User credentials and authentication methods in Data Virtualization

Connecting and authenticating to the Data Virtualization service

Last updated: Nov 26, 2024

Data Virtualization uses your IBM® Cloud credentials to connect to the service.

Authorization

Cloud Pak for Data users who are authorized can connect to and use Data Virtualization. For more information, see Managing roles for users in Data Virtualization.

Data Virtualization roles are used for authorization, independently of group membership. Data Virtualization uses role-based access control for database-level and object-level authorization. Data Virtualization follows authorization based on the Db2® Authorities and Privilege model.

Authentication

If you authenticate to Data Virtualization by using JDBC client applications or you are prompted when you preview assets in the catalog or project, you must specify the API key or auth token.

A Data Virtualization Managers must explicitly add Cloud Pak for Data users to the Data Virtualization service in order for these users to authenticate to the service directly. When the Data Virtualization Managers adds a Cloud Pak for Data user to the service, a Data Virtualization role is assigned to the user.

Data Virtualization supports the following authentication methods.

JWT tokens
API keys

User IDs

When you add a user in Data Virtualization, the Add IBMid user page prompts for a valid IBMid. This ID is the IBM Cloud ID. The Data Virtualization User ID is created automatically as dv_<ibm_id>.

JWT tokens

You can connect with JSON Web Tokens (JWT).

JDBC access token

"jdbc:db2://Host_name_or_IP_address/Database_name:accessToken=Access_token;securityMechanism=15;pluginName=IBMIAMauth;sslConnection=true"

Where Access_token is the Cloud Pak for Data platform or instance token.

CLP access token

Connect to the database server Database_server_name and pass the access token by running the following command from a CLP interface or from a script.

CONNECT TO Database_server_name ACCESSTOKEN Access_token

CLPPlus access token

Connect to the DSN alias (@Data_source_name) and pass the access token by running the following command from a CLPPLUS interface or from a script.

CONNECT @Data_source_name using(accesstoken Access_token)

API keys

You can connect by providing an API key.

ODBC API Key

Use ODBC to connect to Data Virtualization.

Run the following commands to add configuration details to the db2dsdriver.cfg driver configuration file:

db2cli writecfg add -database bludb -host <HOSTNAME> -port <SSL PORT>
db2cli writecfg add -database bludb -host <HOSTNAME> -port <SSL PORT> -parameter "SecurityTransportMode=SSL"
db2cli writecfg add -database bludb -host <HOSTNAME> -port <SSL PORT> -parameter "Authentication=GSSPLUGIN"
db2cli writecfg add -dsn watsonquery -database bludb -host <HOSTNAME> -port <SSL PORT>

Run the following command to validate the ODBC configuration:

db2cli validate -dsn watsonquery -connect -user IBM_SUBSTTOKEN_APIKEY -passwd <API_key>

JDBC API key

"jdbc:db2://Host_name_or_IP_address:DV_SSL_port/Database_name:apiKey=API_key;securityMechanism=15;pluginName=IBMIAMauth;sslConnection=true"

Where API_key is the Cloud Pak for Data platform or instance API key.

CLP API key

Connect to the database server Database_server_name with an API key by running the following command from a CLP interface or from a script.

CONNECT TO Database_server_name APIKEY API_key

CLPPlus API key

Connect to the DSN alias (@data_source_name) with an API key by running the following command from a CLPPLUS interface or from a script.

CONNECT @Data_source_name using(apikey API_key)