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

Overview

The PhixFlow application can communicate with an external database from which it needs to load data. This is configured using a Datasource in an analysis model. 

To communicate with an external database, PhixFlow needs:

1. The jar files for connecting to a database, stored in PhixFlow's Database Driver File Directory. This location of this is set directly in the PhixFlow database, and is displayed in System Configuration.
2. A database driver configured in the repository. One database driver item can refer to multiple jar files.

Preinstalled Databases

There are three databases on which PhixFlow can be installed:

1. MariaDBMySQL
2. MS SQL Server
3. Oracle.

For each of these, PhixFlow is preconfigured with:

• jar files stored in in tomcat/webapps/phixflow/WEB-INF/lib 
• a database driver in the repository, which uses jar files.

You can use these pre-configured database drivers in a datasource. However, you cannot update their properties or see their jar files.

Additional Databases

You may need to configure additional database drivers to support:

• other types of database
• different versions a database.

How to Configure a Database Driver

1. Find out which 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 to a database may require multiple JDBC driver files. 
2. Download the required JDBC driver files from:
   • either the database supplier (recommended)
   • or an open source repository, such as https://mvnrepository.com/.
3. Save the files to the Database Driver File Directory. You need permission to add system files to do this.
   
   • If it has been set in the PhixFlow database, it will be listed in the System Configuration.
   • If it has not been set:
     

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4. In the PhixFlow application, for each type of database, create one database driver;
   1. In the full repository scroll down to the

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       section. 
   2. To add a new driver, click

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      . PhixFlow opens a property tab where you can enter the details for the new driver.
      1. To open an existing database driver, in the repository double-click on its name.
   3. In the database driver properties → Database Driver File section, add all the JDBC driver files that the database requires; see Properties Tab → Settings, below.
   4. For each jar file, specify the path to the file stored in the Database Driver File Directory.

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properties properties

The database drivers configured in the repository populate the drop-down list in

Settings

Basic 

Advanced

Database Driver File

This section has a toolbar with standard buttons. 

The grid lists the jar files for this database driver. Each database usually requires multiple jar files. To add a jar file to the list:

1. Click

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    to open a the properties for a new Database Driver File Location.
   (Database Driver 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	The root Database Driver File Directory, must be specified in System Configuration.  Specify a path, relative to the root Database Driver File Directory: either to a specific driver jar file or to a sub-directory that contains multiple driver jar files. For example: if the file is /opt/phixflow-drivers/BigQueryJDBC/driverfile.jar and the Database Driver File Directory is set to /opt/phixflow-drivers/ then enter: for Linux: BigQueryJDBC/driverfile.jar Windows:  BigQueryJDBC\driverfile.jar If you specify a sub-directory, all jar files will be loaded but further sub-directories will be ignored.

   
   

3. Click 

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    to save and close the properties and return to the database driver properties.

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

Using Drivers Across Multiple Instances

If you run multiple instances of PhixFlow, you must ensure that:

• a custom database driver used by a datasource, is moved with the datasource to another PhixFlow instance
• AND the database driver has access to the database driver jar file from the other instance.

This means all datasource objects continue to work in other instances. 

You cannot move the following system database drivers into a package:

• MariaDB/ MySQL
• MS SQL Server
• Oracle.

This is because they are installed on all PhixFlow instances.

How PhixFlow Decides Which Driver to Use

PhixFlow is configured with a class path for finding drivers. This will use the first appropriate driver it finds in:

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

Deprecated Database Drivers

The repository includes the following, deprecated database drivers, for backwards compatibility. 

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