Arbutus ConnectPLus App Installation Guide

Arbutus ConnectPLus App

Product Information

The product is called Arbutus ConnectPlus, developed by Arbutus Software Inc. It is a software solution that provides users with the ability to connect and analyze data from various sources. Arbutus ConnectPlus offers features such as server profiles, table layouts, data access restrictions, and customization options.

Copyright © 2021 Arbutus Software Inc. All rights reserved. This manual may contain dated information. Use of these materials is based on the understanding that this manual may not contain all the information, or the most current information, relevant to an intended application. Support and update services are available from Arbutus, by separate written agreement.
Published December 2021 by:

Arbutus Software Inc.
270 – 6450 Roberts Street
Burnaby, British Columbia
Canada V5G 4E1
Telephone: +1-604-437-7873
Fax: +1-604-437-7872
E-mail: Info@ArbutusSoftware.com
Web: www.ArbutusSoftware.com

“Arbutus”, Analyzer, “Arbutus ConnectPlus” and “Smart Link for SAP ERP” are registered trademarks of Arbutus, or one of its subsidiaries or licensors. Use of a term in this manual should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trade or service mark.

About this Guide

This guide is provided to licensed users of ConnectPlus and will assist you with installing and configuring ConnectPlus. For more information about our products and services, visit our web site at: www.ArbutusSoftware.com

Need Help?

Resources
For assistance in using Analyzer or ConnectPlus, refer to these additional resources:

• Analyzer Installation Guide
• Analyzer Online Help

Contacting Us
If you have suggestions for improvements or if you can not find a solution to a problem, you can contact technical support for assistance. Please include:

• Your Analyzer serial number.
• A description of what you were doing when the problem occurred.
• The error message, if any, displayed by Analyzer.

Support Center

• Global Help Desk
  • Phone: +1-604-437-7873 or +1-877-333-6336 ext. 333
  • Fax: +1-604-437-7872
  • E-mail: support@ArbutusSoftware.com
• Or write to us at:
  Arbutus Software Inc. 270 – 6450 Roberts Street Burnaby, BC Canada V5G 4E1

INTRODUCTION

System Description

• The Arbutus Solution – Overview
  The Arbutus Solution consists of:

  • One or more of the Arbutus Servers:
  • A zSeries mainframe computer running the Arbutus zSeries Server
  • A Windows server running the Arbutus Windows Server
  • One or more of the PC-based Arbutus Clients:
  • Arbutus Analyzer
  • Arbutus ConnectPlus
  • Arbutus WebConnect
  • Arbutus Results Manager
  • A TCP/IP network connection linking the clients and servers together 4.
    Optional background offline batch processing for the Arbutus zSeries Server.
    Note: For visual depictions of “The Arbutus Solution” see the diagrams on the following pages.

• The Arbutus Solution – Components
  An Arbutus “session controller” is provided to manage TCP/IP communications and Arbutus end-user sessions (“server sessions”) for configurations that connect across multiple platforms, as is the case when running the PC-based Arbutus Clients with any of the Arbutus Servers. When a PC-based Arbutus Client sends a connection request to the session controller, the session controller authenticates the request and creates an end-user server session. The session controller then establishes a direct communications link between the client and the end-user server session, and hands off the communication link to them. Once this connection is established, the end-user server session runs independently of the session controller, and the session controller goes back to listening for incoming requests. For each connection it accepts, the session controller starts a separate end-user server session. Connection requests from different users result in multiple, independent server sessions. A server session ends when the connection is terminated from the PC-based client.

• User Interface Options
  All of the Arbutus Servers can be configured to provide interactive, real-time pro-cessing from any ODBC-compliant PC application or from the Arbutus Analyzer graphical user interface.

  • ODBC-Compliant PC Application
    Use of this feature requires an ODBC-compliant application running on the PC, Arbutus ConnectPlus, TCP/IP services, various specific configuration settings, and at least one of the Arbutus Servers.

  • Arbutus Analyzer Graphical User Interface
    Use of this feature requires a copy of the Arbutus Analyzer client running on the PC, TCP/IP services, various specific configuration settings and at least one of the Arbutus Servers.

System Requirements

Arbutus ConnectPlus
The installation steps described in “Installing ConnectPlus on a Single Machine” on page 7 are those required to install Arbutus ConnectPlus. Arbutus ConnectPlus can be installed on a Windows machine running any ver-sion of Windows 7 or later and requires 500 MB of RAM and 20 MB of hard disk space. In order to activate the software, the Windows machine must have the 32-bit Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2 or higher installed. To obtain and install the 32-bit Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2 or higher, navigate to: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download and select Download .NET Framework Runtime.
In addition, to activate the software, the installer must be connected to the inter-net and have administrator rights on the Windows machine to ensure that all required activation settings can be properly set in the machines registry. The ConnectPlus ODBC driver is a 32-bit driver and in order to access and modify the driver on a 64-bit operating systems, users will need to create a shortcut that points to the 32-bit ODBC Manager on their desktop. The path for establishing a shortcut to the 32-bit ODBC Manager is: C:\Windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe

Recommended Optimal Resources
To obtain the best results when using ConnectPlus, we recommend the fol- lowing:

• Arbutus Client software will run on any PC configuration using Windows 7 or later, with any amount of memory and disk.
• If you are processing data locally, we recommend an i5 or i7 level pro-cessor (or equivalent), with at least 8GB of RAM and at least 1TB hard disk space.
• Solid state drives (SSDs) can significantly enhance speed, where per-formance is at a premium.

