Creating JDBC data connections for the event project

Data connections are used to retrieve data from and send changes to external databases.

About this task

You must define all the sources of data for business object fields that are used in event rules. You must also define sources of data that are used to populate any action object fields that are not populated through event payloads.

For example, information about the value level for a customer (for example Gold or Platinum) might not be part of the data provided in the event payload but it is available from the customer master record contained in another database. Data connection definition is also required before a JDBC technology connector that references the data connection can be defined.

You can define as a hosted database any of the supported databases (for example, DB2®) for which a data connection can be defined. The hosted database must be accessible to Event Designer and to the event runtime server.

To define a hosted database:

Procedure

In the Event Explorer view, right-click then click New > Data Connection. The Data Connection wizard opens.
In the New Connection window, select Database using a JDBC connection, then click Next. The JDBC configuration properties window is displayed.
Data source JNDI name: Enter the JNDI name of the WebSphere® Application Server data source that is used by the data fetcher and the JDBC connector. You must specify the JNDI name if you are using the JDBC connector. The data fetcher uses the JNDI name if specified, otherwise uses the explicit JDBC properties specified for the data connection in steps 4 through 8.
JDBC Driver: Select the driver you want to use:
- DB2 Linux, Unix and Windows
- DB2 z/OS
- SQL Server
- Oracle
- Derby
If you are running Operational Decision Manager on z/OS® and you want to use a type 2 JDBC connection to access a local IBM® DB2 database, refer to information about the URL format for IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC and SQLJ type 2 connectivity in the WebSphere Application Server Information Center.
Click Edit JAR List to specify any .jar or .zip files that the JDBC driver requires.
Database: Enter the name of the database to connect to.
Host, Port number, and Default schema: Enter the connectivity details for the database.
User name and Password: Provide the appropriate details to permit the data connection to be accessed.
Note:
- Database manager-specific security constraints are respected by Event Designer when accessing a hosted database. You must provide the appropriate user and password combinations as defined in the hosted database.
- All tables and views associated with a database manager user and password are imported. To restrict the tables that are being imported, create a special user ID and password with access only to those tables that are required by Event Designer.
Click Finish and save your changes.

Results

In the Event Explorer view, the data connection name is displayed in the data connections folder. The associated tables and fields are displayed in the Outline view when you open the data connection for editing.