Configuring Adapters and Remote Servers in Developer Studio

In this section:

This chapter focuses primarily on the WebFOCUS Environments, Data Servers area of the Developer Studio Explorer, where you can access data and develop applications directly on a remote WebFOCUS Reporting Server using Developer Studio tools. The chapter describes the graphical tools that enable you to access data and create metadata, as well as several configuration variations that affect your selection and use of these tools.

Project-area options for data access and development are described in the Developer Studio Application Development Getting Started manual and all aspects of Managed Reporting administration are described in the Managed Reporting Administrator's Manual. Note that the procedures for accessing data and creating synonyms for use in the Projects and Managed Reporting environments are similar to those described in this chapter for WebFOCUS Environments.

The image below displays the WebFOCUS Environments, Data Servers area of the Developer Studio Object Explorer.

applications

The Data Servers area displays each WebFOCUS Reporting Server that the WebFOCUS Client can access and permits development against multiple Reporting Servers, which may be configured on any supported platform (as shown in the above image).

The Data Servers folder is always accessible from the Developer Studio Object Explorer. The folder lists the applications you have access to and the resources (files) stored in these applications.

The default WebFOCUS Reporting Server (named EDASERVE) is created during installation and is displayed in the Data Servers area.

In the previous image, notice that several remote servers have been added. An Applications folder beneath each WebFOCUS Reporting Server displays the directories based on the Application Root directory (APPROOT) for that WebFOCUS Reporting Server (on Windows, drive:\ibi\apps by default). For this example, a server called FLATIRON (UNIX Dev WF Reporting Server) is shown with its Applications folder expanded. Any directory located under APPROOT appears under the Data Servers Applications folder. In addition, you can map an application that is not under APPROOT (but resides elsewhere in the file system) to be accessible as a virtual application. The mapped application is displayed for use, along with the applications that are physically under APPROOT.

The Data Servers area gives you access to the file resources on all WebFOCUS Reporting Servers in your environment. You can create and manage metadata, procedures, HTML files, and WebFOCUS StyleSheets. You can also perform operations on GIF images and other files, such as FOCUS data sources. For organizational purposes, these application files are displayed in virtual folders labeled HTML Files, Master Files, Procedures, Maintain File, and Other.

applications

The virtual folders appear this way by default. However, if you wish, you can hide the virtual folders from the Object Explorer toolbar.

If you are developing applications using a remote WebFOCUS Environment, you must first set up your environment to be able to create synonyms (Master and Access Files) and access the associated data on a remote WebFOCUS Reporting Server. For details on how, when, and where to create this metadata, see Data Access Configuration Variations.


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Configuring the Application Path

How to:

While working in the WebFOCUS Environments area of Developer Studio you can configure the Application Path for a Reporting Server if you have the required user privileges.



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Procedure: How to Configure the Application Path
  1. Select the Reporting Server you want to configure from the Data Servers area, click on it to expand the Applications folder and from the Applications folder right-click and select Configure Application Path.

    The Application Configuration dialog appears as shown in the following image.

    Application Configuration dialog box

  2. Select the In Path check box for the Configuration Path you want to set.

    The following options are available in the Application Configuration dialog.

    • You can change the Application Path search order by moving the selected application up or down.
    • The Preview button displays the syntax of the Application Path statement that will be created.
    • The Test button performs a test against the Application Path and provides file statistics.
  3. Press OK to save changes and return to the Application Configuration dialog.
  4. Click Save to exit and save changes.

    If APPLOCK is set on the server, the option to configure the Application Path will not be available. In this case, you will see only applications that you are allowed to access and in addition other commands such as New Application, Create, Delete, Rename will be disabled.


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Showing Only Applications in Path

How to:

By default Developer Studio displays all applications available for the Reporting Servers based on Reporting Servers APPROOT directory configuration.



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Procedure: How to Show Only Applications in Path

You can select to view only applications that are in the Reporting Servers Application Path by selecting a server under the Data Servers area.

  1. Click on the Data Server to expand the Applications folder and from the Applications folder.
  2. Right-click and select Show All Applications to see all available applications as shown in the following image.

    show all applications

    If APPLOCK is set on the server, the options to control how applications are displayed is not available. In this case you will see only applications that you are allowed to access and in addition other commands such New Application, Create, Delete, Rename will be disabled.


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Data Access Configuration Variations

How to:

If you are working on the platforms served by Developer Studio (UNIX, Windows, OpenVMS, IBM i, and z/OS), you can use the Developer Studio Create Synonym tool to set up access to your data. This process involves configuring adapters, adding remote servers if necessary, and then creating the required synonyms.

