Creating a connection

The static and local connections are already listed in the connections table as are any remote connections that have been created. Create a connection to a remote data provider that you want to retrieve information from for such features as charting and dashboard creation.

Before you begin

Defining a connection to a remote data provider involves accessing the computer where the remote data provider is located, discovering the data providers, and selecting one from the list. You must know which network protocol is required, the host name and port number, and the user ID for authenticating with the host.

Procedure

  1. If the connections table is not already open, click SettingsConnections from the navigation tree.
  2. Click Create new remote provider icon Create New. Fields are displayed for specifying the connection to the remote data provider.
  3. In the Protocol field, select the application protocol for connecting to the remote data provider: HTTP or HTTPS-TLS (Transport Layer Security).
  4. Click inside the Host name field and enter the fully qualified name of the computer where the remote data provider is located.
  5. Click inside the Port field and enter the port number for the host system, such as 16311 for the Dashboard Application Services Hub server.
  6. Select the method of logging on to the data provider:
    • Use the credentials of the user (requires SSO Configuration) means to use the existing name and password that are registered with the federated repository. Select the first option if you want the same ID that was used to log in to the portal to also be used to access the remote data provider. Any portal user ID that is not registered with the federated repository for single sign-on receives no data from this remote data provider.
    • Always use the following credentials means to log on to the data provider with the ID that you specify in the Name and Password fields.
    Credential information is stored securely in the credential vault.
  7. Click Search to populate the table with the data providers that are on the host system.
  8. Click the radio button for a remote data provider to select it and fill in the remaining fields.
  9. You can edit the entries in the following fields or leave them as is:
    • Name is the same as the original data provider name.
    • Provider ID is initially Provider_ID.Host_Name. If you change the ID, the new name must be unique on thisDashboard Application Services Hub server.
    • Description is the same as the original data provider description.
  10. After you are finished defining the connection, click OK to save it and connect to the data provider.

Results

The connection is made to the data provider and the connections table Status column shows the progress: Pending, Working, Failed, No data sources, or Not configured.