Use the CData ODBC Driver for EnterpriseDB in MicroStrategy Desktop

MicroStrategy is an analytics and mobility platform that enables data-driven innovation. When paired with the CData ODBC Driver for EnterpriseDB, you gain database-like access to live EnterpriseDB data from MicroStrategy, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. In this article, we walk through adding EnterpriseDB as a data source in MicroStrategy Desktop and creating a simple visualization of EnterpriseDB data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live EnterpriseDB data in MicroStrategy due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from MicroStrategy to EnterpriseDB, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to EnterpriseDB and utilizes the embedded SQL Engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can visualize and analyze EnterpriseDB data using native MicroStrategy data types.

Connect to EnterpriseDB as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to EnterpriseDB follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments.

The following connection properties are required in order to connect to data.

• Server: The host name or IP of the server hosting the EnterpriseDB database.
• Port: The port of the server hosting the EnterpriseDB database.

You can also optionally set the following:

• Database: The default database to connect to when connecting to the EnterpriseDB Server. If this is not set, the user's default database will be used.

Connect Using Standard Authentication

To authenticate using standard authentication, set the following:

• User: The user which will be used to authenticate with the EnterpriseDB server.
• Password: The password which will be used to authenticate with the EnterpriseDB server.

Connect Using SSL Authentication

You can leverage SSL authentication to connect to EnterpriseDB data via a secure session. Configure the following connection properties to connect to data:

• SSLClientCert: Set this to the name of the certificate store for the client certificate. Used in the case of 2-way SSL, where truststore and keystore are kept on both the client and server machines.
• SSLClientCertPassword: If a client certificate store is password-protected, set this value to the store's password.
• SSLClientCertSubject: The subject of the TLS/SSL client certificate. Used to locate the certificate in the store.
• SSLClientCertType: The certificate type of the client store.
• SSLServerCert: The certificate to be accepted from the server.

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Windows

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Linux

If you are installing the CData ODBC Driver for EnterpriseDB in a Linux environment, the driver installation predefines a system DSN. You can modify the DSN by editing the system data sources file (/etc/odbc.ini) and defining the required connection properties.

/etc/odbc.ini

[CData EnterpriseDB Sys]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for EnterpriseDB
Description = My Description
User = postgres
Password = admin
Database = postgres
Server = 127.0.0.1
Port = 5444

For specific information on using these configuration files, please refer to the help documentation (installed and found online).

Connect to and Visualize EnterpriseDB Data using MicroStrategy Desktop

In addition to connecting EnterpriseDB in MicroStrategy enterprise products, you can connect to EnterpriseDB in MicroStrategy Desktop. Follow the steps below to add EnterpriseDB data as a dataset and create visualizations and reports of EnterpriseDB data.

1. Open MicroStrategy Desktop and create a new dossier.
2. In the datasets panel, click New Data, select Databases, and select Type a Query as the Import Option.
3. Add a new data source and choose DSN data sources.
4. Choose the DSN you previously configured (likely CData EnterpriseDB Sys) and select Generic DBMS in the Version menu.
5. Set the User and Password properties for the DSN (or use placeholder values) and name the data source.
👁 Creating a new data source for EnterpriseDB.

6. Select the new database instance to view the tables. You may need to manually click the search icon in the Available Tables section to see the tables.
7. Create a SQL query for the EnterpriseDB data (see below) and click Execute SQL to test the query.

   SELECT * FROM Orders
   

   👁 Querying EnterpriseDB for data.
   NOTE: Since we create a live connection, we can execute a SELECT * query and utilize the filtering and aggregation features native to the MicroStrategy products.
8. Click Finish and choose to connect live.
9. Choose a visualization, choose fields to display (data types are discovered automatically through dynamic metadata discovery) and apply any filters to create a new visualization of EnterpriseDB data. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to EnterpriseDB, while any unsupported operations (which can include SQL functions and JOIN operations) will be managed client-side by the CData SQL Engine embedded in the driver. 👁 Visualize EnterpriseDB data.
   
10. Once you are finished configuring the dossier, click File -> Save.

Using the CData ODBC Driver for EnterpriseDB in MicroStrategy Desktop, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on EnterpriseDB data. Read our other articles on connecting to EnterpriseDB in MicroStrategy and connecting to EnterpriseDB in MicroStrategy Web for more examples.