INSTALLING CONNECTPLUS ON A SINGLE MACHINE

Installing Arbutus ConnectPlus directly on a single machine is quick and easy. In this section you will learn how to download and install ConnectPlus on a single machine from the Arbutus Web Site.
Note: When installing ConnectPlus, on a machine the installer must have administrative access rights to write to the registry of the local machine that ConnectPlus is installed on in order to allow necessary registry settings to be established. The user must also have access rights to write to the registry at the time they activate the software. The following diagram details the various options for accessing data via ConnectPlus:
When installing ConnectPlus, the user will be prompted to activate (register) their copy of ConnectPlus online. Users must enter their company and user name and the software licence key provided with their copy of ConnectPlus. Optionally, users can also enter information related to their proxy server.
Note: To activate the software, the workstation that ConnectPlus is installed on must also have Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 installed and must be connected to the internet. Additionally, to activate the software, the user must have administrative rights to the local machine that ConnectPlus is installed on in order to allow necessary registry settings to be established.
The user can begin using ConnectPlus once their copy is activated. Installation of Arbutus ConnectPlus is now complete!

Installation Procedures

The ConnectPlus components can be downloaded directly from the Arbutus Web site to the desired workstation and then installed.

1. Step 1 – Downloading ConnectPlus from the Arbutus Web Site
   Go to the following Arbutus Web Site downloads page to download the correct version of Arbutus ConnectPlus: https://www.arbutussoftware.com/en/download- software

2. Installing ConnectPlus
   Once you have downloaded the correct version of ConnectPlusyou can install it on a desktop/laptop.
   Note: The system requirements for each user of Analyzer are the same regardless of the installation environment.
   Double clicking on the downloaded file will:

   • Prompt you to choose to install a new instance or to simply maintain or upgrade an existing instance
   • prompt you to choose your desired software language from a list of sup-ported installation languages
   • require you to accept the license agreement
   • prompt you to install ConnectPlus into the default location “C:\Program Files (x86)\Arbutus\” or to specify an alternate install location (local or net-work drive)
   • Note: To connect ConnectPlus to any of the Arbutus Servers, a valid server profile must be established for each Arbutus Server. For more information on server profiles see “Serv-ers and Shared Access” on page 14 of this Install Guide and “Creating a Server Profile” in the Arbutus Analyzer Online Help.
   • Note: For evaluation purposes we recommend that ConnectPlus is run from “C:\Program Files (x86)\Arbutus\” as this is the default installation location. Issues for choosing locations and sharing access to table definitions are discussed in more detail in “Servers and Shared Access” on page 14.
   • Need for Administrator Rights
     When installing ConnectPlus on a machine, the installer must have administrator rights to that machine in order to allow necessary registry settings to be estab-lished.

3. Activating ConnectPlus
   Once the software installation is complete, the first time the user starts Con-nectPlus they will be prompted to activate (register) their copy of ConnectPlus online. Users must enter their company and user name and the software activ-ation key provided with their copy of ConnectPlus. If the user has access to the internet, and is not behind a proxy server, then they will be able to contact the activation server to register their license at: http://quicklicensemanager.com/arbutus/qlm/qlmservice.asmx
   The user must also have administrative rights to the local machine that Con- nectPlus is installed on in order to allow necessary registry settings to be cor-rectly established for that user. To successfully activate the software, the machine that ConnectPlus is installed on must also have the 32-bit Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2 or higher installed. To obtain and install the 32-bit Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2 or higher, nav-igate to: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download and select Download .NET Framework Runtime. Optionally, if users are operating behind a Proxy Server, they can click the Proxy Settings button on the Internet Software Activation screen and fill in their appro-priate Proxy Server credentials. The user can begin using ConnectPlus once their copy is activated.

4. Manual Activation (Single-User Licensing Only)
   If the internet activation is unsuccessful (typically due to internal corporate restrictions for accessing the internet) a ConnectPlus dialog box will pop up list-ing certain local machine information. Save this information (for example, using Notepad). Then refer to the accompanying PDF entitled “Manual Activation.pdf” that is found in the Arbutus program folder. This guide documents the appropriate steps for manually activating your software. Alternatively you can contact Arbu-tus Technical Support for assistance. Installation of Arbutus ConnectPlus is now complete!
   

INSTALLING CONNECTPLUS ON MULTIPLE MACHINES USING AN MSI FILE

Installing Arbutus ConnectPlus is quick and easy. This section shows you how to perform a “silent install” on multiple machines at a time using an MSI file. All of the software requirements (including internet and registry rights) outlined in detail in the section “Installing ConnectPlus on a Single Machine” on page 7 still apply.

