Pentaho Business Analytics

This article explains how to connect Pentaho Business Analytics to an Exasol database.

Exasol takes no responsibility for changes in functionality or terms of use for third-party tools. For more details about the compatibility and use of these tools with Exasol, refer to the respective software vendor’s website.

Prerequisites

  • A running Exasol database
  • Exasol JDBC driver must be installed. You can download drivers from the Exasol Downloads portal. For more information, see Drivers.

Connect Pentaho to Exasol

  1. Copy and paste the Exasol JDBC driver into the Pentaho server directory. The server directory is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Pentaho\server\pentaho-server\tomcat\lib

    2. Once done, you need to restart the Pentaho server if it is already running.

  2. From the Pentaho User Console (PUC), click Manage Data Sources.

  3. On the Manage Data Source dialog box, you need to define a new connection. Click the gear icon for more menu options and then click New Connection.

  4. The Database Connection dialog box is displayed as show in the below image. Enter the data connection information:
    • Connection Name: Enter a name for the connection.
    • Database Type: Set the database type to Generic database.
    • Access: Set it to Native (JDBC).
    • Settings:
      • Custom Connection URL: Enter the connection URL to your database instance along with the port number.
      • Custom Driver Class Name: Enter the drive class name, which is com.exasol.jdbc.EXADriver.
      • User Name: Enter the user name to connect to the database. This step is optional.
      • Password: Enter the password to connect to the database. This step is optional.

  5. Click Test to test the connection. A success message is displayed if a connection is established.
  6. Click Ok to close the Database Connection dialog box and then click Close.

  7. To be able to use tables that you need from the Exasol instance, you may need to create a new data source. On the User Console Home, click Create New, then click Data Source.

  8. The Data Source Wizard is displayed. Enter a name for the data source. From the Source Type drop-down list select Database Tables(s). Click Next.
  9. In the Connections section, select the connection you created in earlier (in step 3). Click Next.

  10. Select the schema you want to use from the Schema drop-down list and select the tables by moving them to the Selected Tables section.

  11. Click Finish. You will now be able to create dashboards and reports from User Console Home.