Connect to Essbase

You can create, edit, and delete a connection to Essbase and use the connection to create datasets from Essbase cubes.

Topics:

• Create a Connection to Oracle Essbase

• Create a Connection to Oracle Essbase Data on a Private Network

• Enable Users to Visualize Oracle Essbase Cubes Using Single Sign-on

You can also connect to private Essbase data sources via Private Access Channel. See Connect to Private Data Sources Through a Private Access Channel.

Create a Connection to Oracle Essbase

You can create a connection to Oracle Analytics Cloud – Essbase and use the connection to access source data.

1. On the Home page, click Create, and then click Connection.
2. Click Oracle Essbase.
3. Enter the connection details.
4. For DSN (data source name), enter the agent URL for your data source.

   For Oracle Analytics Cloud – Essbase use the format:

   https://fully_qualified_domain_name/essbase/agent

   For example: https://my-example.analytics.ocp.oraclecloud.com/essbase/agent.

   With this URL, you can connect without having to open any ports or performing additional configuration. Oracle Analytics Cloud – Essbase must have a public IP address and use the default port.

5. For Username and Password, enter user credentials with access to the Essbase data source.
6. Under Authentication, specify how you'd like to authenticate the connection:
   • Always use these credentials - Oracle Analytics always uses the login name and password you provide for the connection. Users aren’t prompted to log in.
   • Require users to enter their own credentials - Oracle Analytics prompts users to enter their own user name and password for the data source. Users can only access the data for which they have the permissions, privileges, and role assignments.
   • (Displayed if Oracle Analytics supports impersonation for this database type) Use the active user’s credentials - Oracle Analytics doesn't prompt users to sign in to access the data. The same credentials they used to sign in to Oracle Analytics are also used to access this data source.
7. Save the details.
   You can now create datasets from the connection.

Create a Connection to Oracle Essbase Data on a Private Network

You can create a connection to Oracle Essbase data on a private network and use the connection to access data.

You secure a connection to Oracle Essbase data held on a private network by using Data Gateway or Private Access Channel (for datasets or semantic models). For Data Gateway, your Administrator installs Data Gateway in your private network. Data Gateway then redirects queries to the Essbase host. For Private Access Channel, see Connect to Private Data Sources Through a Private Access Channel.

Before you start, make sure that your Oracle Essbase Marketplace instance has signed certificates.

1. On the Home page, click Create, and then click Connection.
2. Click Oracle Essbase.
3. Enter the connection details.
4. For DSN (data source name), enter the URL for your data source.

   These are the connectivity options to access Oracle Essbase on your private network:

   Note: When you specify the URL for your data source, <hostname>:<port> specify the hostname and port of the host accessible on the public internet that forwards traffic to your Remote Data Connector host.

   • The basic URL syntax:

     http(s)://<hostname>:<port>/essbase/capi/<private essbase host address>/<Oracle Essbase Agent port on the
           specified host>

     For example,

     https://myproxyhost.example.com:1234/essbase/capi/mylocalhost/1423

   • When Oracle Essbase is running on a secure port:

     http(s)://<hostname>:<port>/essbase/capi/<private essbase host address>/<Oracle Essbase Agent Secure port on the specified host>/secure

   • When Oracle Essbase is running on a secure port, with a self-signed certificate:

     http(s)://<hostname>:<port>/essbase/capi/<private essbase host address>/<Oracle Essbase Agent Secure port on the specified host>/secure/selfsigned 

5. Under Authentication, specify how you'd like to authenticate the connection:
   • Always use these credentials - Oracle Analytics always uses the login name and password you provide for the connection. Users aren’t prompted to log in.
   • Require users to enter their own credentials - Oracle Analytics prompts users to enter their own user name and password for the data source. Users can only access the data for which they have the permissions, privileges, and role assignments.
   • (Displayed if Oracle Analytics supports impersonation for this database type) Use the active user’s credentials - Oracle Analytics doesn't prompt users to sign in to access the data. The same credentials they used to sign in to Oracle Analytics are also used to access this data source.
6. If you're connecting to an on-premises database, click Use Remote Data Connectivity.
   Check with your administrator that you can access the on-premises database.
7. Save the details.
   You can now create datasets from the connection.

Enable Users to Visualize Oracle Essbase Cubes Using Single Sign-on

With an Oracle Essbase data source, you can use impersonation to enable multiple users to visualize data in Oracle Essbase cubes without having to log in twice.

1. In Oracle Essbase, create a user with permissions to impersonate other users (using the EssLoginAs functionality).
2. In Oracle Analytics, on the Home page, click Create, then Connection, and click Oracle Essbase.
3. In the Create Connection page:
   1. In DSN, specify the agent URL for your Oracle Essbase data source.
   2. For Username and Password, enter the credentials for the user that you created in Step 1.
   3. Under Authentication, click Use the active user's credentials.
4. Share this connection with the multiple users who need to visualize data. See task below.
   If they've already logged in with their Single Sign-on credentials, they can access the cubes without having to log in again.

Share a Data Source Connection

You can assign access permissions to the data source connections that you create or administer.

1. On the Home page click the Navigator. Click Data, and then click Connections.
2. Hover over the connection that you want to share, click Actions, then select Inspect.
3. Click Access, and use the tabs to grant access:

   • All - Share the connection with individual users or roles.

   • Users - Share the connection with individual users.

   • Roles - Share the connection with application roles (for example, BI Consumer), so that all users with those roles can use the connection.

4. Use the Add box to search for and select a user or role.
   The user or role is displayed in the list below with the default privileges Read-Only.
5. To change the default privileges, select one of the following:
   • Full Control - The user or role can use the connection to create datasets, and modify, rename, or delete the connection. They can also change the privileges for the connection.
   • Read-Write - The user or role can use the connection to create datasets, and modify or rename the connection (but not delete it).
   • Read-Only - The user or role can use the connection to create datasets, but not change the connection details.
6. Click Save.

When users next log in, they can use connections that you've shared to visualize data from this database.