A Connection in LityxIQ is a "pointer" to an external source of data. Some examples of connections to external sources include:
- Places in which files can be stored, such as FTP/FTPS/SFTP sites, Amazon S3, Dropbox, or Google Drive.
- SQL-like databases, such as SQL Server, Snowflake, PostgreSQL, or Amazon Redshift.
- CRM or other cloud-based systems, such as Salesforce or Google Analytics.
Generally, connecting to external data sources requires knowing information about that data source, as well as your credentials to access it. Before creating the connection in LityxIQ, ensure you have that information. This document will describe how to create a new connection and manage existing ones.
Managing Connections
To see a list of all available data connections that have been created in your LityxIQ instance, use the Tools menu in the left panel of the LityxIQ interface, and select Data Connections.
A table showing all available connections will be shown.
From here, you can create new connections using the Create New Connection button, or manage existing connections by selecting one from the list and using the Selected Connection button, or right-clicking an existing connection. The options are discussed in detail below.
Create a New Connection
Click the Create New Connection button. This will show the New Connection dialog:
Enter a name for the connection and an optional description. The name you provide here will be how this connection appears in the connection list, as well as in other parts of LityxIQ where selecting a connection is required (e.g., importing raw datasets). Click OK to open a dialog where you will provide the detailed connection information. This is described below under Edit Connection Settings.
Edit Connection Settings
The Edit Connection dialog will be available after creating a new connection, like discussed just above, or when editing an existing connection. Different types of connections have different settings. Generally, these include the location of the data source and username and password information. The example below for an FTPS connection will provide a good understanding of how to use the dialog for this and other types of connections.
Connection Type - select from this list the type of connection you wish to make. The options you see will be depending on what has been made available on your LityxIQ instance. An example of options you may see is below:
Connection Settings - Each connection type has different connection settings. For an FTP site, for instance, you will see settings like the following:
- Host - Enter the name of the FTPS host. This may look like ftp.mysite.com as an example.
- Port - Enter the port the FTPS site uses. For FTPS, the default port is 990, while other connection types will have different default port values. Generally, you can leave these default values, but you will need to check with your system administrator if you are having problems connecting.
- Username/Password - Enter your username and password for the FTPS site.
Authorization Codes and the Begin Authorization link - Some connections, such as connections to Google tools, require the user to separately authenticate with the data provider. In these cases, you will see a link such as "Begin Authorization with Google BigQuery" under the settings options. You will need to click this button and authenticate yourself with the provider in a separate window that will open (usually using your username and password with that provider). If successful, you will receive an authorization code which you will then paste into the LityxIQ Authorization Code box.
Test Connection Button - Once you have entered the above information, click this button to perform a test of LityxIQ ability to connect to the data source. You will receive either a Success message or an error message. If you receive an error, it may be that you were provided incorrect information, you have entered it incorrectly, or in some cases the data source itself may not be available. There are some instances that might require more attention from your technical staff, for example, if your data source is behind a firewall and can only accept connections from white-listed IP addresses. Contact support in this case and Lityx can provide you an IP address to whitelist.
Other Options for Managing Connections
When clicking a connection in the available connections list, the Selected Connection menu provides a number of options described below.
Change Name/Description - This opens a dialog that lets you change the name or description of the connection. This is the same as the dialog that appears when you first create a new connection.
Edit Connection Settings - This opens the Edit Connection dialog as described above.
Edit Permissions - This allows you to change who (users and/or groups within LityxIQ) can have access to this connection. Those without permission will not see the connection listed in the available connections list, or in any other area where a connection needs to be selected. See https://support.lityxiq.com/331940-Using-the-Permissions-Setting-Dialog for information on using the Permissions dialog.
Delete - Use this to permanently delete a connection from LityxIQ. You will first be asked to confirm deletion.