Installation Procedures Using an MSI File

• Prerequisites
  Prior to performing a silent or “mass” install of Arbutus ConnectPlus, the installer must ensure that all target machines have the 32 bit (x86) version of the fol-lowing file already installed: MICROSOFT VISUAL C++ 2015 REDISTRIBUTABLE (x86) If not, you can download the VC_redist.x86.exe redistributable file from: https://www.arbutussoftware.com/support/downloads/ Once downloaded, you must manually update each machine with the down-loaded redistributable file prior to installing Arbutus ConnectPlus.

• Installing Analyzer using the MSI File
  To perform a “silent” or mass install of Arbutus ConnectPlus using the supplied MSI file (and related MST file for supported non-English languages), the core syn-tax is: msiexec /i “Arbutus ConnectPlus.msi” /qn ACCEPT_EULA=”Yes”
  Note: When installing, ACCEPT_EULA=”Yes” must always be included in the syntax in order to accept the licensing terms. To change the install directory, the command line syntax is: msiexec /i “Arbutus ConnectPlus.msi” /qn ACCEPT_EULA=”Yes” INSTALLDIR=”c:\install_directory\”
  To add a path for the Arbutus.MSI file (for example, if the current working dir-ectory is C:\ but the MSI file is located in C:\Downloads\), the command line syn-tax is: C:> msiexec /i C:\Downloads\Arbutus ConnectPlus.msi” /qn ACCEPT_EULA=”Yes”
  To specify the activation key and/or company name, the command line syntax is: msiexec /i “Arbutus ConnectPlus.msi” /qn ACCEPT_EULA=”Yes” USER=”Installer Name” ACTIVATION_KEY=”QLMZ0S0A71GHJ5NZ8W2D3652EHZ74J” COMPANY=”Company_Name” To install one of the supported non-English languages, the command line syntax is: msiexec /i “Arbutus ConnectPlus.msi” /qn ACCEPT_EULA=Yes TRANSFORMS=xxxx.mst where “xxxx” in the syntax TRANSFORMS=xxxx.mst refers to the 4 digit language id:
  Alternatively, you can simply run the supplied MSI file by double clicking on it. This provides only basic features. Running the MIS on the command line is recommended to ensure all necessary attributes are incorporated.

• UnInstalling Analyzer using the MSI File
  To perform a “silent” or mass uninstall, the command line syntax is: msiexec /x “Arbutus ConnectPlus.msi” /qn

CONFIGURING CONNECTPLUS FOR SERVICES

This section describes configuring ConnectPlus for use with services (for example, dashboards or other web services).

Installing ConnectPlus For Use With Services
When installing ConnectPlus for use with services, the software should be installed on the same server that the service is installed upon.

Configuring ConnectPlus For Use With Services
Once ConnectPlus is installed and activated, the user must establish necessary server profile information and/or shared folder information to provide direct access to desired data sources. As this information cannot be stored in the registry, it must be provided manually using two optional text files described below. Templates for these files are provided as part of the installation.

Profiles.txt
Arbutus Server profiles can be created using a Profiles.txt file that can be made available to the end-users from a common network/server location. This allows the installation process to be automated and ensures that it is secure. For more information see “Server Profiles ” on page 14.
Note: A sample PROFILES.TXT file is supplied with the installation of the software in the install directory and is named PROFILES.XTX. Simply edit this file, enter the necessary profile information sequentially and then save it as PROFILES.TXT

Shared.txt
A shared location, or multiple shared locations, can be created and specified in a Shared.txt file to access the desired table layouts that will be created using Ana-lyzer and accessed by a group of end-users using ConnectPlus. This file must be placed in the ConnectPlus Program Files installation folder. For more information see “Accessing Table Layouts from Shared Folders” on page 19.
Note: A sample SHARED.TXT file is supplied with the installation of the software in the install directory and is named SHARED.XTX. Simply edit this file, enter the necessary shared folder pathing information sequentially and then save it as SHARED.TXT

Optimization Considerations for Services
When implementing ConnectPlus in support of services (Web services or dash- board software), optimizing performance for end-users is of paramount import- ance.
As result, the following is a list of items to consider for optimizing data through-put from ConnectPlus to the intended service:

• Avoid use of auto-executing procedures on large or complex data sources as the time to completion for these procedures may delay the resulting data from reaching the intended service in a timely manner (possibly res-ulting in a service timeout)
• Avoid using live reads of large ODBC/SQL data sources as service respons-iveness may be slowed (particularly for dashboards) waiting for data to be fetched via ODBC
• Consider scheduling procedures in off-peak times that will create and flat-ten necessary data in advance of when it will be needed by the requesting service. Ensuring that the data is prepared and flattened in advance will ensure end-users receive maximized performance from their calling ser-vice.
• Consider only exposing necessary fields and records to end-users – typically done by using pre-scheduled procedures to access data and prepare flattened files containing only essential data. This will simplify the end-users interactions and ensure that performance is optimized.

SERVERS AND SHARED ACCESS

This section discusses methods for connecting the ConnectPlus client to an Arbutus Server, and setting up shared folders on the Arbutus Windows Server for sharing project items between users. Additional detail can be found in the Arbutus Online Help.

