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How to add an SQL provider

Documentation Team
  • Updated

How to add an SQL provider

What are Integrations?

Dashboard Server Integrations allow you to create your own providers. Each Integration has it's own form to help you input the information required for different providers.

What is a provider?

Providers contain the connection details to external platforms. A provider only needs to be set up once and can then be used when creating tiles on a dashboard.

There are two types of integrations and therefore providers:

  • generic Web API providers that can connect to any REST API

  • dedicated providers that connect to a specific external platform or database (SQL, ServiceNow, Azure Active App Insights, Elasticsearch, etc.)

About SQL providers

An SQL provider contains the connection string to the SQL database you want to connect to. You can use Microsoft SQL Server or ODBC drivers for your connection.

Since Dashboard Server version 5.4 you need an SQL provider to use the SQL tile. Your Data Warehouse is available as a provider by default but if you want to use any other connection you'll need to create a provider.

If you created SQL tiles before Dashboard Server version 5.4, they were created with a connection string in the tile instead of a provider.
As soon as you update to v5.4 those connection strings will automatically be converted into providers. If identical connection strings are detected, they'll be merged into one provider.
The new SQL providers will be named in the following format: servername.databasename (if server and database name can't be identified they'll be named SQL provider 1, SQL provider 2, etc.)

Adding an SQL provider

  1. Make sure you have access to the database you want to use.

    Access to the SCOM Data Warehouse

    Access to the SCOM Data Warehouse is configured during the Dashboard Server setup process. If you are able to see graphs in Dashboard Server, SQL queries have access to the SCOM Data Warehouse (see How to check and reconfigure the Data Warehouse connection).

    Access to other databases

    To be able to query other databases, such as the Operations Manager database, the Dashboard Server application pool identity needs to be given the db_datareader role in SQL Server Management Studio for the database you wish to query.  See How to configure access to a database for use with the SQL tile

  2. Provider name:

    Enter a name for your provider that makes it easy for you to identify. You can't change the name after you created the provider.

  3. Driver and Connection String:

    The connection string depends on your database and the driver you've chosen:

    If you want to connect to the SCOM Data Warehouse:

    Tip: Dashboard Server already comes with a default SQL provider that connects to your Data Warehouse, so you don't need to create a provider for this connection. In case you deleted this provider, you can always recreate it with the following connection string:

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    global:dw

    If you want to connect to the Operations Manager database:

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    Server=<SQLservername>;Database=<OperationsManagerDatabaseName>;Integrated Security=True;

    If the SquaredUp server and SQL server are in the same domain you can just use the SQL server name, if they are not in the same domain you should use the fully qualified domain name.

    Tip: If the Operations Manager database is on the same server as the Data Warehouse you can use the Data Warehouse provider in your tiles, but you need to remember in the Query panel that you have to put the following in front of the query:
    USE <OperationsManagerDatabaseName>;

    If you want to connect to any other data base:

    With integrated security:

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    Server=<SQLservername>;Database=<DatabaseName>;Integrated Security=True;

    With username and password:

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    Server=<SQLservername>;Database=<DatabaseName>;User Id=<username>;Password=<password>;

    If the SquaredUp server and SQL server are in the same domain you can just use the SQL server name, if they are not in the same domain you should use the fully qualified domain name.

    If you want to specify an instance

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    Server=<SQLservername>\\<InstanceName>;Database=<DatabaseName>;Integrated Security=True;

    Example:

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    Server=SQLServer1\\Main;Database=CRMDB;Integrated Security=True;

    If you want to specify a port

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    Server=<SQLservername>,<PortNumber>;Database=<DatabaseName>;Integrated Security=True;

    Example:

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    Server=SQLServer1,51433;Database=CRMDB;Integrated Security=True;

    Note: You need to use 64-bit ODBC drivers.

    Note: When an SQL tile uses an ODBC provider, you can't use mustache values for your queries in that tile.

    If you are using an ODBC driver

    After you've set up your ODBC driver in Windows on the SquaredUp server, add the following at to your connection string:

    Driver=<Name of your ODBC driver>;

    Example:

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    Driver=<ODBCdriverName>;Server=<SQLservername>;Database=<DatabaseName>;User Id=<username>;Password=<password>;

    If you are using a System DSN

    Note: You need to use a System DSN, not a User DSN.

    After you've set up your System DSN in Windows on the SquaredUp server, enter the following instead of a connection string:

    DSN=<Name of your System DSN>;

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    DSN=<DSNname>

  4. Click save to save your new provider.