Data sources
Description
The Data Sources store the database connection details used by the External Content Syncer. Terminalfour keeps the Database connection details separate from the import functionality as a security measure.
Data Sources Listing
To manage Data Sources, go to System Administration > Configure Integration Tools > Data Sources
This page does not become populated until at least one Data Source is configured.
From this page you can:
- View the Data Sources that have been configured and sort by Name, Username, Driver and URL.
- Use the Action button to Test, Edit or Delete Data Sources
- Create new Content Sync
Create New Content Sync
When you select Create new Content Sync the General Information screen is displayed:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | This is a mandatory entry. Give your Content Sync a name - it is recommended to make the name as descriptive as possible. |
| Username | Enter the username which has access to the database. This user only needs read access. If possible, try to restrict the tables to which the user has access to minimize the list of tables displayed when configuring the External Content Syncer. |
| Password | Enter the password for the username provided above; this password will not be displayed. Clicking the associated toggle can display and hide the password. |
| URL |
Enter the JDBC URL used to connect to the database. This should be in the format Example for MySQL: Example for SQL Server: Examples for CSV and XML Files differ depending on Windows vs Linux, and whether it is pointing to the file or the directory. Refer to the article about CSV File Content Syncers or the article about XML File Content Syncers for further information. |
| Driver |
Enter the driver that is used to connect to the database. Examples:
If you have not created a Content Sync to connect to this type of database before, a database driver may need to be installed. |
If you are satisfied with your inputs, then click Save Changes.
Test Data Source Connection
After creating a data source, test the connection to the database by using the action menu next to the data source list. Next to the Data Source, select Actions and Test connection. A notice will appear that is either a successful connection or an error.
Once the connection is successful, configure the External Content Syncer.
Delete Data Source connection
In the row of the corresponding Data Source, open the Actions drop-down list and select Delete.
A confirmation pop-up window appears and you can confirm your choice and Delete, or Cancel the action. Upon successful deletion, a green banner appears confirming the deletion, and the Data Source is removed from the list.
When a Data Source is deleted, you cannot recover the data.
Database Drivers
Terminalfour 8.2+ includes drivers to allow the External Content Syncer to connect to CSV and XML files.
The driver for the database used by your Terminalfour application (MySQL/MS SQL Server/Oracle) will already be installed. Drivers for other databases will require a separate install in order to sync with them.
To install other drivers, the driver (JAR file) should be accessible to the Terminalfour application i.e., included in the Terminalfour application's classpath. For example, the JAR file could be placed in the Tomcat's lib directory, or another location that is referenced by the Tomcat server.xml configuration file.
For further assistance, please discuss this with your Terminalfour server administrator or contact our support team.