Server Profiles
Server profiles are used by Analyzer and ConnectPlus to store security and con-figuration information necessary for connecting to an Arbutus Server.
Profiles can be created using the Analyzer Server Profile dialog, which is described in the Analyzer Online Help. Profiles created using Analyzer are private as they are stored in the registry of the local machine and are only accessible on that machine.
Note: Creating profiles via the Analyzer Server Profile dialog is useful for someone running both Analyzer and ConnectPlus from the same local machine, such as the system admin-istrator or installer.
Server profiles can also be specified by creating a PROFILES.TXT file. This provides a simple method for ensuring users work with a common set of server profiles. If used, the PROFILES.TXT file must reside in the same location as the Analyzer.exe or Legacy.dll file, as appropriate. The PROFILES.TXT file should reside in a secure, read-only location.
Note: A sample PROFILES.TXT file is supplied with the installation of the software in the install directory and is named PROFILES.XTX. Simply edit this file, enter the necessary profile information sequentially and then save it as PROFILES.TXT

An example of typical settings within a PROFILES.TXT file are:

• [server_profile_name]
  server_type=0
  username=UserID
  password=*****
  prefix=ARBSM2
  input=ARBSM1.PRD.FIL
  hostname=132.90.0.12
  port=7008
  encryption=1
  compression=1
  ims_enabled=0
  timeout=15

There are several possible parameters for each server profile, and each supplied value is used for connection to an Arbutus Server. The values shown in the example above are typical of a server profile for an Arbutus zSeries Server, but can be tailored to suit any target Arbutus Server (zSeries, iSeries or Windows).
The parameters correspond to the values found in the Analyzer Server Profile dia-log and are as follows (optional values are noted):

Item 1 – Server Profile Name
Shown as [server_profile_name] in the example above. This is a descriptive name to identify the server profile. It must be surrounded by square brackets and may include spaces.

Item 2 – Server Type
Shown as “0” in the example above, this value indicates zSeries (0), Windows (1), Linux (2), or iSeries (3) server.

Item 3 – User Name (optional)
Shown as “UserID” in the example above. The User ID is the system logon User ID for the server.
Note: Though valid for all Windows servers, Windows 7 and higher servers require that the User ID be specified in the format user_name@domain_name where the domain_name is the active directory domain name (see your server administrator for more inform ation).
The user name should only be included when all end-users using a Profiles.txt file will be connecting to the server with the same user name. Where this is not the case, then leaving the user name out of the Profiles.txt file will cause each end-user to be prompted for both their unique user name and password.
Note: If the user name is entered for a server profile in the Profiles.txt, the user name asso-ciated with this profile can not be changed at the time of connection.

Item 4 – Password (optional)
Shown as “*****” in the example above. If omitted, the end- user will be prompted to enter the password associated with their user name at the time the server connection is made. The password can be stored in a server profile contained in the Profiles.txt file but we recommend caution when doing so, as this would allow any Analyzer or ConnectPlus user of this Profiles.txt file access to the Arbutus Server with all the rights of the default user name. If the password is stored in a server profile contained in the Profiles.txt, the pass-word must be encrypted, and cannot be changed by the end-user unless promp-ted to do so by Analyzer, as may happen in the case of an expired password.

Note: Please call Arbutus Technical Support for information on generating encrypted pass-words.
If the user name or password are omitted from a server profile contained in the Profiles.txt, the end-user can supply default values for either, or both, of these items by editing the server profile within Analyzer or the ODBC Manager. Any val-ues supplied in Analyzer’s server profile dialog are then stored in the user registry of the local machine, not the Profiles.txt. If the administrator wants to prevent end-users from being able to save the pass-word and/or user name to their registry, then the user name and/or password parameters in the Profiles.txt should contain an exclamation mark (!) as the only value (i.e., password=!).

Item 5 – Prefix
Shown as “ARBSM2” in the example above. The prefix is used by Analyzer as the default high level qualifier or location for creating output files. This value can eas-ily be changed during processing.
Note: If this value is not stored in the Profiles.txt file, each user will need to enter it in Analyzer’s server profile dialog and have the value stored in their registry.

Item 6 – Input
Shown as “ARBSM1.PRD.FIL” in the example above. This value is used by Ana- lyzer as the default high level qualifier or initial location for reading input files in the Data Definition Wizard’s Select File to Define dialog. This dialog allows the user to manually change the value.
Note: If this value is not stored in the Profiles.txt file, the user will need to enter it in Analyzer’s server profile dialog and have the value stored in their registry.

Item 7 – Host Name
Shown as “132.90.0.12” in the example above. This value is used to specify the host name or explicit IP address.

Item 8 – Port
Shown as “7008” in the example above. This is the Port Number selected by the Server Installer where the Arbutus Server is running.

Item 9 – Encryption On/Off
Shown as “1” in the example above. This flag is set as either ON (1) or OFF (0) to enable or disable encryption of communication between the Arbutus client and server. Encryption is most appropriate when communications are being carried over public lines.
Note: Arbutus uses 128-bit encryption.

