Dashboard connection string switcher utility

The dashboard connection string switcher utility is a UI tool that helps you to change the connection string details in one or more dashboard (*.Sydx) files at a time without using the Dashboard Designer application.

Generally, the dashboards are prepared with local server database details, and you may have to update the connection details to a production database server before publishing it to our Dashboard Server application.

System requirements

The system requirements to run this utility is same as Dashboard Designer application. So, refer to the details in the following link.

https://help.syncfusion.com/dashboard-platform/dashboard-designer/system-requirements

How to run the utility

  1. Open the location where the utility is shipped. The utility is shipped in the following locations of our dashboard platform builds.
Build Location
Dashboard Designer C:\Program Files (x86)\Syncfusion\Dashboard Designer\Utilities\DataConnectionSwitcher
Dashboard Server C:\Program Files (x86)\Syncfusion\Dashboard Server\Utilities\DataConnectionSwitcher
Dashboard Designer C:\Program Files (x86)\Syncfusion\Dashboard Platform SDK\Utilities\ DataConnectionSwitcher
  1. Select the DashboardConnectionSwitcher.exe file and run the utility by double-clicking it.
    Exe location

The application will be launched with the following screen.
Switcher UI

How to select the connection type and input data sources

  1. Place all the dashboard files in which you need to change the connection string in an individual folder.

  2. Browse the file folder or paste the folder path as an input.
    Folder path

NOTE

If the file path is invalid, you will get the following alert message.

Invalid path alert

NOTE

If no valid .Sydx files are present in the folder, the following alert message will be displayed.

Invalid SYDX alert

IMPORTANT

Limitation: Only dashboards created with version 3.2 or more can be used as the input to this tool.

  1. Select the connection type using the Connection Type drop-down option.
    Conection type change

It will display the data sources configured with the selected connection type. By default, all the dashboards and data sources configured with the selected connection type will be displayed and checked.
Switcher

NOTE

If there is no data source matched with the selected connection type, the following alert message will be displayed.

Alert

  1. Click the dashboard node to see the available data sources.
    Expand data sources

The list of data sources will be shown and selected by default.
Data sources list

  1. You can select the required data source by checking the checkbox near the data source name; the unchecked data sources will not be processed and will remain same till next time you open the dashboard.
    Select data sources

  2. Click Next to proceed.

How to enter the new connection details

After clicking the Next button, the dialog will display options to choose or enter a new connection information of the same selected data source type.

IMPORTANT

Limitation: You can only connect to a different server of the same data source type and it is not possible to change the connection string of two or more different data source types in a single conversion.

Limitations

  1. Enter new server credentials.
    Enter credentials

  2. The new server must be accessible to proceed the data source information in the files, so make sure that the connection is accessible using the Test Connection button.
    Test conection

  3. Click Next to proceed further.

  4. Enter the output location where you need to save the modified dashboard.
    Output path

NOTE

Make sure that the output folder exists in your local drive and have permission to save files. In case, the output folder contains the dashboards with same files, the existing files will be replaced with processed files.

IMPORTANT

The input and output folder paths can be same, but it is strongly suggested to save the folders at different locations from the original dashboards location.

After the files are successfully done, you will get the following information.
Success message

  1. You can initiate another connection string changing process by clicking the Start another conversion.

How to handle the schema mismatch

NOTE

Refer to the following Knowledge base article to learn the limitations for retaining schema information.

https://www.syncfusion.com/kb/8663/edit-data-source-connection-and-its-limitations-for-retained-schema

  1. Click Convert to display the details in the process errors dialog, if the new connection string details differ from the existing connection string information.
    Convert

  2. Expand the data source to see the mismatched column details.
    Mismatch

  3. You can see two options: Ignore and Overwrite with the mismatch column details.
    Mismatch handling

Ignore: It is the default option. If the data source is ignored, the connection string will not be changed, and the existing data source will be used.

Overwrite: If the data source information is overwritten, the new connection string will be used in the output files.

IMPORTANT

If the overwrite option is used or selected, the file will be saved with the entered connection string. But, when you open the modified SYDX file in the Dashboard Designer application next time, the widgets expression will be cleared due to schema mismatch.

Changing the web data source connection information

CefSharp and its dependency assemblies are required to change the web data source connection information, so make sure that you have checked the option to ship the CefSharp files while installing the Dashboard designer/Dashboard platform SDK builds.

The Cef assemblies are not shipped with the Syncfusion Dashboard Server build, so you can download the assemblies from this link location and place it in your utility folder location by accepting the following license terms.

Acting on errors

If any unexpected error occurs, try to copy the exception information and contact our support by creating a new incident and attaching the error information in the incident.

  1. Click Show Details to know the occurred error.
    Error handling

  2. Click Copy to Clipboard to copy the exception details and upload the same information with our support team with the details to replicate the issue.
    Copy to clipboard