Connecting to a File-Based Data Source on a Network Drive

Transcription

1 Connecting to a File-Based Data Source on a Network Drive Overview idashboards is able to connect to certain file-based data sources, such as Microsoft Access, Excel, etc., through ODBC connections. When the database file resides on a network drive, however, idashboards is sometimes unable to connect to it through the ODBC connection. This usually happens because the idashboards application server is running under the Local System account or a user account, which is not able to access the network drive, or it does not recognize the drive mapping provided in the ODBC connection configuration. This document explains how to troubleshoot and fix this problem when the idashboards server is running on a Windows server. idashboards cannot connect to Access and Excel on an installation that is running a Linux or Unix operating system. This limitation is due to the fact that idashboards utilizes the ODBC drivers that are native to the Windows operating system that are not found on Linux or Unix. Running the Application Server under a Network Account By default, all Tomcat "services" are registered to run as the system user called the Local System account. The Local System account has no privileges to your network via any Windows-secured mechanism. A separate account for running Apache service(s) will need to be create. To verify which account the idashboards Application server is using log into to the Admin Application home page (See Figure 1).

2 Figure 1 In Figure 1, the account running the application server is MGENTRY-PC. This is the name of the Local System account on Windows operating systems later than Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP. Windows operating systems running Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP and earlier will display SYSTEM. The network authenticated service account that is created will need to have the ability to run the service and have access to the directory or directories on the network. After creating a network account, follow the below instructions to change the account running the application server. Do not right click the Tomcat Service Manager ( idashboards Server in an idashboards evaluation version) icon appearing in the Windows System Tray to change the Network Account as the changes will not be permanently registered. While the Tomcat Service Manager does not implement the "Log On As" feature, the Windows Services (services.msc) does. 1. Click on Start ->Run, type in 'service.msc'. You can also launch services application by navigating to Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services. 2. This brings up Services application. 3. For an evaluation install, search for the idashboards Service in the list of Services. If running a separate Tomcat installation, you will have to look for Apache Tomcat Service (See Figure 2). If you are using other Application Servers (JBoss, Web Logic, etc.) you will have to consult the respective documentation for the service name.

3 Figure 2 4. Right click on the service name and select Properties. 5. Click on the Log On tab and fill in the authentication details of the Windows user account that you want to run the application server in the This account: section of the window (See Figure 3).

4 Figure 3 6. Click ok to apply the new credentials. 7. Right click on the application server service again and select Restart to stop and start the service. Effective from the restart of the service, the application server will be running under the new network authenticated account. ODBC with Access and Excel The idashboards production installation supports 32-bit Apache Tomcat, but not 64-bit Tomcat. idashboards has not necessarily evaluated all other 32-bit and 64-bit application servers, although they may work properly. The idashboards evaluation version utilizes a 32-bit application server (Tomcat). These installations need to utilize 32-bit drivers to connect to Access and Excel data sources. If you have 64-bit ODBC drivers, which comes standard with a 64-bit system, the idashboards application may not properly communicate with your data source. An Excel upload from the Admin console might result in any of the following when utilizing 64-bit drivers: It will appear as though the upload was successfull but an Excel file does not show up on the Data Sources tab. You might get an error stating "[Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found and no default driver specified". After successfull upload, the created Named Ranges in the Excel file might not show up when you are creating a chart in the User application.

5 Resolution As mentioned, idashboards needs to run in a 32-bit application server. Please make sure to install the 32-bit AccessDatabaseEngine.exe for Office 2007 even if you have a 64-bit system. You can download the drivers from the following link: The Office 2007 AccessDatabaseEngine.exe drivers have been found to be more reliable for idashboards data sources. The Office 2010 AccessDatabaseEngine.exe drivers is not as stable. If you already have installed the Office 2010 version of the AccessDatabaseEngine.exe please uninstall and reinstall the Office 2007 version of the AccessDatabaseEngine.exe. You might to restart the system for the above changed to take effect. idashboards only supports the 32bit AccessDatabaseEngine.exe drivers. ODBC Connectivity via a System DSN In order to connect to a database on the Network Drive you need to create an ODBC System DSN (not a User DSN or File DSN), using the UNC notation for the file path. The following example will work for both Access and Excel. 1. Open the ODBC Data Source Administrator window. a. For 32-bit Windows operating systems, navigate to Start -> Administrative Tools -> Data Sources (ODBC). b. For 64-bit Windows operating system, open Windows Explorer and navigate to the C:\Windows\SysWOW64 folder and run odbcad32.exe. Launching the Data Sources (ODBC) on a 64-bit system will bring up the 64-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator window. 2. Click on the System DSN tab then the Add button (See Figure 4).

6 Figure 4 3. Select either Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb, *.accdb) for Access or Microsoft Excel Driver (*.xls, *.xlsx, *.xlsm, *.xlsb) for Excel then click Finish (See Figure 5). Figure 5 4. This will open up the ODBC Microsoft <Access/Excel> Setup window. a. Access

7 i. Type a name for the Data Source Name, and then click the Select button (See Figure 6). b. Excel Figure 6 ii. Type in the full UNC path in the Database Name field (so not select a mapped drive). The syntax for UNC path is: \\servername\sharename\directory\filename.mdb iii. Click OK to create the DSN. i. Type a name for the Data Source Name, and then click the Select Workbook button (See Figure 7). Figure 7

8 ii. Type in the full UNC path in the Database Name field (do not select a mapped drive). The syntax for UNC path is: \\servername\sharename\directory\filename.xls(x) iii. Click OK to create the DSN. 5. Login to idashboards Admin application. 6. Click on the Data Sources tab, select Generic ODBC from the (new) dropdown, and click the Add Data Source button (See Figure 8). Figure 8 7. Configure the new Data Source for the System DSN you just setup (See Figure 9).

9 Figure 9 8. Click Save to create the data source. ODBC Connectivity via a DSN-less Connection 1. Login to idashboards Admin application. 2. Click on the Data Sources tab and proceed to create a Generic ODBC data source. 3. Now instead of typing in the actual DSN name, type in the connection string with the UNC notation against the DSN property. Here are few examples: a. Access i. Assuming a database at \\servername\sharename\directory\filename.mdb. ii. Configure the DSN with the following: 1. Access database with a password: Driver={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb, *.accdb)};dbq=\\servername\sharename\directory\filena me.mdb;uid=admin;pwd=<password>; 2. Access database without a password:

10 Driver={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb, *.accdb)};dbq=\\servername\sharename\directory\filena me.mdb(.accdb); Figure 10 b. Excel i. Assuming a workbook at \\servername\sharename\directory\workbook.xls(x). ii. Configure the DSN with the following: Driver={Microsoft Excel Driver (*.xls, *.xlsx, *.xlsm, *.xlsb)};dbq=\\servername\sharename\directory\filename.xls( x);

11 Figure Click Save to create the data source. Title Heading 1 Heading 2 Heading 3 Body Bulleted list Item 1 Item 2 Numbered list 1. Item 1 2. Item 2

12