Connect to Front Data in ACL Analytics

ACL Analytics, part of Diligent HighBond, is a powerful data analysis software primarily used for audit, risk management, and compliance. It enables professionals to examine and analyze large volumes of data to identify anomalies, trends, and potential risks or fraudulent activities.

CData Connect AI offers a dedicated cloud-to-cloud interface for Front, enabling analytics directly from live Front data within ACL Analytics, all without the need for data replication to a native database. With its inherent optimized data processing capabilities, CData Connect AI efficiently channels all supported SQL operations, including filters and JOINs, directly to Front. This leverages server-side processing to swiftly deliver the requested Front data.

Configure Front Connectivity for ACL Analytics

Connectivity to Front from ACL Analytics is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with Front data from ACL Analytics, we start by creating and configuring a Front connection in CData Connect AI.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection

2. Select "Front" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Front. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Front.

   Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the Front Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\Front.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for Front (see below).

   Front API Profile Settings

   Generate an API key in Front by navigating to Settings > Plugins & API > API.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Front Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Personal Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create.
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to Front data from ACL Analytics.

Connect to Front from ACL Analytics

The steps below outline connecting to CData Connect AI from ACL Analytics to create a new Front data source. The CData Connect AI Virtual SQL Server allows you to establish a connection to your data from integration tools that support connections to SQL servers. The Virtual SQL Server mimics the behavior of a traditional SQL server, and it supports a range of query options.

1. With your Analytics File open, select 'Import' --> 'Database and application'
2. Create a new SQL Server connection
3. Set the connection information
   • Server: tds.cdata.com
   • Port: 14333
   • Auth Scheme: Password
   • Username: a Connect AI user, for example, [email protected]
   • Password: the PAT for the above Connect AI user
   • Database: the name of your Front connection, for example, API1
   
4. Click "Test Connection"
5. Click "OK"
6. You are now ready to work with your Front data in ACL Analytics!

Live connections to Front data from your applications

ACL Analytics can now connect to live Front data directly through Connect AI, allowing you to analyze Front data without duplicating it.

To get live data access to hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your applications, try CData Connect AI today!