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Get the Report →Analyze IBM Informix Data in SAP Analytics Cloud
Use CData Connect Cloud to create an OData API on top of IBM Informix data and visualize IBM Informix data in SAP Analytics Cloud.
SAP Analytics Cloud is a cloud-based business intelligence platform. CData Connect Cloud creates a pure, cloud-to-cloud connection to IBM Informix and can be used to generate an OData API (natively supported in Analytics Cloud) for IBM Informix. By pairing SAP Analytics Cloud with CData Connect Cloud, you get true cloud-to-cloud connectivity to all of your SaaS and cloud-based Big Data and NoSQL sources — no need to migrate your data or write your integrations. Simply connect to Connect Cloud as you would any other OData service and get instant, consolidated access to all of your data.
In this article, we walk through connecting to IBM Informix from SAP Analytics Cloud (through CData Connect Cloud) to create a model and build a simple dashboard.
Connect to IBM Informix from SAP Analytics Cloud
To work with live IBM Informix data in SAP Analytics Cloud, we need to connect to IBM Informix from Connect Cloud, provide user access to the connection, and create OData endpoints for the IBM Informix data.
(Optional) Add a New Connect Cloud User
As needed, create Users to connect to IBM Informix through Connect Cloud.
- Navigate to the Users page and click Invite Users
- Enter the new user's email address and click Send to invite the user
- You can review and edit users from the Users page
Add a Personal Access Token
If you are connecting from a service, application, platform, or framework that does not support OAuth authentication, you can create a Personal Access Token (PAT) to use for authentication. Best practices would dictate that you create a separate PAT for each service, to maintain granularity of access.
- Click on your username at the top right of the Connect Cloud app and click User Profile.
- On the User Profile page, scroll down to the Personal Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
- Give your PAT a name and click Create.
- The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.
Connect to IBM Informix from Connect Cloud
CData Connect Cloud uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.
- Log into Connect Cloud, click Connections and click Add Connection
- Select "IBM Informix" from the Add Connection panel
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to IBM Informix.
Set the following properties to connect to IBM Informix
- Server: Set this to the name of the server running IBM Informix.
- Port: Set this to the port the IBM Informix server is listening on.
- Database: Set this to the name of the IBM Informix 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.
- Click Create & Test
- Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add IBM Informix Connection page and update the User-based permissions.
Configure IBM Informix Endpoints for SAP Analytics Cloud
After connecting to IBM Informix, create a workspace and virtual dataset for your desired table(s).
- Navigate to the Virtual Datasets page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
- Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
- Select the IBM Informix connection (e.g. Informix1) and click Next.
- Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
- Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
With the connection and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to IBM Informix data from SAP Analytics Cloud.
Create a Model of IBM Informix Data in SAP Analytics Cloud
With the connection to IBM Informix configured and the OData endpoint(s) created, we can create a Model for IBM Informix data in SAP Analytics Cloud.
- Log into your Analytics Cloud instance and click Create -> Model from the menu.
- Choose "Get data from a datasource" and select "OData Services"
- Choose an existing connection to your Connect Cloud OData or Create a new one:
- Set Connection Name
- Set Data Service URL to the Base URL for your OData API: https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
- Set Authentication Type to Basic Authentication
- Set User Name to the Connect Cloud user (e.g. [email protected])
- Set Password to the PAT for the above user
- Choose "Create a new query" and click Next
- Name the Execute, select an OData endpoint (like Books) and click Next
- Drag the columns you wish to work with into the Selected Data workspace and click Create
- At this point, a Draft Data source is created; click the draft to finalize the model
- Perform any transformations, including creating calculated dimensions, location dimensions, and combining data sources, then click Create Model
- Name your model and click OK
Build a Dashboard in SAP Analytics Cloud
With the model created, you are ready to create a dashboard in SAP Analytics Cloud based on IBM Informix data.
- From the menu, click Create -> Story
- Click on SAP Analytics Template (this article uses the "Dashboard" template)
- Choose a layout and click Apply
- From the More menu, select a visualization to insert (Chart)
- Select a model to visualize
- Select a structure and the required Measures and Dimensions
- Save the store
More Information & Free Trial
Now, you have created a simple but powerful dashboard from live IBM Informix data. For more information on creating OData feeds from IBM Informix (and more than 100 other data sources), visit the Connect Cloud page. Sign up for a free trial and start working with live IBM Informix data in SAP Analytics Cloud.