Item 10 – Compression On/Off
Shown as “1” in the example above. This flag is set to enable / disable com- pression of communication between the Arbutus client and server. Compression is always recommended. Compression values range from 0 to 9, with 0 indicating no compression and 9 indicating maximum file compression.

Item 11 – IMS Interface On/Off
Shown as “0” in the example above. This flag is set as either ON (1) or OFF (0) to enable or disable the IMS interface.
Note: This parameter is only applicable for Arbutus zSeries Servers.

Item 12 – Inactivity Time Out
Shown as “15” in the example above. This value specifies the time (in minutes) that an idle Arbutus Server session will time out. If not specified, the time- out defaults to 60 (minutes).
Note : All Arbutus Server sessions will time out unless you set the time- out to 999. We do not recommend this setting, as failed communications may result in a server session that must be manually terminated by operations.

Optional Parameters for Relational Data Sources
When connecting ConnectPlus to the Arbutus Windows Server, some relational data sources (SQL Server, Oracle, etc.) will require a user name and password to be accessed. The user name and password can be entered manually when defin- ing the relational data source in Analyzer’s Data Definition Wizard, or can be pre-set by storing them in the Profiles.txt file using the following optional parameters:
[database name] profile=server_profile_name
username=database_username
password=”*****”

The optional parameters for one or more relational data sources must imme- diately follow the related Arbutus Windows Server profile to which they relate.

Item 1 – Server Profile Name
Shown as [server_profile_name] in the example above. This is a descriptive name to identify the server profile. It must be surrounded by square brackets and may include spaces.

Item 2 – Database Name
Shown as “database_username” in the example above.

Item 3 – Password (optional)
Shown as “*****” in the example above. To be stored in the Profiles.txt, the password must be encrypted, and cannot be changed by the end-user.
Note: Please call Arbutus Technical Support for information on generating encrypted pass-words.

Accessing Table Layouts from a Project Folder

• Table layouts created using Analyzer are by default written to and read from the location where the currently open ConnectPlus project resides.
• When installing ConnectPlus, a sample ConnectPlus project (Sample Data.ASI) is automatically created and placed in the default project folder. By default, Con-nectPlus is configured to read all table layouts defined using Analyzer for this ConnectPlus project.
• ConnectPlus will also read project items from any shared folders. For more information on shared folders see “Accessing Table Layouts from Shared Folders” on page 19.
• Using the default “Sample Data.ASI” project is useful when evaluating Con-nectPlus. In all other situations you should create a new Analyzer project and then select this as your ConnectPlus project (as described below).
• ConnectPlus can only refer to one project at a time. You therefore need to spe-cify the appropriate project for ConnectPlus to access.
• To point ConnectPlus at more than one project, a separate instance of the Con-nectPlus driver will need to be established in the ODBC Data Source Admin-istrator, with each instance pointed at a unique project.
• You can easily specify the appropriate ConnectPlus project for each end-user using their ODBC Data Source Administrator. To establish a ConnectPlus project for a group of end-users, store the ConnectPlus project on a mapped network drive that is accessible to all desired end-users.
• If controlling access to the actual data is sufficient, then appropriate access con-trols (like read-only) over the data should be set up on the physical drive, using the standard operating system capabilities.

To specify the desired ConnectPlus project, perform the following steps:

Specifying the ConnectPlus Project
To configure the ConnectPlus 32-bit ODBC driver to point to the ConnectPlus pro-ject for each user, perform the following steps:

• 32-Bit Windows Operating System
  • From the Start menu, click on Control Panel
  • Double-click on Administrative Tools
  • Double-click on Data Sources (ODBC) to launch the ODBC Data Source Admin-istrator dialog. 64-Bit Windows Operating System
• Since the ConnectPlus ODBC driver is a 32-bit driver, in order to access and modify the driver on a 64-bit operating systems, users will need to:
  • Create a shortcut that points to the 32-bit ODBC Manager on their desktop. The path for establishing a shortcut to the 32-bit ODBC Manager is: C:\Windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe
  • Click on the shortcut on the desktop to start the 32-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog
• For all Windows Operating Systems
  • In the ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog, click the System DSN tab.
  • Click on the Arbutus ConnectPlus driver and then click the Configure button.
  • In the Database area of the ConnectPlus ODBC Setup window, enter the path and name for the Analyzer Project file (if other than the installed default).
  • Click [OK] repeatedly to exit this area.

