Use the CData ODBC Driver for JD Edwards in MicroStrategy Desktop

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

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

Connect to JD Edwards as an ODBC Data Source

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

The driver connects to JD Edwards through your Application Interface Services (AIS) Server. Set the following connection properties:

• URL: The base HTTPS URL of your AIS Server (e.g., https://jde-ais.example.com:8300).
• User: Your JD Edwards username.
• Password: Your JD Edwards password.
• Environment (optional): The JD Edwards environment to use (e.g., PD920 for production or DV920 for development). If not specified, the AIS Server's default environment is used.
• Role (optional): The JD Edwards role for the session. If not specified, the AIS Server's default role is used.
• DeviceName (optional): An identifier for the connecting device or application, used for auditing and logging on the AIS Server.
• Jasserver (optional): The specific Java Application Server (JAS) instance to route requests through, useful in clustered environments.

Choosing Which Data Is Exposed

JD Edwards organizes tables and business views by System Code, and the driver exposes each System Code as its own schema. Use these properties to control which schemas are available:

• DataModel: One or more ERP modules (comma-separated) whose System Codes are exposed as schemas, or All to expose every System Code in the connected instance. Defaults to FinancialManagement.
• SystemCodes: A comma-separated list of additional System Codes to expose alongside those from DataModel (e.g., 42,43).

When you connect, the driver sends your credentials to the AIS Server to obtain a session token and caches it. The driver requests a new token automatically before the session expires.

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 JD Edwards 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 JDEdwards Sys]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for JD Edwards
Description = My Description
URL = https://your-jde-environment-app.example.com
User = admin
Password = myPassword

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

Connect to and Visualize JD Edwards Data using MicroStrategy Desktop

In addition to connecting JD Edwards in MicroStrategy enterprise products, you can connect to JD Edwards in MicroStrategy Desktop. Follow the steps below to add JD Edwards data as a dataset and create visualizations and reports of JD Edwards 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 JDEdwards 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 JD Edwards data (see below) and click Execute SQL to test the query.

   
   SELECT * FROM AccountsPayable.AccountLedger
   

   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 JD Edwards data. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to JD Edwards, 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 JD Edwards in MicroStrategy Desktop, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on JD Edwards data. Read our other articles on connecting to JD Edwards in MicroStrategy and connecting to JD Edwards in MicroStrategy Web for more examples.