IBM DB2 ODBC

This article outlines the integration with IBM DB2 ODBC, enabling streamlined metadata management through features such as crawling, profiling, querying, data preview, and manual lineage building. It also ensures secure authentication via Credential Manager.

Overview

Connector Details

Connector Category	RDBMS
Connector Version	Release7.1.1
Releases Supported (Available from)	Legacy Connector
Connectivity [How the connection is established with RDBMS System]	ODBC driver

Connector Features

Feature	Availability
Crawling	✅
Delta Crawling	❌
Profiling	✅
Query Sheet	✅
Data Preview	✅
Auto Lineage	❌
Manual Lineage	✅
Secure Authentication via Credential Manager	✅
Data Quality	❌
DAM (Data Access Management)	❌
Bridge	✅

Metadata Mapping

The following objects are crawled from IBM DB2 ODBC and mapped to the corresponding UI assets.

DB2 ODBC Object	DB2 ODBC Attribute	OvalEdge Attribute	OvalEdge Category	OvalEdge Type
Schema	Schema name	schema	Databases	Schema
Table	TabName	Table	Tables	table
Table	Table Type	Type	Tables	table
Table	Table Comments	Source Description	Descriptions	Source Description
Columns	Col Name	Column	Table Columns	Columns
Columns	Type Name	Column Type	Table Columns	Columns
Columns	Description	Source Description	Table Columns	Columns
Columns	Ordinal Position	Column Position	Table Columns	Columns
Columns	Length	Data Type Size	Table Columns	Columns
Views	View Name	View	Tables	view
Views	text	View Query	Views	View
Procedures	Routine_Name	Name	Procedures	Procedures
Procedures	Description	Source Description	Descriptions	Procedures
Procedures	Routine_Definition	Procedure	Procedures	Procedures
Functions	Routine_Name	Name	Functions	Functions
Functions	Routine_Definition	Function	Functions	Functions
Functions	Description	Source Description	Descriptions	Functions

Set up a Connection

Prerequisites

The following are the prerequisites to establish a connection:

Whitelisting Ports

Ensure the inbound port is whitelisted for OvalEdge to connect to the IBM DB2 ODBC database.

If a different port is used, ensure that the updated port number is specified during connection setup, the port is whitelisted, and communication between the system and IBM DB2 ODBC is properly established.

Service Account User Permissions

It is recommended to use a separate service account to establish the connection to the data source, configured with the following minimum set of permissions.

👨‍💻 Who can provide these permissions? These permissions are typically granted by the Microsoft SQL Server administrator, as users may not have the required access to assign them independently.

Objects	System Tables	Access Permission
Schema	Sysibm.Sysschemata	Select
Tables	Sysibm.Systables	Select
Table Columns	Sysibm.Syscolumns	Select
Relationships	Sysibm.Sysrels	Select
Procedures & Functions	Sysibm.Sysroutines	Select
Views	Sysibm.Sysviews	Select
Schema Users	Syscat.Schemata, Sysibmadm.Privileges	Select
Table Users	Syscat.Tabauth, Sysibmadm.Privileges	Select

Connection Configuration Steps

Users are required to have the Connector Creator role in order to configure a new connection.

1. Log into OvalEdge, go to Administration > Connectors, click + (New Connector), search for DB2 ODBC, and complete the required parameters.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory for establishing a connection.

Field Name	Description
Connector Type	By default, "DB2 ODBC" is displayed as the selected connector type.
Credential Manager*	Select the desired credentials manager from the drop-down list. Relevant parameters will be displayed based on your selection. Supported Credential Managers: OE Credential Manager AWS Secrets Manager HashiCorp Vault Azure Key Vault
Connector Name*	Enter a unique name for the DB2 ODBC connection (Example: "DB2 ODBC_Prod").
Connector Environment	Select the environment (Example: PROD, STG) configured for the connector.
Connector description	Enter a brief description of the connector.
Connectivity Type*	The following three types of connectivity are supported for DB2 ODBC: DB2ODBC_DB_PARAMS DSN DSN with Password

