Greenplum
This article outlines the integration with Greenplum, enabling streamlined metadata management through crawling, profiling, querying, data preview, data quality, and lineage building (both automatic and manual). The connector crawls schemas, tables, columns, views, functions, procedures, and indexes, supporting metadata discovery, profiling analysis, query execution, and lineage generation.
This connector connects to Greenplum using the JDBC driver and retrieves metadata from Greenplum system catalogs and information schema objects. Authentication is established using database credentials (username and password) with the permissions required to access metadata and data objects.
Overview
Connector Details
Connector Category
Data Warehouse
OvalEdge Release Supported
Release6.3.4 and later
Connectivity
[How the connection is established with Greenplum]
JDBC driver
Verified Greenplum Version
Greenplum 7 (Base: PostgreSQL 12.12)
The Greenplum connector has been validated with the mentioned "Verified Greenplum Versions" and is expected to be compatible with other supported Greenplum versions. If there are any issues with validation or metadata crawling, please submit a support ticket for investigation and feedback.
Connector Features
Crawling
✅
Delta Crawling
❌
Profiling
✅
Sample 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 Greenplum and mapped to the corresponding UI assets.
Schema
Schema name (SCHEMA_NAME)
Schema
Databases
Schema
Schema
Schema comment (obj_description(oid, 'pg_namespace'))
Source Description
Databases
Schema
Table
Table Name (TABLE_NAME)
Table
Tables
Table
Table
Table Type (table_type)
Table
Tables
Table
Table
Table Comments(description from pg_description)
Source Description
Descriptions
Source Description
Columns
Column Name (COLUMN_NAME)
Column
Table Columns
columnname
Columns
Data Type (data_type)
Column Type
Table Columns
oecolumntype
Columns
Description (description from pg_description)
Source Description
Table Columns
columndescription
Columns
Ordinal Position (ordinal_position)
Column Position
Table Columns
-
Columns
Length (character_maximum_length)
Data Type Size
Table Columns
columnlength
Views
View Name (TABLE_NAME)
View
Tables
view
Views
VIEW_DEFINITION/definition (VIEW_DEFINITION)
View Query
Views
View
Procedures
nspname
Name
Procedures
-
Procedures
nspname
Source Description
Descriptions
-
Procedures
PROSRC
Procedure
Procedures
-
Functions
nspname
Name
Functions
-
Functions
FUNCTION_DEFINITION
Function
Functions
-
Functions
DESCRIPTION
Source Description
Descriptions
-
Indexes
Index name
Index
Indexes
Index
Indexes
If unique
Yes /No
Indexes
Index
Set up a Connection
Prerequisites
The following are the prerequisites to establish a connection:
Whitelisting Ports
Ensure the inbound port “5432” is whitelisted for OvalEdge to connect to the Greenplum database.
The default port number for Greenplum is 5432. 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 Greenplum is properly established.
External Supporting Files
The required external JAR files are included as part of the OvalEdge installation artifacts. For driver installation and configuration details, refer to the Connector Drivers Setup Guide. Please contact the OvalEdge Team for assistance related to the driver files and configuration setup.
Greenplum 7
Use this file to enable connectivity with Greenplum. Place the file in the Third Party Jars folder.
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 Greenplum administrator, as users may not have the required access to assign them independently.
Crawling & Profiling
Schema
pg_catalog.pg_namespace
USAGE
Crawling & Profiling
Schema
INFORMATION_SCHEMA.SCHEMATA
USAGE
Crawling & Profiling
Tables
INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
SELECT
Crawling & Profiling
Tables
pg_catalog.pg_class
pg_catalog.pg_namespace
pg_catalog.pg_exttable
pg_catalog.pg_description
SELECT
Crawling & Profiling
Tables
pg_partitions
SELECT
Crawling & Profiling
Table Columns
pg_catalog.pg_attribute
pg_catalog.pg_class
pg_catalog.pg_namespace
pg_catalog.pg_description
SELECT
Crawling & Profiling
Table Columns
INFORMATION_SCHEMA.columns
SELECT
Crawling, Profiling , & Lineage Building
Views
pg_views
SELECT
Crawling, Profiling , & Lineage Building
Views
information_schema.VIEWS
SELECT
Crawling, Profiling , & Lineage Building
Functions
&
Stored Procedures
pg_namespace
pg_language
pg_type
pg_proc
EXECUTE
Crawling, Profiling , & Lineage Building
Functions
&
Stored Procedures
information_schema.ROUTINES
EXECUTE
Crawling
Indexes
pg_index
pg_catalog.pg_attribute
pg_catalog.pg_class
pg_catalog.pg_namespace
SELECT
Crawling
Relationships
information_schema.key_column_usage
information_schema.referential_constraints
REFERENCES
Connection Configuration Steps
Users are required to have the Connector Creator role in order to configure a new connection.
