MicroStrategy ONE

Creating Project Sources

Project sources represent a connection to a metadata database or a MicroStrategy Intelligence Server. The project source stores the location of the metadata repository or the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server definition that is used to run the project. Through a project source you can create, manipulate, and administer MicroStrategy projects.

When you create a metadata repository, by default it creates a server (three-tier) project source. You can use the Project Sources option in the MicroStrategy Configuration Wizard if you need to create multiple project sources or a direct (two-tier) project source. The steps to create the different types of project sources are:

You can choose to create project sources using a response file with the Configuration Wizard. This lets you provide users with a configuration file to complete the configuration tasks rather than requiring users to step through the Configuration Wizard. Creating and using a response file can be done using the Configuration Wizard interface or a command line tool available for Linux.

Creating a direct (two-tier) project source

A direct project source is used to connect directly to the metadata repository using ODBC. A direct project source connection does not allow you to access MicroStrategy Web, run Report Services documents, or use any of the other MicroStrategy features that are provided through Intelligence Server.

You cannot create a direct project source on Linux.

For Windows, the Project Source option is available only if the Developer product is installed on the machine.

To create to a direct project source

  1. Open the MicroStrategy Configuration Wizard.
  2. Select Project Sources and click Next.
  3. In the Project Source Name field, type a name for the project source.
  4. Go to Connection Type > Direct (2-tier), and click Next.
  5. From the DSN drop-down list, select a DSN for the data source that stores the metadata and specify a User Name and Password.
  6. You can also click New to create a new DSN (see Creating a DSN for a data source) and click Advanced to specify a metadata table prefix if necessary.
  7. Click Next.
  8. Select the authentication mode for the project source. For information on the available authentication modes, see the Authentication modes.
  9. Click Next.
  10. Review the summary information.

    You can click Save to save the configuration as a response (.ini) file to configure a direct project source on other systems or to run silent configurations at a later time. For information on running the Configuration Wizard with a response file, see Configuring MicroStrategy with a Response File.

  11. Click Finish .

Creating a server (three-tier) project source

A server (three-tier) project source is used to connect to the metadata using the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server. A server project source connection allows you to access MicroStrategy Web, run Report Services documents, and use all of the other MicroStrategy features that are provided through Intelligence Server.

When you create a metadata repository, by default it creates a server (three-tier) project source.

For Windows, the Project Source option is available only if the Developer product is installed on the machine.

To create a MicroStrategy Intelligence Server (three-tier) project source

  1. Open the MicroStrategy Configuration Wizard.
  2. Select Project Sources and click Next.
  3. In the Project Source Name field, type a name for the project source.
  4. Under Connection Type, select MicroStrategy Intelligence Server (3-tier), and click Next.
  5. In the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server Machine Name drop-down list, select the Intelligence Server to connect to.
  6. In the Port Number used by MicroStrategy Intelligence Server field, type the port number for the Intelligence Server to connect to.

    The port number is how the Intelligence Server process identifies itself on the server on which it is running. The default port number for Intelligence Server is 34952. If you use a non-default port number, this number must be provided while connecting through MicroStrategy Developer.

    If you set up a firewall between Intelligence Server and your MicroStrategy Web server, refer to the System Administration Help for steps to ensure the required ports are open to allow communication between your MicroStrategy systems.

  7. Select the Connection times out after (mins) check box to define and enforce a connection time out for inactive users connected to a project source. In the field below, type a numerical value (in minutes) for the amount of inactivity that is allowed before a user is automatically disconnected from a project source. If this check box is cleared, users are not disconnected from project sources due to inactivity.
  8. Click Next.
  9. Select the authentication mode for the project source. For information on the available authentication modes, see the Authentication modes.
  10. Click Next.
  11. Review the summary information.

    You can click Save to save the configuration as a response (.ini) file to configure a server project source on other systems or to run silent configurations at a later time. For information on running the Configuration Wizard with a response file, see Configuring MicroStrategy with a Response File.

  12. Click Finish .

Authentication modes

Authentication is the process through which the system identifies the user. Several authentication modes are supported for MicroStrategy project sources. They vary primarily by the system that verifies and accepts the login/password credentials provided by the user.

Some authentication modes require a server project source (three-tier). Therefore, if you are creating a direct project source (two-tier) some of the authentication options listed below cannot be used.

For information on the benefits of the various authentication modes and other authentication topics, see the System Administration Help

Network login ID: Windows authentication

To use Windows authentication, you must create users in the MicroStrategy environment and then link them to Windows users. If you use Windows as your network operation system and your users are already defined in the Windows directory, your users can access the MicroStrategy application without having to enter a login ID and password.

Login ID and password entered by the user: Standard authentication

When using standard authentication, the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server is the authentication authority. Intelligence Server verifies and accepts the login and password provided by the user. This information is stored in the metadata repository. When a project source is configured to use standard authentication, users must enter a valid login ID and password combination before they can access the project source. Each user has a unique login/password and can be identified in the MicroStrategy application uniquely. By default, all users connect to the data warehouse using one RDBMS login ID, although you can change this using connection mapping. For information on configuring connection mapping, see the System Administration Help.

Guest account: Anonymous authentication

When using anonymous authentication, users log in as Guest and do not need to provide a password. By default, guest users can access the project, browse objects, run and manipulate reports, but they cannot create their own objects or schedule report executions. However, you determine what the Guest user can and cannot do by modifying the Public user group. Guest users inherit their privileges from the Public group; they are not part of the Everyone group.

LDAP authentication

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) authentication identifies users within a repository of users stored in an LDAP server (such as Novell Directory Services). If you use an LDAP directory to centrally manage users in your environment, you may want to use LDAP authentication. Group membership can be maintained in the LDAP directory without having to also be defined in the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server. When using LDAP authentication, LDAP users or groups are linked to users or groups in the MicroStrategy environment.

Login ID and password entered by the user for the warehouse: Database authentication

This mode of database authentication identifies users using a login ID and password stored in the data warehouse database. Under this mode of authentication, a warehouse database is associated with each project. When users log in to a project source, they are logging in to the Intelligence Server. Use database authentication if you want the data warehouse RDBMS to be the authority for identifying users and you do not want to maintain user credentials in the Intelligence Server as well as the RDBMS.

Integrated authentication

Integrated authentication enables a Windows user to log in once to their Windows machine. The user does not need to log in again separately to MicroStrategy Developer or MicroStrategy Web. This type of authentication uses Kerberos to validate a user's credentials.