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URL: https://www.cdata.com/kb/tech/domino-cloud-apos.rst

⇱ Build Semantic Layer Views for HCL Domino Data in APOS Live Data Gateway

Build Semantic Layer Views for HCL Domino Data in APOS Live Data Gateway

👁 Dibyendu Datta
Dibyendu Datta
Lead Technology Evangelist
Use the CData Connect AI and APOS Live Data Gateway to build Semantic Layer Views for HCL Domino data.

APOS Live Data Gateway (LDG) serves as a data connection and data transformation solution, facilitating live data connectivity and broadening data source possibilities for SAP Analytics Cloud and other SAP solutions. When integrated with CData Connect AI, users have the capability to construct semantic layer views for real-time access to HCL Domino data, enabling real-time analytics on HCL Domino in a manner akin to working with a relational database.

CData Connect AI offers a dedicated SQL Server interface for HCL Domino, enabling data querying directly from HCL Domino without the need to replicate data to a native database. With pre-optimized data processing capabilities, CData Connect AI efficiently directs all supported SQL operations, including filters and JOINs, directly to HCL Domino. This harnesses server-side processing to swiftly retrieve the requested HCL Domino data.

Configure HCL Domino Connectivity for APOS Live Data Gateway

Connectivity to HCL Domino from APOS Live Data Gateway is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with HCL Domino data from APOS Live Data Gateway, we start by creating and configuring a HCL Domino connection.

  1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
    2. 👁 Adding a Connection
  2. Select "HCL Domino" from the Add Connection panel
    3. 👁 Selecting a data source
  3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to HCL Domino.

    Connecting to Domino

    To connect to Domino data, set the following properties:

    • URL: The host name or IP of the server hosting the Domino database. Include the port of the server hosting the Domino database. For example: http://sampleserver:1234/
    • DatabaseScope: The name of a scope in the Domino Web UI. The driver exposes forms and views for the schema governed by the specified scope. In the Domino Admin UI, select the Scopes menu in the sidebar. Set this property to the name of an existing scope.

    Authenticating with Domino

    Domino supports authenticating via login credentials or an Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) OAuth application:

    Login Credentials

    To authenticate with login credentials, set the following properties:

    • AuthScheme: Set this to "OAuthPassword"
    • User: The username of the authenticating Domino user
    • Password: The password associated with the authenticating Domino user

    The driver uses the login credentials to automatically perform an OAuth token exchange.

    EntraID (formerly AzureAD)

    This authentication method uses Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) as an IdP to obtain a JWT token. You need to create a custom OAuth application in Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) and configure it as an IdP. To do so, follow the instructions in the Help documentation. Then set the following properties:

    • AuthScheme: Set this to "EntraID (formerly AzureAD)"
    • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
    • OAuthClientId: The Client ID obtained when setting up the custom OAuth application.
    • OAuthClientSecret: The Client secret obtained when setting up the custom OAuth application.
    • CallbackURL: The redirect URI defined when you registered your app. For example: https://localhost:33333
    • AzureTenant: The Microsoft Online tenant being used to access data. Supply either a value in the form companyname.microsoft.com or the tenant ID.

      The tenant ID is the same as the directory ID shown in the Azure Portal's Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) > Properties page.

    👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
  4. Click Save & Test
  5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add HCL Domino Connection page and update the User-based permissions. 👁 Updating permissions

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

  1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
  2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
  3. Give the PAT a name and click Create. 👁 Creating a new PAT
  4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to HCL Domino data in the APOS Live Data Gateway.

Connecting to HCL Domino & Creating a Semantic Layer View

After configuring the connection in CData Connect AI you are ready to connect to HCL Domino in the Live Data Gateway Admin tool and build a semantic layer view in the Live Data Gateway Web UI.

Configuring the Connection to HCL Domino

  1. Log into your APOS Live Data Gateway Manager 👁 Logging into the APOS LDG Manager
  2. If you haven't already, update your APOS LDG license file
    1. Click File -> Configurations
    2. Click on the "..." Menu for the License
    3. Select the license file from the APOS team that includes your CData Connect AI license
  3. In the APOS Live Data Gateway Manager, click "Add"
  4. In the APOS Live Data Gateway On the Connection tab, configure the connection:
    • Set Data Source to "Database"
    • Set Database to "JDBC Generic"
    • Set Connection String to a connection string similar to the following, using the name of the connection you configured earlier, e.g. 
      jdbc:sqlserver://tds.cdata.com:14333;databaseName=Domino1
    • Set Driver Class to "com.CData.connect.Driver" (this should be set by default)
    👁 Configuring the Connection (Salesforce is shown).
  5. Click Test Connection
  6. Click Save
  7. Give your connection a unique prefix (e.g. "domino")
  8. Highlight the newly created connection and click File -> "Approve Users For Web UI" 👁 Approving Users For Web UI.
  9. Approve the appropriate DB users to create views and click "Save" 👁 Configuring which DB users can create views.

At this point, we are ready to build our semantic layer view in the Live Data Gateway Web UI.

Creating a Semantic Layer View

  1. In your browser, navigate to the APOS Live Data Gateway Portal
  2. Select a Connection (e.g. "domino")
  3. Set User Name and Password to your Connect AI username and PAT .
  4. Click "Login" 👁 Connecting from the Web UI (Salesforce is shown).
  5. Once connected, click "Semantic Layer" to create a new semantic layer view
  6. Click "New Semantic Layer View" 👁 Adding a new semantic layer view.
  7. Set the Semantic Layer View Prefix and Semantic Layer View Name 👁 Setting the semantic layer view prefix and name.
  8. Click "Step 2"
  9. Select the table(s) and column(s) you wish to include in your view 👁 Selecting table(s) and column(s).
  10. Click "Step 3"
  11. Select the Measures from the available table columns 👁 Selecting the measure(s).
  12. Click "Step 5" (we skipped the "Extra Dimensions" step)
  13. Add any Variable Prompts
  14. Click "Step 6"
  15. Define any Table Joins
  16. Click "Review"
  17. Review you semantic layer view and click "Save" 👁 Saving the semantic layer view.

With the Semantic Layer View created, you are ready to access your HCL Domino data through the APOS Live Data Gateway, enabling real-time data connectivity to HCL Domino data from SAP Analytics Cloud and other SAP solutions.

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