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Viz Channel Branding User Guide

Version 5.2 | Published June 05, 2024 ©

External Data Sources

Channel-specific general settings are accessed from the cog wheel icon. Select the Channel settings tab.

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The External Data Sources settings group comprises:

Database Connections

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This section describes the database connections interface, listing all available database connections.

  • New connection (first button): Allows you to manually enter a connection string. Clicking the New connection button adds a new entry to the list of available connections.

  • Delete connection (second button): Deletes the selected connection.

  • Build connection string (third button): Allows you to build a connection string. Clicking the Build connection string button opens a dialog box that allows you to set all parameters needed in order to successfully connect to your source.

Creating Database Connections

Before populating page content from database look-ups you must first configure the connection to the external data source. You can then proceed with mapping according to your data source.

To configure the connection to an external data source

  1. In the Settings dialog, click Database Connections.

  2. Click New.

  3. Enter a name for the connection.

  4. Enter the connection string provided by your administrator.

    images/download/attachments/149914853/image-2023-12-18_17-22-6.png



  5. Click OK.

To map from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet

  1. Perform the procedure To configure the connection to an external data source above.

  2. Click Build Connection String.
    The DB Connection menu is displayed:

    images/download/attachments/149914853/image-2023-12-19_15-46-59.png



  3. For Connection Type, select Microsoft Excel.

  4. Click the ellipsis to select the desired Excel file.

  5. Enter the database's username and password.

  6. Click the Test Connection button.

  7. If the test is successful, click OK.

    Driver={Microsoft Excel Driver (*.xls, *.xlsx, *.xlsm, *.xlsb)};DBQ=<filepath>;UID=<username>;PWD=<password>

To map from a Microsoft Access database

  1. Perform the procedure Configure the Connection to an External Data Source.

  2. Click Build Connection String.
    The DB Connection menu is displayed:

    images/download/attachments/149914853/image-2023-12-19_15-44-47.png



  3. For Connection Type, select Microsoft Access (mdb, accdb).

  4. Click the ellipsis to select the desired Access Database file.

  5. Enter the database's username and password.

  6. Click the Test Connection button.

  7. If the test is successful, click OK.

    Driver={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb, *.accdb)};DBQ=<filepath>;DefaultDir;DriverId=25;FIL=MS Access;MaxBufferSize=2048;PageTimeout=5;UID=<username>;PWD=<password>

To map from a Microsoft Access text

Preliminary setup:

  1. Create a folder for the text file database, for example C:\Channel32DB.

  2. In the folder, create two files, such as Channel32DB.txt and Schema.ini.
    The structural details for the Schema.ini file can be found at:

  3. In Channel32DB.txt enter a database header for mapping.

    images/download/attachments/149914853/configuration_dbconnectiontext1.png



  4. In Schema.ini:

    • [v-ind.txt]: Name of txt file database.

    • Format=TabDelimited: This example uses TabDelimited.

    • ColNameHeader=True: If using a header (recommended), set to True.

Note: Another option is not to use a header, in which case you set this parameter to False; the column mapping will then be F1, F2, F3 and F4.


Build connection string:

  1. Perform the procedure Configure the Connection to an External Data Source.

  2. Click the Build Connection String button.
    The DB Connection window is displayed:

    images/download/attachments/149914853/image-2023-12-18_17-25-13.png



  3. For Connection Type, select Microsoft Access Text (csv, txt).

  4. Click the ellipsis to select the folder of the desired Access Text file.

  5. Enter the database's username and password.

  6. Click Test Connection.

  7. If the test is successful, click OK.

    Driver={Microsoft Access Text Driver (*.txt, *.csv)};DBQ=<folderpath>;Extensions=asc,csv,tab,txt;UID=<username>;PWD=<password>

To map from a Microsoft SQL server database

  1. Perform the procedure Configure the Connection to an External Data Source.

  2. Click Build Connection String.
    The DB Connection menu is displayed:

    images/download/attachments/149914853/image-2023-12-19_15-48-0.png

  3. In Connection Type, select ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server.

  4. Enter the database's server name, using the following format: <hostname>:<port> or <IP address>:<port>.

  5. Enter the database's name.

  6. Enter the database's username and password.

  7. Click Test Connection.

  8. If the test is successful, click OK.

    Driver={ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server};Persist Security Info=True;Mode=ReadWrite;SERVER=<hostname>:<port>;DATABASE=<name>;UID=<username>;PWD=<password>

To map from a MySql database version 5.1

  1. Perform the procedure Configure the Connection to an External Data Source.

  2. Click Build Connection String.
    The DB Connection menu is displayed:

    images/download/attachments/149914853/image-2023-12-19_15-48-45.png

  3. For Connection Type, select MySQL ODBC (5.1).

  4. Enter the database's server name, using the following format: <hostname>:<port> or <IP address>:<port>.

  5. Enter the database's name.

  6. Enter the database's username and password.

  7. Click Test Connection.

  8. If the test is successful, click OK.

    Driver={MySQL ODBC 5.1 Driver};SERVER=<hostname>:<port>;DATABASE=<name>;USER=<username>; PASSWORD=<password>

To map from a MySql database version 8.0 using Unicode

  1. Perform the procedure Configure the Connection to an External Data Source.

  2. Click Build Connection String.
    The DB Connection menu is displayed:

    images/download/attachments/149914853/image-2023-12-19_15-49-49.png



  3. For Connection Type, select MySQL ODBC Unicode (8.0).

  4. Enter the database's server name, using the following format: <hostname>:<port> or <IP address>:<port>.

  5. Enter the database's name.

  6. Enter the database's username and password.

  7. Click the Test Connection button.

  8. If the test is successful, click OK.

    Driver={MySQL ODBC 8.0 Unicode Driver};SERVER=<hostname>:<port>;DATABASE=<name>;USER=<username>; PASSWORD=<password>

To map from an Oracle database

  1. Perform the procedure Configure the Connection to an External Data Source.

  2. Click Build Connection String.
    The DB Connection menu is displayed:

    images/download/attachments/149914853/image-2023-12-19_15-47-35.png



  3. For Connection Type, select Oracle in OraDB21Home1.

  4. Enter the database’s server name, using the following format: <hostname>:<port> or <IP address>:<port>.

  5. Enter the database’s username and password.

  6. Click Test Connection.

  7. If the test is successful, click OK.

    DRIVER={Oracle in OraDB21Home1};SERVER=<hostname>:<port>;UID=<username>; PWD=<password>

Update Service

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Update Service is an option that uses your own custom web service for page content filling. Update Service settings are per channel settings. In addition you may define separate update service settings per template.

When configured and enabled on one or more templates, the Update Service prompts Media Sequencer (MSE) to send an XML Payload to a custom web service when a Page is pre-queued for triggering.

The web service can modify the content of the payload and send it back. When Media Sequencer Engine receives the payload parses it and puts the data into the page’s tab field.

This could typically be used for sport results or latest headlines from a feed. Since it relies on a custom web service, the solution can be tailored. This update service is not an existing server solution, it is a path for external modules to be able to integrate and function with Viz Channel Branding and Media Sequencer.

Timeout

A timeout of N seconds may be set on the available actions (Take and Preview).

This is to ensure that a reply is sent back within the configured timeout (default is 5 seconds) for a given action.

If no reply is received within the timeout, the action has not been sent/issued, even though a reply will be received later.

See Also