Connectors are used to set up data connections and load data from external data sources, such as databases and data warehouses. The connectors can be seen as adapters which can translate data queries between Spotfire and an external system.
By accessing your data through a data connector, you can take advantage of the processing power of the external system while still being able to visualize the result in TIBCO Spotfire. Data connectors allow you to either import data and analyze it with the Spotfire data engine or to keep the data in the external system (in-database). Spotfire includes several connectors for different data sources.
To add a data connection to an analysis:
On the Authoring bar, click
Files and data 
.
In the Files and data flyout, click Connect to.
In the list of connectors, click to select the connector corresponding to the data source that you want to connect to.
In the connector flyout, you can access and add data from shared connections and connection data sources in your library, or you can click New connection if you want to create a new connection.
Drivers and required software
To use most connectors to load data from external data sources, you must install the appropriate driver on your computer. You can use only very few of the connectors in Spotfire, without first installing a driver for the corresponding data source.
To install the required drivers for a connector, to make it available for use in Spotfire:
Go to Drivers and data sources in TIBCO Spotfire® and browse to find the data source type that you want to connect to.
Follow the instructions on the page about where to download the drivers, and how install the files on your computer.
Restart Spotfire.
Comment: If you intend to work with the connector in Business Author or Consumer, a Spotfire administrator must install the driver on the computer that is running the Spotfire Web Player service.
The connector name does not show up at all in the list
If you cannot see the name of a connector in the list of connectors in the Files and data > Connect to flyout, your Spotfire user might not have the required license for that connector. Contact your Spotfire administrator to see if this is the case. If so, the administrator needs to either move your username to a user group with access to the connector, or the user group you are currently a member of needs to be granted access to the connector.