriate driver class to communicate with its own database.

. You can use these driver classes in a datasource. However, you cannot update or change the pre-configured driver classes, which are:

mariadb is functionally equivalent to mysql, and that in general you can use the  mariadb driver to connect to a mysql database.

Deprecated Driver Classes

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Deprecated Driver Classes

The repository includes the following, deprecated driver classes, for backwards compatibility. 

• DB2
• Debug JDBC
• Google Big Query
• Hadoop Hive
• MySQL
• Netezza
• Sun ODBC Bridge
• Teradata

Adding or Changing a Driver Class 

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_add _add

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To add a new driver, right-click Driver Classes and select 

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Driver Classes and Driver Class File

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Properties 

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properties properties

The driver classes configured in the repository populate the drop-down list in

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Driver Class File

This section has a toolbar with standard buttons. 

The grid contains a list of jar files and their file path.  To lists the jar files for this driver class. Each database usually requires multiple jar files. To add a jar file to the list:

1. Click

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   _add _add nopanel true

    to open a the properties for a new Driver Class File Location.
   (Driver Class File Location properties are only available from this grid. They are not listed in the repository.)

2. In the Basic Settings section, set:

   Field	Description
   Name	Enter a unique name for the driver.
   Connector Jar File Location	PhixFlow looks for jar files in the root Driver Class File Directory, that is specified in System Configuration. If this jar file is in the root directory, leave this field empty. If the jar file is in a subdirectory, specify the relative path.

   
   

3. Click 

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    to save and close the properties for and return to the driver class file.

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1. properies.

To remove a jar file from the grid, use the toolbar button 

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1. The Connector Jar File Location configured in for the driver classes file. 
2. tomcat/webapps/phixflow/WEB-INF/lib
3. tomcat/lib.

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