Log in to OvalEdge, go to Administration > Connectors, click + (New Connector), search for Greenplum, and complete the required parameters.
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory for establishing a connection.
Connector Type
By default, "Greenplum" 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 the selection.
Supported Credential Managers:
Database
AWS Secrets Manager
HashiCorp Vault
Azure Key Vault
For more details, click here.
License Add Ons
Select the checkbox for Auto Lineage Add-On to build data lineage automatically.
Select the checkbox for Data Quality Add-On to identify data quality issues using data quality rules and anomaly detection.
For more details, click here.
Connector Name*
Enter a unique name for the Greenplum connection
(Example: "Greenplum_Prod").
Connector Environment
Select the environment (Example: PROD, STG) configured for the connector.
For more details, click here.
Connector description
Enter a brief description of the connector.
Server*
Enter the Greenplum database server name or IP address (Example: xxxx-drgd.xxxx4ijtzasl.xx-south-1.rds.wsdef.com or 1xx.xxx.1.x0).
Port*
By default, the port number for Greenplum, "5432" is auto-populated. If required, the port number can be modified as per the custom port number that is configured for Greenplum.
Database*
Enter the database name to which the service account user has access within Greenplum.
Driver*
By default, the Greenplum driver details are auto-populated.
Username*
Enter the service account username set up to access the Greenplum database (Example: "oesauser").
Password*
Enter the password associated with the service account user.
Connection String
Configure the connection string for the Greenplum database:
Automatic Mode: The system generates a connection string based on the provided credentials.
Manual Mode: Enter a valid connection string manually.
Replace placeholders with actual database details.
{sid} refers to Database Name.
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.
Default Governance Roles
Default Governance Roles*
Select the appropriate users or teams for each governance role from the drop-down list. All users and teams configured in OvalEdge Security are displayed 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 OvalEdge Security 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 configured in OvalEdge. These bridges enable communication between data sources and OvalEdge without altering firewall rules.
After entering all connection details, the following actions can be performed:
Click Validate to verify the connection.
Click Save to store the connection for future use.
Click Save & Configure to apply additional settings before saving.
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.
Navigate to the Connectors page and click Crawl/Profile.
Select the schemas to crawl.
The Crawl option is selected by default. To perform both operations, click the Crawl & Profile radio button.
Click Run to collect metadata from the connected source and load it into the OvalEdge Data Catalog.
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.
Click the Schedule checkbox to enable the Select Period drop-down.
Select a time period for the operation from the drop-down menu.
Click Schedule to initiate metadata collection from the connected source.
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, and columns.
Nine Dots Menu Options:
To view, edit, validate, build lineage, 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: Manage and reuse active database connections to improve performance, reduce connection overhead, and optimize resource utilization during connector operations.
Lineage: Configure lineage generation settings by selecting a parsing method to analyze SQL or code artifacts and defining the confidence threshold for automatically merging AI-generated lineage suggestions.
Others: Configure notification recipients for metadata changes.
Build Lineage: Automatically build data lineage using source code parsing.
Delete Connector: Remove a connector with confirmation.
For more details on connector settings, click here.
Connectivity Troubleshooting
If incorrect parameters are entered, error messages may appear. Ensure all inputs are accurate to resolve these issues. If issues persist, contact the assigned support team.
1
Test Connection fails in the connector setup screen
Description: OvalEdge validates the connection by opening a JDBC session and running a simple health check (SELECT 1). Wrong credentials, network blocks, or an unreachable host can cause the connection test to fail.
Resolution:
Verify Server, Port (default 5432), Database, Username, and Password in the connector configuration.
