Connect to Dynamics NAV Data in the Denodo Platform

Denodo Platform is a data virtualization product providing a single point of contact for enterprise database data. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Dynamics NAV, Denodo users can work with live Dynamics NAV data alongside other enterprise data sources. This article walks through creating a virtual data source for Dynamics NAV in the Denodo Virtual DataPort Administrator.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Dynamics NAV data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Dynamics NAV, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Dynamics NAV and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying allows you to work with and analyze Dynamics NAV data using native data types.

Create the Dynamics NAV Virtual Port

To connect to live Dynamics NAV data from Denodo, you need to copy the JDBC Driver JAR file to the external library directory for Denodo and create a new JDBC Data Source from the Virtual DataPort Administrator tool.

1. Download the CData JDBC Driver for Dynamics NAV installer, unzip the package, and run the JAR file to install the driver.
2. Copy the JAR File (and license file if it exists) from the installation location (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Dynamics NAV\lib\) to the Denodo external library directory (C:\Denodo\Denodo Platform\lib-external\jdbc-drivers\cdata-dynamicsnav-19).
3. Open the Denodo Virtual DataPort Administrator tool and navigate to the Server Explorer tab.
4. Right-click "admin" and select New -> Data source -> JDBC.
5. Configure the JDBC Connection:
   • Name: your choice, e.g.: dynamicsnav
   • Database adapter: Generic
   • Driver class path: C:\Denodo\Denodo Platform\lib-external\jdbc-drivers\cdata-dynamicsnav-19
   • Driver class: cdata.jdbc.dynamicsnav.DynamicsNAVDriver

   • Database URI: Set this to a JDBC URL using the necessary connection properties. For example,

     jdbc:dynamicsnav:http://myserver:7048;User=myserver\Administrator;Password=admin;ServerInstance=DYNAMICSNAV71;

     Information on creating the Database URI follows:

     Built-In Connection String Designer

     For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Dynamics NAV JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

     java -jar cdata.jdbc.dynamicsnav.jar

     Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

     Before you can connect, OData Services will need to be enabled on the server. Once OData Services are enabled, you will be able to query any Services that are published on the server.

     The User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid Dynamics NAV user credentials. In addition, you will need to specify a URL to a valid Dynamics NAV server organization root and a ServerInstance. If there is not a Service Default Company for the server, you will need to set the Company as well.

6. Click the "Test connection" button to confirm the configuration and click Save.

View Dynamics NAV Data in the VirtualPort Administrator Tool

After creating the data source, you can create a base view of Dynamics NAV data for use in the Denodo Platform.

1. Click the "Create base view" button in the newly created VirtualPort (admin.DynamicsNAV).
2. Expand the object tree and select the objects (tables) you wish to import.
3. Click the "Create selected" button to create views of the Dynamics NAV data.
   Optional: Click "Create associations from foreign keys" to define relationships between the objects.
4. With the view(s) created, navigate to a table (cdata_dynamicsnav_customer) in the Server Explorer and double-click the selected table.
5. In the new tab, click "Execution panel" to open a query panel.
6. Customize the query in the "Execute" tab or use the default:

   SELECT * FROM cdata_dynamicsnav_customer CONTEXT ('i18n'='us_est', 'cache_wait_for_load'='true')
   

7. Click Execute to view the data.

With the base view created, you can now work with live Dynamics NAV data like you would any other data source in Denodo Platform, for example, querying Dynamics NAV in the Denodo Data Catalog.

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Dynamics NAV and start working with your live Dynamics NAV data in Denodo Platform. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.