Reporting > Connecting to the Data Warehouse through Brio

How to Gain Access to the Data Warehouse through Brio

If you are a user of the CREW application and need to get access to the data warehouse directly to do queries of your own through the Brio, this is what you must do:

Notify the GMAS Team of your desire to use Brio

The GMAS Team will add you to a mailing list which will keep you informed of important announcements to the ad-hoc community. This is an important step! If there are changes to the data model, such as additions of views or changes to table structures, this is the process by which you will learn about these changes

Make sure you have permission to go through the Firewalls

For security purposes, there are firewalls that prevent unauthorized access to a local network. There must be holes opened up in the firewall for you to gain access to the data warehouse.

The HDW/OAS Firewall is open for connectivity to the warehouse through Brio, as long as you have an account with the warehouse, which you have if you are using CREW. Connectivity through your TUB firewall can be determined by contacting your local network administrators.

Create connectivity through Brio

Once you have access through the firewalls, you must create connectivity through Brio:

  1. Install the necessary software; You must have the following software packages installed on your desktop:
    1. Brio
    2. SQL*Net
  2. Obtain the Sqlnet.ora file from either someone else who has Brio set up, or from the GMAS team. Place this file in the C:\oracle\ora9i(or ora920)\network\admin directory on your computer
  3. Open Brio and create the OCE. To do so:
    1. Select File->New
    2. Select “New Database Connection File)
    3. Select “SQL*Net for Windows”
    4. Select “Oracle 8/9” for the database type
    5. Enter your HUID for the username, “DWCENPRD.HARVARD.EDU” for the host, and your password, which by default is the first four letters of your last name, then 2 digits for your birthday, and the 4 digits of your birthyear.
    6. Click Finish
    7. Save and name your OCE

At this point, you should be all set. Try it out and if you have any issues, feel free to log a ticket with the help desk and the team will be happy to help you out.

Last Updated 1/3/05