Accessing Table Layouts from Shared Folders
Project items created using Analyzer, in particular table layouts, are by default read from the location where the ConnectPlus project resides. ConnectPlus will also read project items locally (from shared folders on a mapped network drive) or from shared folders on an Arbutus Windows Server. While convenient, use of a single ConnectPlus project reading project items from a single location will often not accommodate the disparate requirements of a complex organization comprised of many end-users having diverse interests and business needs. To accommodate sharing of project items that are common to a group of end-users, shared folders can be specified on any Arbutus Windows Server in a loc-ation that is shared by all end-users. ConnectPlus will then access project items from any shared folders in addition to those accessed via each end-user’s Con-nectPlus project. It is possible that there are table layouts that should be shared by all end-users, regardless of their department. These should be placed in a shared folder in a loc-ation that is shared by all end-users. It is also possible that there are table layouts that are only relevant to a particular department, or subset of end-users. These table layouts should be placed in a separate shared location that can only be referenced by the appropriate subset of end-users. Steps should be taken to ensure appropriate level of privacy for this information. If the very existence of a particular table or tables should only be known to cer-tain groups, then other groups should have no access rights (not even read rights) to the shared folder location that stores the table layouts. If controlling access to the actual data is sufficient, then appropriate access controls (like read-only) over the data should be set up on the physical server, using the standard operating system capabilities. In general, shared folders on mapped network drives or on Arbutus Windows Server should be made read-only to the end-users, to ensure that there is no unauthorized altering or corruption of the shared objects.Additionally, local shared folders on mapped network drives are useful for provid-ing centralized access and maintenance for a common set of master project items (table layouts, workspaces and procedures) that are required across a num-ber of distinct projects. This avoids the need to duplicate and maintain master project items within each project.
To specify shared folders for ConnectPlus, end-users can do either of the fol- lowing:

• Click on the Share menu in Analyzer. You can specify a:
  • Personal Share – this is a shared folder unique to each user and is used when a user wants to share project items between various Analyzer pro-jects but not other users. The shared folder can be located in a folder on a local or network drive.
  • Team Share – this is a shared folder for use by several Analyzer users on the same local network and is used to share common project items. The shared folder must be located in a folder on a local network drive that all intended users have rights to access.
  • Enterprise Share – this is a shared folder for use by users throughout the organization who may work remotely from different locations and there-fore do not necessarily have access to the same network drive. In this case, the shared folder is established on an Arbutus Windows Server that all users access via TCP/IP.
• Manually create a Shared.txt file to specify shared folders that will be avail-able to all end-users, regardless of their Analyzer project. Save this file in the same folder as the Analyzer or ConnectPlus executable as applicable.

For either method, any number of shared folders can be established.
Note: Shared folders on the Arbutus Windows Server operate using TCP/IP and therefore do not require specific network architectures to be in place. In addition, shared folders on an Arbutus Windows Server may be accessed from anywhere, whether the user is on the road or in a remote office.

Specifying Shared Folders using Analyzer
This method is used for the data administrator or end-user to easily establish shared folders for the individual end-user, and requires that Analyzer is installed on the end-user’s local machine.
To specify shared folders in Analyzer:

1. Click on the Share menu
2. Choose to add:
   • A Personal Share
   • A Team Share
   • An Enterprise Share
3. A Shared Folder Setup dialog appears. Specify a name for the Shared Folder, then browse to select the desired folder. 5. For an Enterprise Share, specify the server profile to be used to access the Arbutus Windows Server and then specify the server folder.
4. For an Enterprise Share, the users of the Shared Folder must specify an asso-ciated server profile with the same name for every user. As a result, it is essen-tial that each user ensures that the associated server profile for the shared folder specifies a unique output prefix for each user, otherwise users risk over-writing each other’s work.
5. By default, the contents of a shared folder apply to all of an end-user’s Ana-lyzer projects. If the shared folder contents only apply to specific Analyzer pro-jects, then click the “Apply to this project only” checkbox and then specify the name(s) of the Analyzer project(s), separating each project name with a comma (no spaces should be used other than those included as part of the project name).
6. Click [OK].
   Note: For more information on establishing shared folders on an Arbutus Windows Server, please see the Server and Shared Folder sections in the Analyzer Online Help.

Specifying Shared Folders using a SHARED.TXT file
Shared folders can also be specified by creating a SHARED.TXT file. This provides a simple method for ensuring users work with a common set of shared folders. If used, the SHARED.TXT file must reside in the same location as the Analyzer.exe or Legacy.dll file, as appropriate.
Note: A sample SHARED.TXT file is supplied with the installation of the software in the install directory and is named SHARED.XTX. Simply edit this file, enter the necessary shared folder pathing information sequentially and then save it as SHARED.TXT
When using a SHARED.TXT, each shared folder must be specified as an individual entry in the SHARED.TXT file as follows:

Arbutus Shared Folder entry
Example: “Shared_Folder_Name” “C:\Shared_Folder_Path\” “”|”Server_Profile” <“Project_Name”>¿
Note: Parameters in parenthesis are optional and only applied to shared folders on an Arbutus Server. Each item in the shared folder entry must be separated by a space.

In this example,

• the “Shared_Folder_Name” is the descriptive name for the physical shared folder (specified as the second parameter) that appears in the Overview Window in Analyzer. This entry must be surrounded by quotes and must be followed by a space.
• “C:\Shared_Folder_Path” is the full path and name of the physical Win-dows folder serving as the shared folder (either locally or on an Arbutus Server). This entry must be surrounded in quotes and followed by a space.
• For a local shared folder, specify “”. For an Arbutus Windows Server shared folder, specify the name of the server profile in quotes. In either case, this entry must be surrounded in quotes and followed by a space.
• “Project_Name” is an optional entry. If included, this value lists the specific Analyzer project(s) for which the shared folder is active. When specifying more than one project, separate project names within the quoted string using a comma. No spaces should be used except for spaces that are part of a project name. If this entry is omitted, the shared folder is active for all Analyzer projects. This entry must be surrounded by quotes and is sep-arated from the preceding entry by one space.
  Note: The specified shared folder location as well as all sub-folders under the specified loc-ation are read when compiling the list of available project items to present to the end-user.

