Create a VFS connection

Perform the following steps to create a VFS connection in PDI:

1. Start the PDI client (Spoon) and create a new transformation or job.

2. In the View tab of the Explorer pane, right-click on the VFS Connections folder, and then click New.

   The New VFS connection dialog box opens.

   

   New VFS Connection dialog box
3. In the Connection Name field, enter a name that uniquely describes this connection. Optionally, add a Description.

   The name can contain spaces, but cannot include special characters, such as #, $, /, \, %, and %.

4. In the Connection Type field, select from one of the following types:

   • Amazon S3/Minio/HCP

   • Azure Data Lake Gen 1

   • Azure Data Lake Gen 2 / Blob

   • Google Cloud Storage

   • HCP REST

   • Local

   • SMB/UNC Provider

   • Snowflake Staging

5. In the connection details panel of New VFS Connection dialog box, select the connection type details and options. Choose from the following connection types and options:

   Note: You can add a predefined variable file to the fields that have the icon. Place the cursor in the required field and enter Ctrl+Space. Select the required file from the list of files available. The variable must be a predefined variable and not a runtime variable. The variables are defined in the Kettle.properties. For more information on variables, see Kettle Variables.

Connection type	Options
Amazon	Click S3 Connection Type and select Amazon from the list to use an Amazon S3 connection. Simple Storage Service (S3) accesses the resources on Amazon Web Services. See Working with AWS Credentials for Amazon S3 setup instructions. Select the Authentication Type: - Access Key/Secret Key - Credentials File Select the Region. When Authentication Type is: Access Key/Secret Key, then enter the Access Key and Secret Key, and optionally enter the Session Token. Credentials File, then enter the Profile Name and the File Location. Select the Default S3 Connection checkbox to make Amazon the default S3 connection.
Minio/HCP	Click S3 Connection Type and select Minio/HCP from the list to use a Minio/HCP S3 connection. Minio accesses data objects on an Amazon compatible storage server. See the Minio Quickstart Guide for Minio setup instructions. Enter the Access Key. Enter the Secret Key. Enter the Endpoint. Enter the Signature Version. Select the PathStyle Access checkbox to use path-style requests. Otherwise, Amazon S3 bucket-style access is used. Select the Default S3 Connection checkbox to make Minio/HCP the default S3 connection.
Azure Data Lake Gen 1	Accesses data objects on Microsoft Azure Gen 1 storage services. You must create an Azure account and configure Azure Data Lake Storage Gen 1. See Access to Microsoft Azure for more information. The Authentication Type is Service-to-service authentication, only. Enter the Account Fully Qualified Domain Name. Enter the Application (client) ID. Enter the Client Secret. Enter the OAuth 2.0 token endpoint.
Azure Data Lake Gen 2 / Blob	Accesses data objects on Microsoft Azure Gen 2 and Blob storage services. You must create an Azure account and configure Azure Data Lake Storage Gen 2 and Blob Storage. See Access to Microsoft Azure for more information. Select the Authentication Type: - Account Shared Key - Azure Active Directory - Shared Access Signature Enter the Service Account Name. Enter the Block Size (Min 1 MB to Max 100 MB).The default is 50. Enter the Buffer Count (Min 2). The default is 5. Enter the Max Block Upload Size (Min 1 MB to 900 MB). The default is 100. Select the Access Tier. The default value is Hot. When Authentication Type is: Account Shared Key, then enter the Service Account Shared Key. Azure Active Directory, then enter the Application (client) ID, Client Secret, and Directory (tenant) ID. Shared Access Signature, then enter the Shared Access Signature.
Google Cloud Storage	Accesses data objects on the Google Cloud Storage file system. See Google Cloud Storage for more information on this protocol. Enter the Service Account Key Location.
HCP REST	Accesses data objects on the Hitachi Content Platform. You must configure HCP and PDI before accessing the platform. You must also configure object versioning in HCP Namespaces. See Access to HCP for more information. Enter the Host and Port number. Enter the Tenant, Namespace, Username, and Password. Click More options then enter the Proxy Host and Proxy Port number. Select whether to use Accept self-signed certificate. The default is No. Select whether the Proxy is secure. The default is No.
Local	Accesses a file system on your local machine. Enter the Root Folder Path or click Browse to set a folder connection in the local physical file system of the machine. Optionally, use an empty path to allow the selected roles to access the root directory and its folders.
SMB/UNC Provider	Accesses Server Message Block data using a Universal Naming Convention string to specify the file location. Enter the Domain. The domain name of the target machine hosting the resource. If the machine has no domain name (for example, a home computer), then use the name of the machine. Enter the Port Number. The default is 445. Enter the Server, User Name, and Password.
Snowflake Staging	Accesses a staging area used by Snowflake to load files. See Snowflake staging area for more information on this protocol. Enter the Host Name. Enter the Port Number. The default is 443. Enter the Database. Enter the Namespace, User Name, and Password.

6. For all connection types except **Local** which is selected in step 5, enter the **Root Folder Path** for your VFS connection. Enter the full path to set a connection to a specific folder. Optionally, use an empty path to allow access to all folders in the root.

The default is to the root and its folders in your local physical file system.

7. (Optional) Click Test to verify your connection.

1. Click OK to complete the setup.

You can now use your connection to specify VFS information in your transformation steps or job entries, such as the Snowflake entries or HCP steps. See PDI and Snowflake and PDI and Hitachi Content Platform (HCP) for more information about these entries and steps, and see Access files with the VFS browser for general VFS connection details.