Use the CData ODBC Driver for DB2 in MicroStrategy Desktop

MicroStrategy is an analytics and mobility platform that enables data-driven innovation. When paired with the CData ODBC Driver for DB2, you gain database-like access to live DB2 data from MicroStrategy, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. In this article, we walk through adding DB2 as a data source in MicroStrategy Desktop and creating a simple visualization of DB2 data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live DB2 data in MicroStrategy due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from MicroStrategy to DB2, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to DB2 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 DB2 data using native MicroStrategy data types.

Connect to DB2 as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to DB2 follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments.

Set the following properties to connect to DB2:

• Server: Set this to the name of the server running DB2.
• Port: Set this to the port the DB2 server is listening on.
• Database: Set this to the name of the DB2 database.
• User: Set this to the username of a user allowed to access the database.
• Password: Set this to the password of a user allowed to access the database.

You will also need to install the corresponding DB2 driver:

• Windows: Install the IBM Data Server Provider for .NET.

  On Windows, installing the IBM Data Server Provider is sufficient, as the installation registers it in the machine.config.

• Java: Install the IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC.

  In the Java version, place the IBM Data Server Driver JAR in the www\WEB-INF\lib\ folder for this application.

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 DB2 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

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

Connect to and Visualize DB2 Data using MicroStrategy Desktop

In addition to connecting DB2 in MicroStrategy enterprise products, you can connect to DB2 in MicroStrategy Desktop. Follow the steps below to add DB2 data as a dataset and create visualizations and reports of DB2 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 DB2 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.
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 DB2 data (see below) and click Execute SQL to test the query. SELECT * FROM Orders 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 DB2 data. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to DB2, 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.
10. Once you are finished configuring the dossier, click File -> Save.

Using the CData ODBC Driver for DB2 in MicroStrategy Desktop, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on DB2 data. Read our other articles on connecting to DB2 in MicroStrategy and connecting to DB2 in MicroStrategy Web for more examples.