Adding and Managing Database Connections

Overview

When working with Database Connections, it's important to remember that they must be configured before an Audience can be created. Database Connections are the settings and credentials that allow Accelerator to connect to the database that holds the necessary customer data.

The following step-by-step process will walk you through the creation and management of a new Database Connection:

1. Navigate to Admin > Database Connections
2. Check for Existing Database Connections in Accelerator
3. Create a New Database Connection

1. Navigate to Admin > Database Connections

Navigate to Admin > Database connections to create a new connection or view existing connections.

2. Check for Existing Database Connections in Accelerator

Review any existing Database Connections and, if desired, click on an existing connection to display the setup of that Database Connection in a side window.

Select the three dots to expand the Actions menu. This contains options to Test, Duplicate, Archive, or Delete a connection.

Select the Pencil icon beneath the Action Menu to edit the configuration of an existing Database Connection.

3. Create a New Database Connection

To create a new Database Connection, click the Create Connection button in the top right of the screen.

Fill out the following fields:

• Name - A descriptive name for the Database Connection. This name will display throughout Accelerator anytime a User can select a Database Connection.
• Database Type - Select the type of Database that this connection accesses. Accelerator can connect to any database with a JDBC connector. Selecting a Database Type can display additional configuration options.  (Click here for instructions on setting up an Athena database connection.)

• Host Name - The host name of the database server.
• Port Number - the port number that Accelerator will access the database server.
• User Name and Password - The credentials used by Accelerator to access the database.
• Purposes - Accessible after selecting a Database Type. The Purposes is a series of checkboxes to control in what situations a Database Connection can be selected. For example, checking the Audience checkbox allows the Database Connection to be used when creating an Audience.

Advanced Options may be configured by toggling the Enable Defaults & Advanced Options option.

Setting a Database Connection as the default by toggling the Make this my default connection option. Making a connection the default means that it will be automatically selected (when applicable) when creating new items within Accelerator. Users can select different Database Connections from the Default if desired.

After selecting a database type, default columns will display.  Please note that the default columns may differ between database types.  For example, Redshift will also have a Default Catalog field, which should correspond to the database name.

Use these fields to set default values for customer data. This is especially important when using a database connection for Audience use.

The Channel Defaults fields only need to be populated if the Database Connection is used to contact customers through Push Notifications. Populate the columns that hold the necessary Push values.