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The Oracle ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with Oracle, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Oracle databases from virtually anywhere through a standard ODBC Driver interface.

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Use the CData ODBC Driver for Oracle in MicroStrategy Desktop


Connect to Oracle data in MicroStrategy Desktop using the CData ODBC Driver for Oracle.

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

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

Connect to Oracle as an ODBC Data Source

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

To connect to Oracle, you'll first need to update your PATH variable and ensure it contains a folder location that includes the native DLLs. The native DLLs can be found in the lib folder inside the installation directory. Once you've done this, set the following to connect:

  • Port: The port used to connect to the server hosting the Oracle database.
  • User: The user Id provided for authentication with the Oracle database.
  • Password: The password provided for authentication with the Oracle database.
  • Service Name: The service name of the Oracle database.

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 Oracle 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

[CData OracleOCI Sys] Driver = CData ODBC Driver for Oracle Description = My Description User = myuser Password = mypassword Server = localhost Port = 1521

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

Connect to and Visualize Oracle Data using MicroStrategy Desktop

In addition to connecting Oracle in MicroStrategy enterprise products, you can connect to Oracle in MicroStrategy Desktop. Follow the steps below to add Oracle data as a dataset and create visualizations and reports of Oracle 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 OracleOCI 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 Oracle data (see below) and click Execute SQL to test the query. SELECT * FROM Customers 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 Oracle data. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to Oracle, 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 Oracle in MicroStrategy Desktop, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on Oracle data. Read our other articles on connecting to Oracle in MicroStrategy and connecting to Oracle in MicroStrategy Web for more examples.