Creating a database alias

The New Database Alias dialog is displayed.

The providers support ODBO and XMLA drivers. Both drivers provide the same functionality but, for ODBO, the driver must be installed on each client machine. Either driver may perform better than the other, depending on the database used and its environment.

To connect to a local cube, see Using a local cube file (Analysis Services only).

Each database has a secured and an unsecured connection. If you select the secured databases, use https in the URL of the server.

Database aliases created in Office Plus are automatically available in Application Studio. The Connect at log-on option determines whether the alias will automatically connect when a user logs on to Application Studio.

Which authentication systems you can select depend on the type of database alias:

Authentication system	Explanation
Existing connection	Select this to log on to the database with the same credentials as you use to log on to Office Plus Existing connection works for: Infor OLAP aliases, regardless of the repository authentication. Infor CPM Relational Provider aliases only if the existing connection to the Repository is made through Applications authentication.
Basic	Provide the user name and password of an Office Plus user.
Windows	The log-on data of the Windows account are used. the properties User name and Password are disabled.
Kerberos	The log-on data of the Windows account are used. The Kerberos protocol authenticates the user. The properties User name and Password are disabled.
HTTP	A specified user name and password is used for the authentication. The authentication is executed via the HTTP protocol .

Here you set the connection time-out and command time-out commands. Any properties of the connection string used can be added in User-defined properties.

Different alias types display different fields on the Advanced tab.

Unique name style

The algorithm used by Analysis Services for generating unique names can make them unstable after some time. You can specify which algorithm is used to generate unique names:

Value	Description
0	Default. Currently the same as Value 2.
1	Key Path Algorithm. [dim]. & [k1]. ]&[k2].
2	Name Path. [dim].[n1].[n2]. Compatible with version 7 OLAP Services.
3	Unique names are stable over time. Compatible with SQL Server AS2K.
	See

Display description or name in Infor CPM Relational Provider database aliases

You can specify whether an Infor CPM Relational Provider alias displays descriptions or names of elements.

Add one of these strings to the user-defined properties of the alias:

captions=descriptions;

captions=names;

Measure dimension in Infor CPM Relational Provider database aliases

To specify which dimension is used as the Measure dimension, specify the name of the dimension in the Measure dimension field.

Display placeholder element

This determines how missing elements in ragged and unbalanced hierarchies are treated.

Value	Description
0	Default. Currently the same as Value 1.
1	Placeholder elements are exposed.
2	Placeholder elements are not exposed.
	See http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa256070(SQL.80).aspx

Run location

Determines whether queries are executed on the client or server.

Value	Description
0	Default. Currently the same as Value 1.
1	The best location (client or server) is selected by the PivotTable service.
2	Queries are executed on the client.
3	Queries are executed on the server.
	See

Support formatted notes

Infor BI OLAP and Infor CPM Relational database providers support plain and formatted cell notes in Ad-hoc reports. If formatted notes are enabled and you open a plain text note, you are prompted to save the note as a formatted note.

Note: Formatted cell notes are not supported in Alea Ad-hoc reports. If formatted notes are enabled on the database alias then an error message is displayed if you try to open a cell note in an Alea Ad-hoc report.

Language Id (LCID)

LCID is supported only by Infor BI OLAP Server and MS Analysis Services database aliases. LCID sets the preferred Locale ID for the client application.

OLAP Server database aliases support language cultures (for example, English) and sub-cultures (for example, English (USA)). To specify a culture or sub-culture, enter the appropriate code in the Language ID field. For example, specify 09 as the Language Id for English or 1033 for English (USA).

Microsoft Analysis Services database aliases accept both culture and sub-culture Ids, but use the sub-culture. For example, if you specify 09 (English) as the Language Id, the alias uses 1033 (English (USA).

If a process opens multiple connections, each must use the same LCID as the first.

See

To synchronize the database language with the report language, specify 0 as the LCID. In the connection string of the database alias, the LCID changes according to the report language selected in Extras > Language Settings.

Keep connection alive

The Keep connection alive option sends a dummy request to the server every five minutes to prevent inactive users from being disconnected. For OLAP connections, the option is effective if, in Database Settings in OLAP Administration, the specified HTTP/S session timeout is more than five minutes.

The option is supported by all the combinations of alias type and driver that you can select in the New Database Alias dialog.

Note:  Office Plus opens an XMLA connection and a native connection to OLAP Server if the OLAP add-in is installed and active.

See OLAP add-in.

The native connection is hidden from the New Database Alias dialog and does not support the Keep connection alive option.