DB2ODBC_DB_PARAMS

Field Name	Description
DB2 ODBC OE Application Instance URL*	Enter the instance URL of the server where the DB2 ODBC App was installed.
Server*	Enter the DB2 ODBC database server name or IP address.
Port*	Enter the port number of the DB2 ODBC database.
Database*	Enter the database name to which the service account user has access within the DB2 ODBC.
Driver*	By default, the DB2 ODBC driver details are auto-populated.
Username*	Enter the service account username set up to access the DB2 ODBC database (Example: "oesauser").
Password*	Enter the password associated with the service account user.
Proxy Enabled*	Select Yes to route API calls through a proxy server. Select No to bypass the proxy and connect directly.
Plugin Server	Enter the server’s name when running as a plugin server.
Plugin Port	Enter the port number on which the plugin is running.

DSN

DSN with Password

Default Governance Roles

Default Governance Roles*	Select the appropriate users or teams for each governance role from the drop-down list. All users configured in the security settings are available for selection.

Admin Roles

Admin Roles*	Select one or more users from the dropdown list for Integration Admin and Security & Governance Admin. All users configured in the security settings are available for selection.

No of Archive Objects

No Of Archive Objects*	This shows the number of recent metadata changes to a dataset at the source. By default, it is off. To enable it, toggle the Archive button and specify the number of objects to archive. Example: Setting it to 4 retrieves the last four changes, displayed in the 'Version' column of the 'Metadata Changes' module.

Bridge

Select Bridge*	If applicable, select the bridge from the drop-down list. The drop-down list displays all active bridges that have been configured. These bridges facilitate communication between data sources and the system without requiring changes to firewall rules.

1. After entering all connection details, the following actions can be performed:

   1. Click Validate to verify the connection.

   2. Click Save to store the connection for future use.

   3. Click Save & Configure to apply additional settings before saving.

2. The saved connection will appear on the Connectors home page.

Manage Connector Operations

Crawl/Profile

To perform crawl and profile operations, users must be assigned the Integration Admin role.

The Crawl/Profile button allows users to select one or more schemas for crawling and profiling.

1. Navigate to the Connectors page and click Crawl/Profile.

2. Select the schemas to crawl.

3. The Crawl option is selected by default. Click the Crawl & Profile radio button if both operations are required.

4. Click Run to collect metadata from the connected source and load it into the Data Catalog.

5. After a successful crawl, the information appears in the Data Catalog > Databases tab.

The Schedule checkbox allows automated crawling and profiling at defined intervals, from a minute to a year.

1. Click the Schedule checkbox to enable the Select Period drop-down.

2. Select a time period for the operation from the drop-down menu.

3. Click Schedule to initiate metadata collection from the connected source.

4. The system will automatically execute the selected operation (Crawl or Crawl & Profile) at the scheduled time.

Other Operations

The Connectors page in OvalEdge provides a centralized view of all configured connectors, including their health status.

Managing connectors includes:

• Connectors Health: Displays the current status of each connector using a green icon for active connections and a red icon for inactive connections, helping to monitor the connectivity with data sources.

• Viewing: Click the Eye icon next to the connector name to view connector details, including databases, tables, columns, and codes.

Nine Dots Menu Options:

To view, edit, validate, configure, or delete connectors, click on the Nine Dots menu.

• Edit Connector: Update and revalidate the data source.

• Validate Connector: Check the connection's integrity.

• Settings: Modify connector settings.

  • Crawler: Configure data extraction.

  • Profiler: Customize data profiling rules and methods.

  • Query Policies: Define query execution rules based on roles.

  • Access Instructions: Add notes on how data can be accessed.

  • Business Glossary Settings: Manage term associations at the connector level.

  • Connection Pooling: Allows configuring parameters such as maximum pool size, idle time, and timeouts directly within the application.

  • Others: Configure notification recipients for metadata changes.

• Build Lineage: Automatically build data lineage using source code parsing.

• Delete Connector: Remove a connector with confirmation.

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