Getting Started with Connectors


Connectors are used to set up data connections and load data from external data sources, such as databases and data warehouses. The connectors can be seen as adapters which can translate data queries between Spotfire and an external system.

By accessing your data through a data connector, you can take advantage of the processing power of the external system while still being able to visualize the result in TIBCO Spotfire. Data connectors allow you to either import data and analyze it with the Spotfire data engine or to keep the data in the external system (in-database). Spotfire includes several connectors for different data sources.

To add a data connection to an analysis:

  1. Select File > Add Data Tables.

  2. In the Add Data Tables dialog, click Add.

  3. In the drop-down list, under Connection To, select the connector corresponding to the system you want to connect to.

    Note: If the connector is listed in gray text under Unavailable Connectors, you must install a data source driver on your computer to use that connector.

Drivers and required software

To use most connectors, you must install the appropriate data source drivers on your computer. You can use only very few of the connectors in Spotfire, without first installing a driver for the corresponding data source.

If a connector is listed in gray text under Unavailable Connectors in the drop-down list of data sources in the Add Data Tables dialog, it means you must install a data source driver on your computer to use that connector.

To install the required drivers for a connector, to make it available for use in Spotfire:

  1. Go to TIBCO Spotfire Data Source Drivers to find out what drivers are required to start using a connector, and where you can download the required files.

  2. Download and install the files on your computer.

  3. Restart Spotfire.

  4. To verify that you can now use the connector, select File > Add Data Tables. Click Add. The connector should now be listed as an available connector under Connection To in the drop-down list.

Comment: If you intend to work with the connector in Business Author or Consumer, a Spotfire administrator must install the driver on the Web Player server as well.

The connector name does not show up at all in the menu

If the connector name is not displayed at all in the drop-down list of data sources, you might not have the required license for the connector. Contact your Spotfire administrator to see if this is the case. If so, the administrator needs to either move your username to a user group with access to the connector, or the user group you are currently a member of needs to be granted access to the connector.

See also:

What is a Data Connection?

What is a Connection Data Source?