Tip: Authorized administrators who prefer to work in a thin-client environment can complete these tasks from the Reporting Server Web Console, which is accessible from the Developer Studio Object Explorer toolbar. Both approaches edit the same underlying server files, so it does not matter which you use. For more information, see Using the Reporting Server Web Console for Data Access and Synonym Preparation.



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Procedure: How to Access the Create Synonym Tool

To launch the Create Synonym tool from the WebFOCUS Environments area of the Explorer:

  1. Expand your WebFOCUS Environment, expand Data Servers, expand the server, expand the Applications folder, expand an application, and right-click the Master Files folder for the application in which you wish to access the data source.

    If you wish to use the data source in multiple applications, or have not yet created your application, you can use the baseapp application, where resources can be stored for sharing and access by other applications.

    Tip: If you are developing from the Projects area of the Explorer, expand the project, and right-click the Master Files folder, then proceed as described.

  2. Select New and then Synonym.

    The Create Synonym tool opens. By default, no adapters are available. Your first task is to configure an adapter in order to be able to access a relational, multidimensional, or other type of data source.

    Note: If any adapters have already been configured for the server they will be listed under the Configured folder.

  3. In this instance, we are assuming that no adapters are available. Expand the Available folders icon, select the required adapter and press Configure as shown in the following example.

    Depending upon your needs, you can use this window to start configuring an adapter, adding a remote server, or both.

    • Configured. This folder contains any data adapters or remote servers that are already configured. By default, when Developer Studio is installed on its own, the Configured folder displays a Remote Servers folder that contains EDASERVE, the default WebFOCUS Reporting Server plus any other remote Servers that may be configured with your environment.

      You can use the Configured folder to add new connections and create synonyms.

    • Available. This folder lists the data adapters that you can configure on the WebFOCUS Reporting Server platform.


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Procedure: How to Access the Create Synonym Tool From Developer Studio Reporting Tools

When building a report, you can access the Create Synonym Tool directly from any of the Developer Studio reporting tools when you want to report against a synonym that is not available in the list.

  1. To launch the Create Synonym tool from Developer Studio reporting tools:
    • Click Create New from the Open dialog box, as show in the image below.

      Open dialog box

    • Click Create New from the WebFOCUS Table List dialog box, as shown in the image below.

      WebFOCUS Table List

      Note: When accessing a Developer Studio Tool in the Managed Developer Edition, the Create New button will not appear for developers without Data Server privileges. The Data Server privilege is optional for Developers and standard for Content Managers and Managed Reporting Administrators. This restriction does not apply to the full edition of Developer Studio.

    The Create Synonym Tool opens.

    The Create Synonym Tool dialog box

  2. Continue using the tool as described in this chapter. For more information, see Configuring Adapters and Remote Servers in Developer Studio.

When you have completed the synonym creation process, the new synonym appears in the list of available synonyms. You can then select it and continue to create your report request.


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Managing Adapter Configurations

How to:

While working from the WebFOCUS Environments, Data Servers area, or from the Projects area, you can manage Adapters by performing the following task.



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Procedure: How to Manage Adapter Configurations
  1. Expand your WebFOCUS environment, right-click EDASERVE, and select Manage Adapters. For the Projects area, select the root folder Projects on..., then right-click and select Manage Adapters.

    WebFOCUS Environment

    The Manage and Configure Adapter dialog appears.

    The Manage and Configure Adapter dialog box

  2. Select the adapter that you want to configure.

    Selecting the adapter to configure image

  3. Click Configure.

    The Adapter Configuration dialog appears as shown in the following image.

    An MS SQL Server adapter is issued for this configuration example.

    MS SQL Server adapter

    This dialog enables you to define connection parameters for the adapter including Connection Name, Server, Security, profile, and default database.

  4. Click Configure.
  5. Click OK when the Confirm prompt appears.

    A dialog appears to inform you that the adapter was successfully added to configuration.

    Successful dialog box information

    From the Manage and Configure Adapters dialog you can also manage existing adapter connections, change properties, add connections, test connections, delete connections, and create synonyms.

    The Manage and Configure Adapters dialog box


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Configuring Adapters in Developer Studio

How to:

If your machine has access to your data sources, you can configure adapters to access data directly. However, some adapters may require you to configure your environment before adding them. To determine if this is required for an adapter you wish to configure, see the Adapter Administration for UNIX, Windows, OpenVMS, IBM i, and z/OS manual.

When you configure an adapter, information is added to the edasprof.prf and edaserve.cfg server files.



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Procedure: How to Configure an Adapter in Developer Studio

From the Projects area, right-click on the root folder Projects On... and select Manage Adapters.

  1. Add Adapter.

    The Adapter Configuration dialog opens.

