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ODBC (via Direct Access gateway)

The ODBC (via Direct Access gateway) connector allows you to access ODBC data stores that do not have an associated connector in Qlik Cloud. Connections can be configured by selecting ODBC (via Direct Access gateway) from the list of connectors in the Qlik Sense Add data connection or Data load editor dialogs.

Information noteRequires Direct Access gateway 1.5.2 or later.
Information noteIndustry-accepted best practices must be followed when using or allowing access through the ODBC Connector. Administrators must follow The Principle of Least Privilege when setting up source database privileges and permissions.
Warning noteThe ODBC (via Direct Access gateway) connector supports 64-bit Unicode (not ANSI) ODBC drivers based on ODBC 3.x standards only.

Verifying the driver is installed

An ODBC driver for your ODBC data source must be installed on the Qlik Data Gateway - Direct Access machine for Qlik Sense to be able to access your database. Best practice is to always install the latest driver. Please refer to the vendor's documentation for download and installation instructions. You can verify which version is installed in the ODBC Data Source Administrator.

To do this:

  1. On the Direct Access gateway machine, open the ODBC Data Source Administrator by entering odbcad32.exe in the Type here to search box in the bottom left of your screen and pressing [Enter].
  2. In the ODBC Data Source Administrator window (64-bit) dialog, select the Drivers tab and verify that the correct driver version is installed.

Creating a System DSN

You can access your data source by specifying the System DSN or by selecting the driver and configuring a connection string. You can use the ODBC Data Source Administrator to create a System DSN if one does not exist for your data source.

Information noteUser DSNs are not supported.

Before you begin

Obtain the following configuration information from your data source system administrator:

  • The database server host name or IP address.
  • The name of the database (and schema, if the database supports multiple schemas)
  • A valid user name for accessing the system or data source
  • A valid password for accessing the system or data source

Procedure

To create a System DSN, do the following:

  1. On the Direct Access gateway machine, open the ODBC Data Source Administrator by entering odbcad32.exe in the Type here to search box in the bottom left of your screen and pressing [Enter].
  2. In the ODBC Data Source Administrator window (64-bit) dialog, select the System DSN tab.

  3. Click Add.

    The Create New Data Source window opens.

  4. Select your driver and click Finish.
  5. In the Create a new Data Source to <you-data-source> wizard, configure the DSN and driver options.
  6. Click Test DSN (the button name differs according to your data source) to attempt to establish a connection to your data source.
  7. If the connection fails, review and correct your parameters and then try again.
  8. Finish the data source configuration by closing any open configuration windows.

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