Restricting Data Access using ConnectPlus
When using Analyzer to establish the table layouts used to access source data via ConnectPlus, end-users and data administrators can set up the table layouts to restrict access to only pertinent data (fields and records). To do so, using Ana-lyzer, fields can be hidden and filters can be specified to restricted records being accessed via ConnectPlus.

Hiding Fields
When establishing table layouts, not all end-users will need to access all fields – in fact various user-groups may require a set of common fields and then may have specific fields of interest. To deal with this, Analyzer enables fields to be designated as hidden so that they do not appear in field lists when data is accessed via ConnectPlus. To designate a field as being hidden, simply click Edit / Table Layout, then double-click on the field to be hidden. In the resulting Edit Field dialog, click the [Advanced] button and check the Hidden check box.
To hide a set of fields in a table layout:

1. Click Edit on the main menu and select Table Layout.
2. Using the CTRL key, select all fields to hide.
3. Once all fields are highlighted, right-click on them and select Hide.
4. Alternatively, you can double-click on each field individually and edit the field properties. Click the [Advanced] button, select the Hide check box and then click [OK] to save the field change.

Filtering Records
When establishing table layouts, not all records will be required by end- users. To expose only required records to end-users via ConnectPlus you can establish a logical computed field to act as a filter and designate the filter as a “Default Fil-ter” that is automaticallyactivated whenever a table layout is opened or accessed.
To designate a logical computed field as a default filter, do the following:

1. Click [Edit] on the main menu and select Table Layout.
2. Double-click on the logical computed field to edit its properties, then click on the [Advanced] button, check the Default Filter check box and click [OK].
3. Click the (Accept Entry) button to save and close the field dialog.
   Note: To activate the newly established default filter in Analyzer you must close and re-open the table layout.

CUSTOMIZING THE CONNECTPLUS INSTALL

Installing Arbutus ConnectPlus is quick and easy. This section describes cus- tomizing the installation of ConnectPlus. To customize the installation, please contact Arbutus Technical Support to obtain a set of files for a customized installation.
Note: When installing ConnectPlus, the installer must have administrative access rights to write to the registry of the local machine that ConnectPlus is installed on in order to allow necessary registry settings to be established. The user must also have access rights to write to the registry at the time they activate the software.

Customizing ConnectPlus Install

To customize the install, request the ConnectPlus installation files in a standard zip file.
Copy this file from the Web site:
ConnectPlus.zip
Place the file into a temporary directory: e.g. C:\Temp\
Unzip the file and copy the contents into a temporary directory. e.g. C:\Temp\ConnectPlus\
To perform the install, double-click on the Setup.exe file.

To ensure that users install ConnectPlus only in the default “C:\Program Files \Ar-butus\”, you must edit and save the supplied Custom.ini file. Simply change the parameter within it from UserControl=1 to UserControl=0. This will cause the install to be placed in the default location. Leaving the UserControl=1 will allow the user to choose an install location other than the default location. Many organizations find it convenient to place all of the unzipped ConnectPlus components into a shared network location from which end- users can manually install ConnectPlus on to their local machines. By default, the ConnectPlus install will perform the installation based solely on default parameters established in the Custom.ini file. For more information see “Custom.ini” on page 25. Based on edits made to the Custom.ini file, edits may be also be required to the Openrda.ini file. For more information see “Openrda.ini” on page 26. The Profiles.txt file can be edited to establish server profiles for connecting to Arbutus Servers. For more information see “Profiles.txt” on page 27.
The Shared.txt file can be edited to establish shared locations for accessing table layouts. For more information see “Shared.txt” on page 27.

Installing in Default Location
To ensure that end-users install ConnectPlus in the default “C:\Program Files \Ar-butus\” location, you must edit and save the supplied Custom.ini file. Simply change the parameter within it from UserControl=1 to UserControl=0. This will cause the install to be placed only in the default location.

Custom.ini
This file contains information regarding the ConnectPlus components that will be installed. Most of the parameters should not be changed. Parameters that you can customize before installation are the AppBasePath, ProjectBasePath, User-Control, CopyFiles and FolderName.

The AppBasePath parameter specifies the location of the installed ConnectPlus ODBC driver. By default, this parameter is set to “C:\Program Files\Arbutus\” but can be set to a shared network or alternate location as appropriate. The ProjectBasePath parameter specifies the location of the ConnectPlus project. By default, this parameter is set to “My Documents/Arbutus/Sample/” but can be set to a shared network or alternate location as appropriate and cannot be altered during installation.
Note: The end-user can subsequently modify the ProjectBasePath using the Arbutus Con-nectPlus ODBC Setup Utility from the ODBC Data Source Administrator. For more information see “Servers and Shared Access” on page 14.

