10.21 ERP Datasources

Log into the web administration tool as described here 10.00 Signing into Web Administration

Click “Connections” in the menu on the left.

Expand Connections and click "Data Sources".

This lists all the data sources that FastClose is currently aware of. A data source holds the definition of how to connect to a specific database server.

At the time of writing, FastClose supports connections to any ERP where the data resides on an accessible SQL Server instance or SAP HANA instance. In addition it can also communicate via API with Nextworld and Epicor Public Cloud instances.

As the current most commonly used connection we describe connecting to a SQL Server database below, but if your ERP is elsewhere, please click on one of the following links for more specific guidance:

So, to add to a new SQL Server database as a data source , click “Create New Data Source" and choose "Microsoft SQL Server". Fill in the connection information to connect to your ERP database. The fields are:

Name
- The name of the connection, the best practice is to name the connection to match your database name.
Server Name
- The name of the database server, including any instance name.
Database Name
- The name of the ERP database on the database server
Authentication Type
- Where the connection will use a Windows account or a SQL Server login.
Username
- The name of the SQL Server login
Password
- The password of the SQL Server login

You can test the connection information to see if all is in order. If there are any errors, a message will appear that should help diagnose it. Click the “Create” button to save your changes.

NB: As stated above, a data source is not by itself enough to deliver data to the FastClose UI. To create something that FastClose can use to create reports you must bring it together with a catalog, to form a connection.