Use the CData ODBC Driver for Sage 50 UK in MicroStrategy Desktop

MicroStrategy is an analytics and mobility platform that enables data-driven innovation. When paired with the CData ODBC Driver for Sage 50 UK, you gain database-like access to live Sage 50 UK data from MicroStrategy, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. In this article, we walk through adding Sage 50 UK as a data source in MicroStrategy Desktop and creating a simple visualization of Sage 50 UK data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Sage 50 UK data in MicroStrategy due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from MicroStrategy to Sage 50 UK, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Sage 50 UK 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 Sage 50 UK data using native MicroStrategy data types.

Connect to Sage 50 UK as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to Sage 50 UK follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments.

Note: Only Sage 50 UK 2012 and above are supported.

The User and Password properties, under the Connection section, must be set to valid Sage 50 UK user credentials. These values will be the same used to log in to the Sage 50 UK software.

Additionally, the URL property, under the Connection section, will need to be set to the address of the company dataset desired. To obtain the address, do the following:

1. If you have not already done so, open the Sage 50 UK software.
2. Click Tools -> Internet Options.
3. Select the SData Settings tab.
4. Click the Details button next to Sage 50 Accounts. A window is displayed containing a list of company names along with the address to their corresponding datasets.
5. Set the URL property to the value in the address field next to the company desired.

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 Sage 50 UK 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

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

Connect to and Visualize Sage 50 UK Data using MicroStrategy Desktop

In addition to connecting Sage 50 UK in MicroStrategy enterprise products, you can connect to Sage 50 UK in MicroStrategy Desktop. Follow the steps below to add Sage 50 UK data as a dataset and create visualizations and reports of Sage 50 UK 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 Sage50UK 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 Sage 50 UK data (see below) and click Execute SQL to test the query. SELECT * FROM TradingAccounts 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 Sage 50 UK data. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to Sage 50 UK, 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 Sage 50 UK in MicroStrategy Desktop, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on Sage 50 UK data. Read our other articles on connecting to Sage 50 UK in MicroStrategy and connecting to Sage 50 UK in MicroStrategy Web for more examples.