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 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 must:

1. Download the appropriate database driver jar files and save them to the Driver Class File Directory. This location is set in System Configuration
2. Configure a Driver Class in the repository. 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 may need to configure additional database drivers to support:

• other types of database
• different versions a database.

How to Configure Driver Classes

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. 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. 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.
6. For each JDBC driver file specify its name. If it 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.

PhixFlow is preconfigured with installed with the driver jar files and their associated  Driver Classes in the full repository

• 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

Present for backwards compatibility. We recommend you do not use the following preconfigured driver classes

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

Adding or Changing a Driver Class 

To create a driver class, in the full repository scroll down to the  Driver Classes section. 

To add a new driver, right-click Driver Classes and select  Add. PhixFlow opens a property tab where you can enter the details for the new driver.

To open an existing driver class, in the repository click on its name.

Driver Classes and Driver Class File Properties

We should point out that The Driver Class (File) GUI lets the user define the driver class, but not to upload the jar files using the GUI – you have to create the containing directories and install the jar files directly on the server.

The driver classes configured in the repository populate the drop-down list in  Datasource properties Basic Settings → Driver Class. 

For information about the properties toolbar, and about the sections Parent Details, Analysis Models, Description and Audit Summary, see Common Properties.  For a full list of all the PhixFlow property tabs and windows, see Property Tabs.

Basic Settings

Driver Class File

This section has a toolbar with standard buttons.

The grid contains a list of jar files and their file path.  To add a jar file to the list:

1. Click  Add to open a the properties for a new Driver Class File Location.

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 empty. If the jar file is in a subdirectory, specify the relative path.

3. Click  OK to save and close the properties for the driver class file.

Some databases require multiple jar files. Add a Driver Class File Location for each of the jar files.

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

Using Drivers Across Multiple Instances

If you run multiple instances of PhixFlow, you must ensure that any custom driver classes you create:

• are exported and then imported to other instances
• have access to the database driver jar file from the other instances.

This ensures that all datasource objects that use the database driver continue to work on the other 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 in the driver classes file. 
2. tomcat/webapps/phixflow/WEB-INF/lib
3. tomcat/lib.