Create a Data Source
Procedure
- In the main navigation menu, select DATASOURCES. The DATASOURCES workspace appears, displaying a list of data sources.
- Select Add New Data Source, and then enter values as specified in the following table.
Box Description Name Enter the name of the data source. Description Enter the description of the data source. Type Select one of the following types of the data sources: - Historian
- Custom
Base URL Enter the URL of the data source in the following format: https://<host name or IP address of the data source>:<port number> Note: The port number should not be used if your data source is Historian 8.0.Certificates Required Select the check box if connecting to the data source requires SSL certificates. If you select this check box, the Choose Certificate button appears, allowing you to select the certificate. Ignore TLS/SSL Select the check box if verifying SSL certification can be ignored. Normally, this check box is cleared when using the data source in a production environment, which implies that SSL certification will be verified while connecting to the data source. If, however, you want to troubleshoot issues with connecting to a data source, you may select this check box to isolate certification issues. - If authentication to the Historian system API is required, perform the following steps:
- Select the System API Authentication Required check box. This check box is applicable only for a Historian data source. If you want to use a Historian data source in a trend chart, you must select this check box.The User Name and Password boxes appear, allowing you to enter the credentials to authenticate system API.
- Enter values in the User Name and Password boxes, and then select Test.A message appears, confirming whether connection to the system API is established. The connection is tested using the data source base URL and the authentication details of the system APIs.
- Select the System API Authentication Required check box. This check box is applicable only for a Historian data source. If you want to use a Historian data source in a trend chart, you must select this check box.
- If authentication to a REST API is required, perform the following steps:
- Select the REST Authentication Required check box. If this check box is selected, Operations Hub sends authorization details along with a request while connecting to a data source.The Auth Type box appears.
- Select one of the following types of authentication:
- Basic Auth: Sends a verified user name and password along with the request.
- Bearer Token: Sends an access key along with the request.
- OAuth: Retrieves an access key to access an API, and then uses the key to authenticate future requests.
Depending on the authentication type you select, a few boxes appear. - Enter values in the available boxes as specified in the following table.
Box Applicable Authentication Types Description Auth Grant Type OAuth Select one of the following types of granting the authentication: - client_credentials
- password
Auth Token Bearer Token Enter the access key required to authenticate the APIs. The access key is included in the request header. Username OAuth and Basic Auth Enter the user name of the user who can access the APIs. Password OAuth and Basic Auth Enter the password of the user who can access the APIs. Auth URL Bearer Token Enter the URL for the endpoint of the authentication server. This value is used to exchange the authorization code for an access token. Auth Client ID OAuth The client identifier issued to the client during the application registration process. Auth Client Secret OAuth The client secret issued to the client during the application registration process. - If you want to provide a certificate for authentication, select Choose Certificate and navigate to the certificate. Alternatively, you can select the Use DataSource Cert check box if you want to use the same certificate that is used by the data source. Note: You can use certificates only in the base-64-encoded format. A DER-encoded certificate is not supported.
- If you want to use the OAuth authentication type, select Test. Otherwise, skip to the next step.A message appears, confirming whether token from the OAuth data source is retrieved. The connection is tested using the authentication details of the REST APIs, including the authentication URL; the data source base URL is not used.Note: You can create multiple data sources with the same URL. After you restart the services, the Data Distributor service uses the most recently saved System API authentication settings for the URL. Therefore, if the most recently saved credentials do not work, you cannot connect to the data source. To fix this issue, modify the data source to specify working credentials, and then test the data source. We recommend that you do not save the data sources that do not pass the test or data sources with the same URL.
- Select the REST Authentication Required check box. If this check box is selected, Operations Hub sends authorization details along with a request while connecting to a data source.
- Select Save.
Look at the examples below for configuring a data source for Historian 7.x and Historian 8.0.
Historian 7.x requires entry of port used – in this instance, port 8443 – whereas Historian 8.0 does not require any port to be specified.
The Auth Client ID is admin for Historian 7.x, whereas Historian 8.0 requires the Auth Client ID to be of the form MachineName.admin, where MachineName is case sensitive.
Example of Historian 7.2 Data Source:
Example of Historian 8 Data Source:
Note: The Auth Client ID field is case sensitive. For example, if the Historian server name is hist8Server, the user must use hist8Server.admin and not HIST8Server.admin or Hist8Server.admin, otherwise REST authentication will fail.