Connections
Add, test, edit and delete the database servers Parallax connects to.
A connection holds what Parallax needs to reach one database server: its engine, host, port and the account to sign in with. Projects, data projects, pipelines, snapshots and ERDs all start from a connection.
Add a connection
- Open Connections and choose New connection. You can also use File > New connection… or Add connection on the Overview.
- Choose the Database engine: PostgreSQL, SQL Server or MySQL.
- Enter a Name, such as
Production. - Enter the Host and Port.
- Enter the Username and Password.
- Enter or choose a Database. Choose List databases to list the server’s databases, then pick one or type to filter them.
- Set any engine options. See Engine options.
- Choose Test connection. On success, Parallax says “Connected successfully” and how many databases it found.
- Choose Add connection.
If a required field is empty, Parallax highlights it and says “A few details are missing”.
The Database is used to test the connection and as the default for new projects. It is required for PostgreSQL and SQL Server, and optional for MySQL.
Engine defaults
When you switch engine, Parallax fills in that engine’s defaults. It only replaces values that still hold the previous engine’s defaults.
| Engine | Port | Username | Database |
|---|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | 5432 |
postgres |
postgres |
| SQL Server | 1433 |
sa |
master |
| MySQL | 3306 |
root |
(empty) |
Switching engine also resets the engine options and clears the last test result.
Engine options
PostgreSQL
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| SSL mode | Prefer (default) and Require encrypt without checking the server’s certificate. Verify CA checks the certificate was issued by the root certificate. Verify full also checks it names the host. Disable does not encrypt. |
| Root certificate file | For Verify CA and Verify full: the CA certificate (PEM) the server’s certificate must chain to, for example Amazon RDS’s global-bundle.pem. Empty: the system’s CAs. |
SQL Server
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Authentication | SQL Server login, or Windows (integrated): the Windows account running Parallax. With Windows authentication, the Username field is not used. |
| Encrypt | Optional (default), Mandatory or Strict (TDS 8). |
| Trust server certificate | On by default: accept any certificate the server presents. Off: the certificate must be trusted by Windows or match the Server certificate file. |
| Server certificate file | With Trust server certificate off: the server’s own certificate (PEM or DER), which it must present exactly. Empty: Windows’ trusted CAs. |
| Instance name | For named instances (host\instance). Leave the port empty. |
MySQL
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| SSL mode | Preferred (default) and Required encrypt without checking the server’s certificate. Verify CA checks it was issued by the CA. Verify full also checks it names the host. None does not encrypt. |
| CA certificate file | For Verify CA and Verify full: the CA certificate (PEM) the server’s certificate must chain to, for example Amazon RDS’s global-bundle.pem. Empty: the system’s CAs. |
| Allow public key retrieval | On by default. Needed for caching_sha2_password logins without SSL. |
| Rehearse deployments first | On by default. Runs each deployment on a scratch copy of the target’s schema before the real one. Needs permission to create databases. See MySQL rehearsal. |
For managed hosts such as Amazon RDS, see Amazon RDS and managed databases.
Saved passwords
The password is stored on this machine only. Parallax encrypts it for your Windows account, so another user of the machine, or a copy of the file, cannot read it.
When you edit a connection, the Password field starts empty, with the placeholder “Saved: leave empty to keep it”:
- Leave it empty to keep the saved password. Test connection uses the saved one.
- Type a new password to replace it.
- Choose Remove the saved password to remove it when you save.
Test a saved connection
Each connection card shows a status icon: “Not tested yet”, then a green check (“Reachable”) or a red cross with the error as its tooltip. Choose Test on the card to test it again. If it fails, Parallax says “Could not connect to <name>” and gives the error.
Used by
Each card shows what uses the connection: “Used by <n>:” with the projects, data projects and pipelines, or “Not used yet”. Hover over the line to see the full list.
Edit a connection
Choose Edit on the card, change the details, then choose Save.
If the connection is in use, the dialog says “Changes affect everything that uses this connection”. The engine cannot change while projects use the connection.
Delete a connection
Choose Delete on the card, then confirm Delete connection?.
A connection that is in use cannot be deleted. Parallax says “<name> is still in use” and names what uses it. Change or delete those first.
Other actions
- Search connections filters the cards by name, host, database or user.
- ERD on a card draws an entity-relationship diagram of one of its databases. See ERDs.