TurboIntegrator (TI) processes in IBM Planning Analytics (PA) allow connections to various data. One option is an ODBC connection, which stands for Open Database Connectivity. This is an extremely reliable method that directly connects to an external relational database and allows you to extract data through a query.

This article explains how ODBC username and passwords are stored in each TI process, and how you can save time when passwords need to be changed using a new mass-update feature in IBM Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) modeling workbench.

When creating a TI that will utilize an ODBC connection, the first thing to do is to select “DB Connection” on the data source tab. The user must then select a connection and enter proper credentials to access the external database.. This username and password will be needed in each TI process that utilizes the ODBC connection.

 

There are multiple ways to go about storing credentials and there are differing opinions on the most secure way to do so. One way is to manually type credentials into the Data Source tab of each and every TI process . After a password is entered, a user cannot see the password due to PA’s encryption. Administrators are generally happy with this because the password is not publicly shown to anyone who opens the TI Process. However, the idea of manually entering passwords into every TI Process isn’t convenient in the case of a password change. An alternate method for storing credentials is to have a TI Process look up this information from a central location. This could be accomplished by storing the username and password in a global control cube. This solution is beneficial in the case of a password change because there is only one place to make an update, but this option holds potential risk. The password is shown as plain text in the global control cube, and if there is no security applied to the cube, then any user can see it. Even if there is added PA security on the cube, all PA administrators would still be able to see the credentials. The cube value could also be able to be accessed through the data directory.

IBM has recently offered a third solution. In Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW), there is an option through the workbench interface to mass update ODBC credentials. The username and password would still be stored individually in each TI and would be encrypted after input. With this update option, each TI selected would be updated and re-encrypted. The below steps outline an example of how to utilize this feature:

  1. First, open a “New workbench” in PAW

  1. Under “Databases”, click the vertical ellipsis next to “Processes” and choose “ODBC Settings”

3. To select all processes, check the box to the left of “Process name” (or select individual processes) then select “Edit” in the top right corner

4. In the case of changing a password, check “Change password” and type in the new password

5. Choose “Apply” in the bottom right corner

The ODBC Settings feature allows you to mass update all TIs that utilize ODBC in a secure and quick way. This is much easier than having to open every TI that consumes data via ODBC and manually update the credentials. Also, the automated encryption ensures that the passwords will be secure and cannot be read by other users.

Interested in Learning More?

Are you interested in finding out more about how to use the Planning Analytics Modeling Workbench? Then Contact QueBIT today and we’ll be happy to introduce you to this new tool!