Creating an XML/A Connection

When creating an XML/A connection, the type of server providing the data determines the values you must specify. This section generally assumes you're connecting to a Mondrian connection stored in a remote JasperReports Server, but also provides some details about connecting to Microsoft SQL Server Analytic Services.

To create an XML/A connection:

1.

Click View > Repository.

The repository page appears.

2.

In the Folders panel, navigate to Organization > Organization > Analysis Components > Analysis Connections.

3.

Right-click the folder and select Add Resource > OLAP Client Connection.

The Set Connection Type and Properties page appears and prompts you to define a connection.

4.

In the Connection Type drop-down, select XML/A Connection.

The page refreshes and prompts you to define the XML/A connection.

5.

Enter general details, such as the name, label, and description of the connection.

6.

Enter the details, such as the catalog, data source, and URI, that define the XML/A source you want to connect to:

a.

Catalog: the name of the schema that defines the data cube.

b.

Data Source:

•

If you are connecting to JasperReports Server, enter full connection string. For example: Provider=Mondrian;DataSource=JRS

Note that, in previous releases, the DataSource portion of the connection string was the catalog name; in the current release, it is always JRS.

•

If you are connecting to Microsoft SQL Server Analytic Services and the connection will be used by OLAP views and reports created in iReport or Jaspersoft Studio, enter the full connection string. For example: Provider=MSOLAP.4;Data Source=172.16.254.1;Catalog=AdventureWorks

•

If you are connecting to Microsoft SQL Server Analytic Services and the connection will be used by Ad Hoc views and their reports, use the Microsoft SQL Server’s instance name. For example: Win-MyHost

When connecting to Microsoft SQL Server Analytic Service, the form of the data source depends on the way you plan to use this XML/A connection: • If you plan to use the XML/A connection to create Ad Hoc views, use the Microsoft SQL Server’s instance name. This is typically the name of the computer hosting Microsoft SQL Server. For example, if your Microsoft SQL Server instance is installed on Win-MyHost, the data source is: Win-MyHost. • If you plan to use the XML/A connection to create OLAP views, use the full connect string. For example, if your Microsoft SQL Server instance is installed on a computer with the IP address 172.16.254.1, and your catalog is named AdvnetureWorks, the data source is: Provider=MSOLAP.4;Data Source=172.16.254.1;Catalog=AdventureWorks

c.

URI (Uniform Resource Identifier): the identifier of the XML/A provider; typically a computer name or URL.

7.

Enter credentials (the user name and password) that Jaspersoft OLAP can pass to the remote XML/A provider to log in. If this user’s password changes, the connection fails. You can leave the User Name and Password fields blank, so the logged in user’s credentials are passed to the remote server when the connection is accessed.

If the name of the user includes a backslash (\), you must escape the character by placing a backslash in front of it. For example, consider the case when the user name includes a domain, such as domain\username; this is represented in the User Name field as domain\\username.

The credentials you define for an XML/A connection are transmitted to the XML/A provider as clear-text. Because of the security risk inherent in this approach, Jaspersoft recommends that you always specify a user name and password when defining an XML/A connection in order to prevent your users’ passwords from being transmitted. This user should have restricted rights in the remote XML/A provider. For more information, see section XML/A Security.

Your XML/A provider may be another JasperReports Server instance where local Mondrian connections have been defined. For more information, refer to section Working with XML/A Sources.

Set Connection Type and Properties - XML/A Page

8.

Click Test Connection.

Jaspersoft OLAP attempts to connect to the remote server:

•

If it can connect, a message indicating success appears.

•

If the connection fails, a message indicating the type of problem appears. For example, the message might indicate that a catalog with the specified name was not found in the data source; re-enter the catalog name and test the connection again. If a data source with the specified name isn't found, the message may indicate that no data source was found; examine your remote server's data sources, update the connection's details, and click Test Connection again.

9.

Click the Show Details link to learn more about the problem.

10.

When the test succeeds, click Submit.

11.

Click Submit.

The new XML/A connection appears in the repository.

	If you specify an instance of JasperReports Server as your XML/A provider (in the URI field), and it hosts more than one organization, specify the organization name in the User Name field, separated from the account name with the pipe character (|). For example, to connect as a user named joeuser in an organization named organization_1, specify joeuser|organization_1 in the User Name field.
	If you are logged in as superuser, you cannot use the Ad Hoc Editor to access data exposed through an XML/A connection. Instead, Jaspersoft recommends that you log in as jasperadmin or a non-administrative user when creating Ad Hoc views from XML/A connections.