Adding RDBMS connections

You can store the Helix ALM projects in a different RDBMS if you do not want to use the Helix ALM native database format (SQLite). You must create connections to the RDBMS databases to use.

Note: You can also store the Helix ALM Server database in a different RDBMS. See Converting the server database type.

1. Click Server Options. You can also choose View > Server Options.

The Options dialog box opens.

2. Select the RDBMS Connections category.

3. Click Add to add a new RDBMS connection.

The Add Connection dialog box opens.

4. Select a Connection Type. The available fields depend on the selected type.

5. Enter the RDBMS connection information.

Oracle—Enter the Service Name of the host to connect to, Port, and Username and Password.
PostgreSQL—Enter the Database Name, Host Name, Port, and Username and Password.
ODBC - SQL Server—Select or enter a Data Source Name (DSN). Only ODBC system DSNs are supported. Enter the SQL Server Username and Password. If the DSN is configured to use Windows NT authentication, leave these fields empty. The username and password of the logged in user on the Helix ALM Server computer is automatically used.

Note: If you use SQL Server, the server database and each database used to host Helix ALM projects must have a unique DSN. See Creating DSNs for SQL Server Databases.

6. Enter the Minimum number of connections to specify the smallest number of connections to cache in the database connection pool. The default value is 1.

When the Helix ALM Server starts, it automatically creates the specified number of database connections. Increasing this number can improve performance because the server does not need to create a database connection later. If you increase this number, you may need to purchase additional licenses from the database vendor.

7. Enter the Maximum number of connections to specify the largest number of connections to cache in the database connection pool.

The default number of connections is 999. Only change this number if you have a large number of projects and are using too many connections to the backend database.

Note: If you are using Oracle, you may need to decrease this number to match the number of Oracle connections you have licensed.

8. Click Test to validate the connection.

The Test Connection dialog box opens and displays the results. If the test connection fails, you can copy and paste the text into an email or text file and send it to your DBA for help.

9. Click Close to close the Test Connection dialog box.

You return to the Add Connection dialog box.

10. Click OK.

The connection is added.