  2. Expand the Available folders icons to select from the list of available adapters and select an adapter to configure.
  3. Click the Configure button to add the selected adapter.
  4. Complete the connection information for your adapter.
  5. Click Configure.

    A message from the Reporting Server confirms that the adapter has been added to your configuration.

  6. Click Cancel to exit the tool.
  7. Or select Create Synonym to proceed and create synonyms for the configured adapter.

    When you open the Manage and Configure Adapters dialog the following options appear when you select a configured adapter: Create Synonym, Test, Delete, and Properties buttons appear.

  8. Click Test to test the connection.

    If you typed the correct connection parameters, sample data should appear.

    If the test fails, click the connection, choose Properties, and adjust your information accordingly.

  9. When sample data appears, click Close.


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Procedure: How to Add a Remote Server in Developer Studio

From the Projects area, right-click on the root folder Projects On... and select Manage Adapters.

  1. Expand the Configured folder in the Manage and Configure Data Adapters window of the Create Synonym tool.
  2. Select Remote Servers and choose Add connection.

    A window appears containing fields to define the connection.

  3. Complete the fields as follows.

    Basic Parameters

    Description

    NODE

    Type a name by which you will refer to the server. The name is your choice, but cannot be the same as any other server. It must begin with a letter and cannot be more than eight characters.

    HOST

    Specify the host name or IP address for the server.

    PORT

    Specify the base TCP port for the server. The default is normally 8120, not 8100.

    HTTP_PORT

    Specify the HTTP port for the server. This is normally one more than the base TCP port. The default is normally 8121, not 8101.

    SECURITY

    Specify how a user should log on to the remote server:

    • IWA (Integrated Windows Authentication, Windows only). Passes your Windows user ID and password to the server when a connection is made.
    • Explicit. Passes the user ID and password you provide.
    • Password Passthru. The user ID and password received from the client application are passed to your data source at connection time. This option requires that the server be started with security off.
    • Trusted. For a trusted connection, where the current logged on user ID is passed to the server.

    If the server is not on Windows and runs with security ON, providing an explicit user ID and password is required to create synonyms.

    user

    If security is set to Explicit, enter a specific user ID.

    password

    If you entered a user, provide a password.

    domain

    For a server on Windows, you can specify the domain where the user ID is defined.

    DESCRIPTION

    Optionally, type a description for the node. This description displays in the WebFOCUS front-end tools.

  4. When connecting to a Unified Server, click the Advanced tab and specify the SERVICE NAME, and other parameters, as required.

    Advanced Parameters

    Description

    SERVICE NAME

    CLIENT (servicename)

    Defines how to send outbound communications to a remote server.

    Servicename is optional. If servicename is provided, it must match the value of SERVICE in the service block of the server.

    HTTP_SSL

    Defines whether the Secure Sockets Layer protocol is used in the Web Console listener of the remote server. Enter:

    • 0 if no SSL is used in the connection to the Web Console.
    • 1 if SSL is used in the connection to the Web Console.

    COMPRESSION

    Activates data compression in a data transfer between the client and server. Enter:

    • 0 for no compression.
    • 1 for compression on.

    ENCRYPTION

    Defines the encryption. Enter:

    • 0 for no encryption.
    • DES for 56-bit fixed-key Data Encryption Standard.
    • Advanced, enables you to easily select and combine ciphers, modes, and RSA key lengths. This option provides the following ciphers: 3DES, AES 128, AES192, AES 256, and the following modes: ECB and CBC.
    • IBCRYPT for a user-defined algorithm. Key is 512-bit RSA-encrypted.

    Note: Encryption is not supported for the PIPE protocol. Only 0 and DES are supported for the HTTP protocol.

    CONNECT_LIMIT

    Defines the maximum time, in seconds, that the client will wait for a TCP connection response from the server. Enter:

    • -1 for an indefinite wait.
    • 0 for no wait.

    MAXWAIT

    Defines the time, in seconds, that the client will wait for a response from the server:

    -1 indicates indefinite timeout.

  5. Click Save when you have provided your parameter values.

    A message indicates that a new server was added.

  6. Click Cancel to exit tool or Create Synonym to continue and create synonyms for the new remote server.
  7. When you open the Manage and Configure Adapters dialog, the following options appear when you select a configured remote server: Create Synonym, Test, Delete, and Properties.

  8. Click Test to test the connection.

    If the remote server is started and you typed the correct connection parameters, sample data should appear.

  9. Click Close.

    If the test fails, click the server, choose Properties, and provide an explicit user ID and password. Then click Save and try the test again.

  10. Click Close.

Your next step depends on your objectives and your server configuration:


WebFOCUS