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How to configure DbVisualizer to use a custom JDBC driver .jar file.

Rich Talbot
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Product: TIBCO Spotfire®

Problem:

How to configure DbVisualizer to use a custom JDBC driver .jar file.


Solution:

Since TIBCO Spotfire Server uses JDBC drivers to connect to data sources in Information Services via Information Links, it is often useful diagnostically to test a connection or query using the same JDBC driver outside of Spotfire.  If there are still issues connecting to a data source or in the query execution when using a 3rd party tool like DbVisualizer, then the issue is in the driver's connection to the database and not within Spotfire.  If there are no issues connecting or executing the query in the 3rd party tool, then Spotfire and its configuration should be investigated more closely.

 
You can test connections with any 3rd party tool, but this article uses DbVisualizer version 9.2.3. DbVisualizer has many JDBC drivers installed by default, but often you will either need to test with a specific .jar version or with a .jar file that is not included in DbVisualizer. This article describes how to configure DbVisualizer to use a custom JDBC driver .jar file.

How to configure DbVisualizer to use a custom JDBC driver .jar:

  1. Download and install the DbVisualizer tool. This article references version 9.2.3:
    • http://www.dbvis.com/download/
  2. Select "Tools" > "Driver Manager"
  3. Select "Driver" > "Create Driver"
  4. Enter "Name". This can be anything. For example: 
    • SAS/SHARE
    • myCustomJDBCdriver
  5. Enter "URL Format": This is the connection URL from the Spotfire data source template. For example: 
    • jdbc:sharenet://<host>:<port>
  6. In the "Driver File Paths" select "User Specified" tab and click on the folder icon.
  7. In the folder selection dialog, point it to the the JDBC driver .jar file.
  8. In the "Driver Class" dropdown, select the driver class associated with your JDBC driver .jar. For example:
    • com.sas.net.sharenet.ShareNetDriver
  9. Select "Driver" > "Close Window".

Your new driver will look something like the attached screenshot (Filename: DbVisualizer_Custom_JDBC_Driver_Configuration.png).

 

How to create a connection to your server using the new custom JDBC driver connection:

  1. Select "Database" > "Create Database Connection" to launch the "New Connection Wizard".
  2. Enter an alias for your connection and click "Next".
  3. Select your new driver from the dropdown. For example:
    • SAS/SHARE
    • myCustomJDBCdriver
  4. Enter the "Database URL" like the full connection string populated with actual values. For example:
    • jdbc:sharenet://mySASServer:8551
  5. Enter the "Userid" and "Password."
  6. Click Finish.


How to execute a query using the new custom JDBC driver connection:

  1. Select "SQL Commander" > "New SQL Commander".
  2. Select the "Database Connection", "Database", and "Schema" as needed.
  3. Enter your query and choose "SQL Commander" > "Execute (Ctrl+Enter)" to execute your query.
  4. If needed, change the "Max Rows" from the default 1000 rows to a higher number if you need to return more than 1000 rows.

 

External: DbVisualizer:

  • http://www.dbvis.com

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