Manage data sources for your application server

A data source represents a specific database that is used by one or more applications installed in your application server. Data sources provide connection pooling and a JNDI name which can be used by applications to access the data source. The Manage Data Sources form allows you to view a list of all the defined data sources for an application server, create new data sources, modify the properties of an existing data source, or remove a data source.

To manage your data sources for an application server, follow these steps:

1. Start the HTTP Server Administration interface.
2. Click the Manage tab.
3. Select an application server from the Server list.
4. Expand Resource Configuration.
5. Click Manage Data Sources.

From the Manage Data Sources form, you can do the following:

• Create a new data source
• Edit the properties of an existing data source
• Remove a data source

Create a new data source

Note: With the exception of step 1, the below steps can be used with the Create Data Source wizard.

1. Click Create.
2. Specify a name for the data source in the Data source name field. This value specifies the user-defined name of the data source.
3. Click Next.
4. Select a JDBC provider for your data source.
   • Create new JDBC provider
     Select this option to create a new JDBC provider for your data source.
     1. Click Next.
     2. See Create a new JDBC provider for instructions on how to create a JDBC provider for your data source.
   • Select an existing JDBC provider
     Select this option to use a preexisting JDBC provider.
     1. Click Next.
     2. Select a JDBC provider from the table.
     3. Click Next.
5. Specify a name for the database in the Database name field. This value specifies the name of the database that the current data source represents. If the database resides on the same physical machine as the application server, this value is *LOCAL. If the database is on a different machine, this value is the name of the server where the database resides.
6. Specify a name for the collection, schema or library for the database in the Collection, Schema or Library name field. This value specifies additional information to access the database data. Collection, schema, and library all represent organized collections of named objects (tables) in a database. When you specify the collection name, you do not need to use fully qualified table names in the application code.
7. Click Next.
8. Specify a name for the JNDI in the JNDI name field or keep the provided value. The wizard provides a JNDI name for the data source. It is recommended that you use this default value. The Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) provides naming and directory functionality for Java applications and resources. Applications use JNDI to access named Java objects. The conventional format of JNDI names for data sources is jdbc/dataSourceName.
9. Click Next.
10. The summary page lists all of the choices you have made in the wizard. If any of the information displayed is incorrect, click Back until you reach the wizard form with the incorrect information and make your corrections. Click Finish to complete the wizard.

Edit the properties of an existing data source

1. Select a data source from the All data sources table.
2. Click Properties.
3. You can edit one or more of the properties shown for the data source.
   • Data source name
     Specify a new name in the Data source name field. This value specifies the user-defined name of the data source.
   • Database name
     Specify a name for the database in the Database name field. This value specifies the name of the database that the current data source represents. If the database resides on the same physical machine as the application server, this value is *LOCAL. If the database is on a different machine, this value is the name of the server where the database resides.
   • Collection, schema, or library name
     Specify a new collection, schema, or library name. Collections, schemas, and libraries all represent organized collections of named objects (tables) in a database.
   • JNDI name
     Specify a name for the JNDI in the JNDI name field or keep the provided value. The Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) provides naming and directory functionality for Java applications and resources. Applications use JNDI to access named Java objects. The conventional format of JNDI names for data sources is jdbc/dataSourceName.
   • Data source description
     Specify a brief description in the Data source description field. This value specifies the user-defined description of the data source.
4. Click Apply or OK to save your changes.

Remove a data source

1. Select a data source from the table.
2. Click Remove.
3. Click OK.