Parallel Reporting and Star Schemas in OBIEE
The CData ODBC Driver for Parallel is a standard database driver that can integrate real-time access to Parallel data into your data warehouse or directly into your reporting tool. This article shows how to bypass the data warehouse and import operational Parallel data into Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE).
See the knowledge base for ODBC integrations with ETL tools like Informatica PowerCenter. For an ETL solution into Oracle Warehouse Builder, use the driver with the Oracle ODBC Gateway to Access Parallel Data as a Remote Oracle Database.
Connect to Parallel as an ODBC Data Source
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.
The Parallel API uses API Key authentication via the x-api-key request header.
Using API Key Authentication
Your Parallel API key is required to create a connection. To obtain your API key:
- Log into your Parallel account at app.parallel.ai.
- Navigate to Settings or API Keys in your account dashboard.
- Generate or copy your API key.
After obtaining your API key, set the following connection properties:
- AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
- APIKey: Set this to your Parallel API key.
Example connection string:
Profile=C:\profiles\Parallel.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';
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.
Import Parallel Metadata
Follow the steps below to use the OBIEE Client Tools to import Parallel metadata into an OBIEE repository. You can then integrate Parallel data into your business models.
Open the Administration Tool and click File -> New Repository.
- In the Connection Type menu, select ODBC 3.5 and select the CData DSN.
- Select the metadata types you want to import under the Relational Sources option and then select Parallel tables.
