Exploring and defining connections

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You can configure and manage connections to supported data sources in IBM® Optim Data Privacy.

Establishing secure and reliable connections is a prerequisite for creating access definitions, subsetting, masking, and running flows.

You can use IBM Optim Data Privacy to connect to a range of relational and non-relational databases. IBM Optim includes a centralized interface for managing connection metadata. For information about supported database types, see Supported data sources and targets.

Who can complete this task?

Administrators or users can create connections. Standard users can only see and work with the connections that they created. Administrators can see and work with all connections in the system, regardless of who created them.

Creating connections

To create a new connection using the IBM Optim UI, click New connection. For more information about defining new connections, see Creating a connection.

Exploring connections

To explore existing connections:
  1. From the navigation menu, click Connections icon Connections.
  2. Review the connections table to see key information about each connection at a glance.
  3. To open a connection and browse its contents, click the connection name. The data explorer page opens with the selected connection already open.
  4. Select the schema that you want to explore.
  5. Within the schema, locate the table that you want to view, then click the table's View details icon. The table details open in the main viewing panel.
    • In the Columns tab, view details about the data columns in this table.
    • In the Data sample tab, view a sample of the data rows in this table.
  6. Optionally, browse and select other tables for viewing. Each table you select for viewing opens in a new tab so that you can easily compare data across tables, schemas, and connections.

Tech preview connections

Tech preview connections enable you to connect to data sources that have been configured for use with IBM Optim but have not been fully tested end-to-end. This feature provides early access to emerging database integrations, allowing you to evaluate new connectivity options before they reach production readiness.

When you enable tech preview connections, data sources that are in preview status are clearly indicated with a Tech Preview tag. This transparency enables you to make informed decisions about using these connections in your workflows while the IBM Optim team continues validation and testing.

  1. From the navigation menu, click Connections icon Connections.
  2. Click New connection.
  3. In the Add connection page, locate the Show tech preview connections toggle in the upper right corner.
  4. Toggle the switch to On to display data sources that are in tech preview status.
  5. Select a data source that is tagged with the Tech Preview label.
  6. Enter the connection details as you would for any other connection type.
  7. Test and save your connection.