Usage of Non-Supported Tools with Data Warehouse
- vjones (Unlicensed)
As the adoption rate increases for Tableau, SAS, R and other analytical tools at UCI, OIT needs to develop a strategy for supporting access to the data warehouse from these non-supported tools. This page outlines the proposed strategy and requirements for supporting this need while maintaining controls over the data.
OIT's Requirements
Non-supported tools will not have direct ODBC access to the database, and a semantic layer will be provided for users to connect to
Metadata will be published on the website
Access to the data will be maintained in KSAMS
Solution will have single-sign on and LDAP integration for KSAMS access controls
Proposed Solutions
| Solution | Description | Pros | Cons | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senturus Analytics Connector | Solution that allows Tableau users connect to Cognos as a data source. Can connect to Cognos framework packages and reports. https://senturus.com/products/analytics-connector/ | Reuse existing Cognos packages Use existing Cognos security integration with KSAMS for column and record-level security Flexible pricing options: Perpetual, Subscription, Per User or Core for server or desktop versions of Tableau
| Only works for Tableau, a separate solution would be needed for other tools Could add additional load to Cognos server, causing the need for additional Cognos licensing No business glossary, would have to update Cognos packages manually Minimum $10k investment
| |
| Data Virtualization (Denodo or Tibco) | Provides a universal semantic layer on top of multiple data sources, allowing users to access data via ODBC or Web Service APIs as a single data source. | Works will all tools that can connect via ODBC Allows for publishing of data via REST or SOAP APIs Includes business glossary for publishing and maintenance of metadata
| Large investment needed, plus a resource for administering the tool Development time needed to create virtualized views and update business glossary Unproven scalability for large data sources Denodo (market leader) offers subscription-based license only | Denodo: Subcription license at $180,000/year for 4 cores Tibco: TBD |