Table of Contents

Using Sonar DataConnect to Connect BI Applications with Your Sonar Instance

Mitchell Paul-Soumis Updated by Mitchell Paul-Soumis

Read Time: 4 mins

Sonar DataConnect will let you hook your Sonar Reporting data to your preferred external Business Intelligence tool. DataConnect gives you the powerful customer insights stored in your instance, without restricting you to a specific reporting platform.

With this feature, you'll be able to request your database credentials, which are used with your BI software to authenticate and download information directly from your instance. Sonar DataConnect empowers your organization with direct access to your data, enabling near-real-time reporting without the limitations of predefined templates or manual exports. It can also be leveraged to centralize your data, whether you're managing multiple companies in one instance or across multiple instances.

To use this feature, you will have to agree to the following conditions:

1. Acknowledgment of Credential Responsibility: You are required to sign an agreement acknowledging that, once provided with credentials, you hold complete responsibility for maintaining the security and integrity of those credentials.

2. Data Access Transparency: Your credentials allow full read access to the designated data set. It's important to understand the scope of their access and ensure appropriate measures exist to protect it.

3. Compromise and Recovery Protocol: In the event that credentials are believed to be compromised, you can promptly request that Sonar revoke the existing credentials and issue new ones. For password-based credentials, this will involve updating the password. For RSA or key-based credentials, new keys will be generated and provided.

Requesting Access

To request access to Sonar DataConnect, contact your assigned Client Relations Manger and ask for additional details. You will need to subscribe to this feature for a set period, and agree to the Terms & Conditions before access is granted.

Retrieving Your Credentials

Your Sonar DataConnect credentials will be sent to you through a single-use 1Password link. Once accessed, you'll have an hour to capture and store your credentials.

If this link expires, you will need to contact Sonar to have them reissued.
Storing Your Credentials

Because the DataConnect credentials are randomly generated to meet cryptographically secure specifications, they will generally be extremely challenging, if not impossible, to memorize. For this reason, Sonar strongly recommends storing your password in a password manager of your choice. This ensures easy and secure access to these important credentials.

Requesting New Credentials or Changing Credentials

With DataConnect, you don't control the credentials, only their storage. For this reason, you cannot change the credentials on your own. If you need new credentials, a request must be made to Sonar. This will generate an entirely new set of credentials for you and your team, which will need to be entered into your chosen BI software and password manager.

If you don't enter the new password into your BI software, you will be unable to access your instance data.

Connecting Your BI Tool with Sonar DataConnect

While Sonar DataConnect can generate an RSA key pair, most BI Tools require a username and password. For this reason, you'll only be provided with a username and password by default. While many BI Tools use similar setup steps, you can find instructions for three common tools below.

Connecting with PowerBI

PowerBI is the simplest connection on this list, integrating natively and seamlessly with Snowflake. To use Sonar DataConnect with Microsoft PowerBI, you will need to:

  1. Create a new report in PowerBI
  2. Add a new Data Source
  3. Select Snowflake as the source
  4. Provide the server and Warehouse details
    1. The server name will be taken from the details of the login credentials, sent to you by your Customer Relations Manager
    2. The Warehouse is currently the same for all connections, ETL_WAREHOUSE
      The Warehouse is case-sensitive, and must be capitalized.
  5. Select your dataset, which must be from:
    1. TENANT_DATA_SNOWPIPE, and
    2. PUBLIC

Connecting with Tableau

Tableau may require an additional driver to connect to Snowflake. If so, follow the directions from your version of Tableau to complete the download. To connect Tableau with Sonar DataConnect, you must:

  1. Select Snowflake as the connector by:
    1. Selecting More > in the “To a Server” section
    2. Selecting Snowflake from this list
  2. Fill out the information for Sonar DataConnect
    1. The server name will be taken from the details of the login credentials, sent to you by your Customer Relations Manager
    2. Leave Role blank, as this field is not used by Sonar
    3. Provide the Warehouse details
      1. The Warehouse is currently the same for all connections, ETL_WAREHOUSE
        The Warehouse is case-sensitive, and must be capitalized.
    4. Select the Username and Password Authentication type
    5. Enter the username provided by your Customer Relations Manager
    6. Enter the password provided by your Customer Relations Manager
  3. Select your dataset, which must be from:
    1. TENANT_DATA_SNOWPIPE, and
    2. PUBLIC

Connecting with Looker

  1. Create a new report
  2. Select Snowflake by Snowflake Inc. as the Partner Connector
  3. Log in with the username and password provided by your Customer Relations Manager
    You may need to authorize the Snowflake Connector with your Looker account before you can log in
  4. Provide the server details
    1. The server name will be taken from the details of the login credentials, sent to you by your Customer Relations Manager
    2. Select your role, which should match your username
    3. Provide the Warehouse details
      1. The Warehouse is currently the same for all connections, ETL_WAREHOUSE
        The Warehouse is case-sensitive, and must be capitalized.
    4. Select your database, which must be TENANT_DATA_SNOWPIPE
    5. Choose your schema, which must be PUBLIC
    6. Define your SQL query, used to generate your fields from your Sonar instance.

How did we do?

Understanding Sonar Reports

Contact