Discovering the Connection Explorer interface

Learn how you can navigate to the Connection Explorer interface and use it to connect to data in Cloudera Data Visualization.

  1. On the main navigation bar, click DATA.

    The Data view appears, open on the Datasets tab. The Datasets tab lists all existing datasets on the connection.

  2. In the main area, click the Connection Explorer tab.

    The Connection Explorer interface appears, where you can explore the databases and tables available on the connection and you can also manage all functions related to the data on the connection. You can click a connection in left navigation that you want to explore and select a database. You can also select a specific table from that database, and explore its details.

    The Connection Explorer interface contains the following items:

    • New Connection is for connecting to any source of data.
    • New Dataset is for creating datasets, which are necessary for developing dashboards and visuals. You can also start a new dataset from a specified table.
    • For SQLite connections, the Add Data option enables you to introduce data that enriches your datasets from outside sources.
    • The Supplemental menu, under the (ellipsis) icon, opens new options.
      1. For Impala connections, clicking the Clear result cache option under the supplemental menu reloads the full table definition.
      2. Import Visual Artifacts option under the supplemental menu enables you to restore or import visual artifacts from a backup *.json file.
      3. Direct Access enables you to access data directly by running SQL queries. You can build datasets from specific SQL queries, as opposed to starting with an existing table.
    • The databases area of the screen shows all databases that you can access through the current connection. In our example, there is one called main (selected). Selecting a database shows its tables.
    • In the list of tables, the # Datasets column lists the number of datasets that use the particular table as their initial definition.
    • New Dataset is for creating a dataset on a specific table.