This article explains how to configure an SQL device, from start to finish.  The configuration process is divided into three stages, one for each menu you will visit.

Creating an SQL Connection

Before you can communicate with an SQL device, you need to create a connection to the device.  To create a connection, you must go to in the Manage Connections menu.

1. Start by clicking the Add button, to add a new connection to the list.
   
   
2. The 'New Connection' should be selected (highlighted in the list) at this point.  If it is not selected, you will need to select it by clicking on it.
   
   
3. Once the 'New Connection' is selected, you must provide a unique Connection ID.  You can name it whatever you want, but it must be unique.  It is a good idea to name it something short, and descriptive.
   
   
4. Next, change the Connection Type to SQL , by selecting it from the drop-down box. It is important to choose the Connection Type before you change any other properties, because certain properties are unique to the Connection Type.
   
   
5. The SQL connection requires an IP Address, IP Port, and a Connection String.  These will be unique to your network, so you will have to look them up, ask your network admin, or figure them out on your own.  You must provide a valid Connection String to communicate with the SQL server.
   
   
6. Once you are finished, click the Apply button.

Creating an SQL Device

Assuming that you have created the SQL connection (see previous stage if not), it is now possible to configure an SQL device.  To create a device, you must go to in the Manage Devices menu.

1. Start by clicking the Add button, to add a new device to the list.
   
   
2. The 'New Device' should be selected (highlighted in the list) at this point.  If it is not selected, you will need to select it by clicking on it.
   
   
3. Once the 'New Device' is selected, you should provide a new description for it.  It does not have to be unique, but it should at least try to be descriptive.
   
   
4. Change the Type of the device to SQL.  It is important to choose the Type of the device before you change any other properties, because certain properties of the device are unique to its Type.
   
   
5. The SQL device configuration does not use the Address property, so you can skip it.
   
   
6. The SQL Query property should become editable once you change the Type of this device to SQL.  You should put an SQL Query of the form:
   Value FROM Table where PointID IN (PointID1, PointID2, PointID3 ...)
   
   The SQL table is assumed to have at least a Value column and a PointID column.  Points configured to for this device should have corresponding Point IDs for each PointID in this query.  Note that 'Value' and 'Table' can be replaced with whatever name corresponds to the actual SQL database, but the 'PointID' column must exist with the name 'PointID'.
   
   
7. The Unreliable Delay determines how sensitive the server is to unreliable connections.  The value represents how many seconds to wait before marking the device as 'Unreliable' when the remote device enters the 'Unreliable' state.  If the remote deviceis consistently unreliable for this amount of time, only then will it be considered truly unreliable by the Vantage Point Server.  The default value of 20 seconds is recommended.
   
   
8. The Poll Timeout determines how many seconds to wait before giving up on a response from the device.  If you have a very slow connection, you may have to raise the value.  The default is 5 seconds.
   
   
9. The Poll Interval determines how many seconds to wait between polling the device.  The default is once every second.
   
   
10. Select the Connection ID corresponding to a valid SQL connection (the one you made in the previous stage, if you started from the beginning)
    
    
11. Don't forget to apply your changes, by clicking the Apply button.
    
    

Creating an SQL Point

At this stage, you should have a fully configured SQL device, upon which to add points (see previous stage if not).  To create a point, you must be in the Manage Points menu.

1. Start by clicking the Add button, to add a new point to the list.
   
   
2. The 'New_Point' should be selected (highlighted in the list) at this point.  If it is not selected, you will need to select it by clicking on it.
   
   
3. Once the 'New_Point' is selected, you must provide a unique name for the point, without any spaces or special characters in it (use letters, numbers, and underscores only).  If the point's name is not unique, it will be made unique by adding a number to the end.  If you plan on using this point in a Calc-Point equation, you must not use any special characters or reserved keywords in the name.
   
   
4. Optionally, you may enter a description into the Description field.
   
   
5. You may choose between four types of points (although Raw Value is typically acceptable in most cases)
   • Raw Value - The point's value will be exactly the same as the raw value found in the remote device.
   • Binary - The point's value will be set to either ON (if the remote value is greater or equal to zero) or OFF (if the remote value is less than zero)
   • Integer - The point's value will be rounded to an integer
   • Text - The point's value will be treated as text (same as Raw Value)
     
     
6. Set the Point ID to correspond with one of the PointIDs in the SQL Query.
   
   
7. The default settings for History Recording Properties are set to the recommended settings for most cases.  If you are polling at a high frequency, and want higher resolution history, you may want to change some of these settings
   (see History Recording Properties for more info)
   
   
8. Apply your changes by clicking the Apply button.