Confirm the Greenplum server is reachable from the OvalEdge server.
Ask the DBA to confirm that the service account can log in.
2
Connection works in a DB tool (DBeaver/pgAdmin) but fails in OvalEdge
Description: External tools may use PostgreSQL settings, while OvalEdge expects Greenplum-specific JDBC configuration (jdbc:pivotal:greenplum://...).
Resolution:
Use the default driver and URL provided by OvalEdge.
Do not switch to a standard PostgreSQL driver.
Re-enter the settings using the OvalEdge Greenplum template.
3
Connector saves but no schemas appear after crawl
Description: Schema discovery reads Greenplum system metadata. Limited database permissions can prevent OvalEdge from listing schemas.
Resolution:
Re-run the crawl after fixing permissions.
Ensure the connector user can read pg_catalog and information_schema.
Ask the DBA to grant USAGE on schemas and SELECT on metadata views.
4
Crawl completes but some tables are missing
Description: Normal table crawl excludes certain inherited or partition child tables by design.
Resolution:
Confirm the correct schema is selected for crawl.
Check whether the missing objects are partition child tables or inherited tables.
Enable the partition table crawl option if available.
5
Tables appear but columns are missing for some tables
Description: Column metadata is fetched separately for each table. Permission or metadata access issues on specific tables can cause missing columns.
Resolution:
Re-run the crawl for the affected schema.
Ask the DBA to grant metadata read access on the affected tables.
Check crawl logs for column-fetch errors.
6
Profiling shows 0 rows for an external table
Description: OvalEdge cannot read or count data from WRITABLE external tables because Greenplum blocks data access for profiling.
Resolution:
Ensure the external table is READABLE.
Ask the DBA to recreate or change the table from WRITABLE to READABLE.
Exclude external tables from profiling if needed.
7
Profiling skipped for some columns with “unsupported data type” message
Description: Types such as JSON, BYTEA, ARRAY, BLOB/CLOB, and XID are excluded from full profiling.
Resolution:
Verify whether the column uses an unsupported data type.
Note that OvalEdge may still perform null-count analysis where possible.
8
Row count or profile fails for tables with mixed-case or special-character names
Description: Profiling builds SQL using database, schema, and table names. Mismatched database names or case-sensitive naming can cause object-not-found errors.
Resolution:
Use the exact schema and table names as they exist in Greenplum.
Prefer lowercase unquoted names where possible.
Ensure the Database field matches the database being queried.
9
Views, functions, or procedures not appearing
Description: Code objects are fetched only when the related crawl options are enabled and the user can read definition metadata.
Resolution:
Enable the required crawl options for views, functions, or procedures.
Confirm the user has permission to read object definitions.
Re-run the crawl.
10
Query log / lineage from query history not available
Description: Query log harvesting is not supported for Greenplum in the current connector.
Resolution:
Use manual lineage.
Use lineage from ETL tools.
Upload SQL separately if required.
11
Query Sheet SELECT works but result count looks wrong
Description: The application auto-wraps user queries to estimate row count. Complex SQL may not return an accurate count.
Resolution:
Use a simpler query.
Rely on the returned rows for validation.
12
Data Quality / relationship match count shows 0
Description: Match analysis compares column values. No overlapping data or incorrect mapping results in zero matches.
Resolution:
Confirm the columns contain matching values.
Verify the schema, table, and column mappings.
Check for null or mismatched mappings.
13
Connection works on-prem but fails when OvalEdge uses Bridge
Description: In Bridge mode, the connection is initiated from the Bridge server. Local-only network access or missing secrets can cause failures.
Resolution:
Ensure the Bridge server can reach Greenplum.
Verify network and firewall access from the Bridge environment.
Store credentials in the configured Credential Manager if used.
14
Intermittent timeout during crawl or profiling on large tables
Description: Large metadata or data scans can exceed query timeout settings or database workload limits.
Resolution:
Reduce the sample size in crawl or profile settings.
Crawl smaller schemas first.
Schedule crawl during off-peak hours.
15
Test Connection passes but crawl fails immediately
Description: Test Connection validates only login access. Crawl operations require additional metadata permissions.
Resolution:
Ask the DBA to grant read access to catalogs and target schemas.
Ensure the connector user has metadata permissions in addition to login rights.
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