After you have created internal database connection as a part of a graph, you have it in your graph. Once it is contained and visible in the graph, you may want to convert it into external (shared) database connection. Thus, you would be able to use the same database connection for more graphs (more graphs would share the connection).

You can externalize any internal connection item into external (shared) file by right-clicking an internal connection item in the Outline pane and selecting Externalize connection from the context menu. After doing that, a new wizard will open in which the conn folder of your project is offered as the location for this new external (shared) connection configuration file and then you can click OK. If you want (the file with the same name may already exist), you can change the offered name of the connection configuration file.

After that, the internal connection item disappears from the Outline pane Connections group, but, at the same location, there appears already linked the newly created external (shared) connection configuration file. The same configuration file appears in the conn subfolder of the project and it can be seen in the Navigator pane.

You can even externalize multiple internal connection items at once. To do this, select them in the Outline pane and, after right-click, select Externalize connection from the context menu. After doing that, a new wizard will open in which the conn folder of your project will be offered as the location for the first of the selected internal connection items and then you can click OK. The same wizard will open for each the selected connection items until they are all externalized. If you want (the file with the same name may already exist), you can change the offered name of any connection configuration file.

You can choose adjacent connection items when you press Shift and move the Down Cursor or the Up Cursor key. If you want to choose non-adjacent items, use Ctrl+Click at each of the desired connection items instead.

The same is valid for both database and JMS connections.

Figure 33.2. Externalizing Internal Database Connection

After that, the internal file disappears from the Outline pane connections folder, but, at the same location, a newly created configuration file appears.

The same configuration file appears in the conn subfolder in the Navigator pane.