Data Connections

The Data Connections screen is where you configure the connections to the data sources you wish to use in the MAPS applications (Argos, FormFusion, and IntelleCheck). The MAPS applications do not connect directly to the databases themselves; they instead request the data from MAPS, which performs the database queries and returns the data. This means that the end users do not need to install any database providers on their local machines.

ADO Connections screen showing three connection pools: MAPS databases, MS Access, and Oracle.  Each pool has several connections under it.  The selected DEVL8 connection is authorized for use with FormFusion and Argos.

What is a Data Connection?

MAPS can use ADO (ActiveX Data Object) connections, native Oracle or MSSQL database drivers, the Cloud Connector, or the Salesforce connector to connect to data sources. The data connection is where you specify how MAPS should connect to each data source. You will need to create a data connection for each data source that you would like to use with the MAPS applications.

You can connect to many different data source types, including databases, flat files, web data connectors, and other objects. For ADO connections, the only requirements are that an OLE DB OLE DB is Microsoft's strategic low-level Application Program Interface (API) for accessing different data sources. OLE DB includes not only the Structured Query Language (SQL) capabilities of the Microsoft sponsored standard data interface Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), but also includes access to data other than SQL data. provider is available for the data source, and the data source can be queried using SQL.

Some examples of the databases you can connect to include:

Most databases have their own client or OLE DB provider. There are also third party authors of OLE DB providers if you cannot find one for the database you are working with.

If you cannot find an OLE DB provider for your database, but have a working ODBC connection, you can also use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers.

Note: After installing a database provider on the MAPS server, you must reboot the machine in order for the provider to be recognized.

Creating and Configuring Data Connections

IMPORTANT NOTE: You MUST add or edit ADO connections from the machine where MAPS is installed, either by logging on to the machine directly or via a Remote Desktop session, and launching the MAPS Configuration from there. Any ADO providers that you want to use must be installed on this machine. When selecting a provider in the ADO connection setup, the providers shown are those local to the machine you are working on. If you try to add or edit an ADO connection from a machine other than the server where MAPS is installed, the connection will fail because it is looking for a local provider instead of the one installed on the MAPS server. If you are using native database drivers instead of ADO connections, these can be edited from any machine, and will use the database driver installed on the MAPS server.x

Reminder:You may need to consult with your Database Administrator to obtain appropriate configuration information for each data connection.


Creating Connection Groups

Connection groups are optional groups for your data connections. If you have a large number of Oracle connections, for instance, you may wish to group them in a connection group so that you can quickly see that each of these connections is connecting to an Oracle database without needing to include "Oracle" in the name of the connection. Using connection groups makes it easier to find the connection you are looking for when working in an application, since they are sorted by type.

You can choose any name for your connection groups; it does not need to be the database type. You could have a group of development data connections, a group of connections for IntelleCheck only, etc.

To add a connection group, click the Add Group button. Then, edit the name of the connection group as desired.

Adding a connection pool for the "MAPS Connections"

You can add data connections to a connection group by selecting the group and clicking Add Connection. You can also drag and drop existing data connections into the connection group.

Authorizing Data Connections and Groups for use with Applications

In order to use a data connection with a particular MAPS application, you must authorize the connection for use with that application. Select the data connection that you wish to authorize. Then, in the Authorized for use with pane on the right, either right-click in the pane or use the Add Application button to select one or more applications to use this connection with.

Authorizing a second application for use with the Devl8 connection by right-clicking in the "authorized for use with" pane and selecting "add application"

You can also authorize an entire connection group for use with particular applications. Authorizing a connection group gives the same application permissions as authorizing each of the individual data connections within the group, and may be more efficient if you have large numbers of data connections.

Note: Authorizing a data connection for use with an application only authorizes the application-- not any users or groups-- to use that connection. You must also authorize the appropriate users and groups within the connection itself (see above).

Testing the Data Connection

There are two Test buttons that you can use when adding or modifying a data connection to ensure that your configuration is correct.

If this test fails and you believe the configuration is correct, make sure that the database provider is installed on the MAPS server, that the server has been rebooted since the provider was installed, and that if you are using ADO, you have performed the ADO connection setup from the machine where MAPS is installed (either directly or via Remote Desktop). You can also check to see whether you can connect to the database using outside tools such as Toad or PL/SQL Developer. If you are trying to connect to an Oracle database, you should ensure that the tnsnames.ora file on the MAPS server includes your target database, and that the PATH to tnsnames.ora is correct.

If you are having difficulty with any of these steps or have questions about configuring your data connections, please open a HelpDesk case and we will be glad to assist you.

Data Connection Configuration - Driver Properties

Data Connections - ADO/OLE DB Driver