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🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

  • 1.  🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:02 PM
    In the previous Innovation Jams, we have asked about your process to set up connections in Cloud Pak for Data. Check posts #3 and #4 here.  We wanted to learn about your experience choosing a connection type and getting started to create the connection. We learned that some might make educated guesses or are uncertain of the connection type needed in the moment. 
    🎟 You can create a new connection, found in the menu under Platform Connections. You can find a Video library demo here (start @ 2:06). To create a new connection, you'll use one of the preconfigured connection types seen below. How do you decide which connection type you need? and, why? 

    You can find documentation for Preparing Data -> Connection Types here


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    Brett Witteck
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    #CloudPakforDataGroup
    #connections
    #InnovationJam
    #innovationjamjune2022


  • 2.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:10 PM
    My major concern is that due to the need to use long URLs for our Oracle connections due to the use of Oracle Connection Manager we are unable to use the Database Connection screens - the only workaround we currently know is to configure via Metadata Import.  This works but apparently doesn't allow us to use access controls on the database connection once it has been configured, and I'm also concerned whether this will continue to work as CPD evolves to the new implementation of Data Enrichment.  Working with IBM contacts now to try to get some answers on that.

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    Steve Prior
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  • 3.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:16 PM
    Wow,


    "This works but apparently doesn't allow us to use access controls on the database connection once it has been configured"




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    Martin O'Shield
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  • 4.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:23 PM

    Agreed Martin!

    This is far from an ideal solution.



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    Karen Gonzalez
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  • 5.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:42 PM
    I'll admit that I was quite surprised after all the access controls everywhere else in Cloud Pak that there were NONE on my database connections.  Took me a while to even notice because I had just assumed there would be some and I just hadn't focused on them yet.

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    Steve Prior
    Data Governance Technology Manager
    Interactive Brokers Group
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  • 6.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:22 PM

    Hi Steve.

    I don't have and suggestion/answer for you at the moment on this, but I have shared your comment with several stakeholders on our team to try and get you more info. I will get back to you.

    Thanks for bringing this issue to this forum!

    Karen

    UX Design - CPD Connections



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    Karen Gonzalez
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  • 7.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:40 PM

    Thank you Karen.  One of my other concerns related to access controls is that so far my understanding is that a CPD Database Connection is only limited by the privileges of the Oracle userid used to create it and there is no other ability to restrict that connection to a given schema.  Here's the situation I'm facing

    SCHEMA A has sensitive_rtab
    SCHEMA B has secret_rtab
    we plan to have a LOT of schemas in Cloud Pak, so we really want to have one database userid which has readonly access to all schemas to minimize work for the DBAs, lets call that R_CPD.

    Then in CPD we have
    Data Quality Project A which ONLY has access to SCHEMA A
    Data Quality Project B which ONLY has access to SCHEMA B

    Apparently if we could use the Database Connections screens we could create a "private" database connection for each project, but that doesn't actually solve the problem and here's why:

    In Data Quality Project A we create a private database connection using Oracle user R_CPD.
    In Data Quality Project B we create a private database connection using Oracle user R_CPD.

    But that's still a problem because the private database connection in project A is still unrestricted from adding a table from project B to project A, so project A members can see drill down data for that table.

    Now what we really want is for the following:
    In Data Quality Project A we create a private database connection using Oracle user R_CPD which is restricted to SCHEMA A.
    In Data Quality Project B we create a private database connection using Oracle user R_CPD which is restricted to SCHEMA B.

    Then we'd have actual security, but I'm told you can't do that with a database connection, and in our case we can't even use the new style database connection at all.



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    Steve Prior
    Data Governance Technology Manager
    Interactive Brokers Group
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  • 8.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 02:00 PM
    This is a great use case Steve!
    And I believe it is one we have been discussing recently. Unfortunately I will have to follow up on this question later as I am running off to a meeting. But I will get back to you!

    Talk to you later!

    Karen

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    Karen Gonzalez
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  • 9.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:44 PM
    Steve,
    I reached out to our Product Manager on this issue and confirmed that this is a missing property on the Oracle connector we use, to support authentication delegation. She confirmed that it is on her radar and has a ticket created to address this request.
    Thanks again for bringing this to our attention!

    Karen

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    Karen Gonzalez
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  • 10.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:47 PM
    Can someone please send me the details on that ticket so I can forward it to my IBM Customer Success team?

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    Steve Prior
    Data Governance Technology Manager
    Interactive Brokers Group
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  • 11.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:50 PM
    I will see what I can do!

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    Karen Gonzalez
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  • 12.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:17 PM
    Sometimes we face problems testing connections we try to create. We only get an message "test was unsuccessful.. Null pointer"  and this very disappointment. Trying to create an BOX connection is not easy. We have to guess and try an try to make test work.

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    Eliseo Marcelo Zabala Aleman
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  • 13.  RE: 🎟 1. Do you struggle with deciding which connection type is needed in Cloud Pak for Data?

    Posted Thu June 23, 2022 01:30 PM
    Thank you Eliseo.
    We are actively working on a comprehensive initiative for better messaging throughout our connection creation process, including error messaging and also in our documentation. Our intention is to address these improvements continually in our release updates throughout the rest of this year and into next.

    Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Keep bringing these concerns to this forum! They are read, valued, and brought into our work plan.

    Karen
    UX Design - CPD Connections

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    Karen Gonzalez
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