The UserControl parameter determines whether the end-user will be given an opportunity to install the software to an end-user specified location or solely to the default location. By default, this parameter is set to 1 which causes a standard install to the default location that can be overridden by the installer.
Note: Setting this value to 0 prior to installation causes an unprompted install to C:\Program Files\Arbutus.

The CopyFiles parameter determines whether files will be left on the shared net-work location or copied to the end-user’s location during installation. By default, this parameter is set to 1 which causes all program files to be written to the end-user’s location as specified in the AppBasePath parameter. Setting this para-meter to 0 causes the program files to remain on the shared network location.
Note: The advantage of not copying files is that deployment of subsequent version updates is simpler as the administrator only needs to replace the files in the shared location. The potential disadvantage is that loading a driver from a shared network may be slower than from a local machine. Conversely, copying files to the local machine guarantees the fastest execution, but may entail a little more work on the part of the administrator to deploy version updates.

The FolderName parameter specifies the Start Menu name for ConnectPlus and by default is set to “Arbutus ConnectPlus”. This parameter can be set to an alternate start menu name as appropriate.

Openrda.ini
This file is only relevant when the CopyFiles parameter in the Custom.ini file is set to 0. When the CopyFiles parameter is set to 0, the Openrda.ini file is used and must be edited prior to installation to replace all instances of “” with the installed location specified in the AppBasePath para-meter in the Custom.ini file.

Profiles.txt
Arbutus Server profiles can be created using a profiles.txt file that can be made available to the end-users from a common network location. This allows the installation process to be automated and ensures that it is secure. For more information see “Server Profiles ” on page 14.

Shared.txt
A shared location, or multiple shared locations, can be created and specified in a shared.txt file to organize the table layouts that will be created by the Analyzer Administrator and accessed by a group of end-users. This file can then be made available to the end-users from a common network location. This allows the installation process to be automated and ensures that it is secure. For more information see “Accessing Table Layouts from Shared Folders” on page 19.
Note: Regardless of which installation options are chosen, each end-user must perform a basic installation to their local machine to ensure that the necessary local registry settings are established.

GETTING STARTED

Overview
This section provides a brief overview for getting started using ConnectPlus. Ana-lyzer is initially used to establish an Analyzer project and the data definitions (Analyzer table layouts) required to access the source data directly through Con-nectPlus.
Note: If you are planning to access and expose data located on an Arbutus Server via Con-nectPlus, you must first establish access to the Arbutus Server by creating a server pro-file in Analyzer to enable a connection to the Arbutus Server. For information on setting up a server profile, see “Server Profiles ” on page 14.

Establishing Table Layouts

1. Start Analyzer.
2. Create a new Analyzer project.
3. Alternatively, you can open the supplied sample Analyzer project (named “Sample Data.ASI” that is located in your My Documents\Arbutus\Sample folder) as your initial Analyzer project.
4. Use Analyzer’s Data Definition Wizard (DDW) to walk you through the process of accessing the necessary data files and creating the Analyzer table layouts necessary to make the data accessible to the end-user’s ODBC-compliant applications via ConnectPlus.
   Note: By default, the table layouts created when you define data files using Analyzer are writ-ten to the location where the Analyzer project resides.
   For more detailed information on using Analyzer see Analyzer’s Online Help

Configuring ConnectPlus
Once you have established an Analyzer project and table layouts, you need to configure ConnectPlus to use this project.

1. If you don’t already have a short cut on your desktop to access the Window’s 32 Bit ODBC Manager, you can establish a short cut on your desktop to: C:\Windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe
2. Select the ConnectPlus DSN and click Configure.
3. Browse and choose the Analyzer Project containing the table layouts you want to expose to third party ODBC compliant applications (like Excel, Tableau or SQL Server).
4. Click OK
   Note: By default, ConnectPlus will read table layouts from the “Sample Data.ASI” project in the C:\My Documents\Sample folder (unless otherwise configured.

Using ConnectPlus
To use ConnectPlus to provide access to tables defined in Analyzer to third party ODBC compliant applications (like Excel, Tableau or SQL Server):

1. Start your ODBC-compliant end-user application (for example: Excel).
2. Select ConnectPlus from the list of available ODBC drivers. Table layouts for data files defined in the specified Analyzer project that was configured to be accessible to ConnectPlus will be displayed.
3. Select the desired table layout and fields to be imported.
   Note: Each ODBC compliant application will have its own method for accessing ODBC drivers/DSN’s – please check the Help for the desired application on how to import data via ODBC.

Ensuring Data Integrity
When making data available to end-users, data integrity is always a critical issue. To address this you can choose to define only those records and fields in the data file that you wish end-users to access and analyze. In addition, you may con-sider providing end users with summary reports rather than the underlying raw data to ensure that context and rules for the organizational data are clearly con-veyed to the end-users. For additional assistance in planning an installation and configuration that will accommodate the unique requirements at your organization, please contact Arbu-tus Technical Support.

References

• QlmService Web Service
• Arbutus Analytics
• Download .NET (Linux, macOS, and Windows)
• Arbutus I Download Software
• Arbutus I Download Software

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

Download This Manual (PDF format)

Download this manual  >>