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Google Spanner Advanced Settings

Authenticating to Google

GoogleSpanner uses the OAuth authentication standard. You can authorize the provider to access Google APIs on behalf on individual users or on behalf of users in a domain. See Using OAuth for more information.

Connecting to GoogleSpanner 

In addition to the OAuth values, you need to provide the InstanceId,Database and ProjectId. You can fine-tune the GoogleSpanner functionality surfaced by the provider with the Advanced Settings.

Using OAuth

OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with GoogleSpanner using the browser. The provider facilitates this in various ways as described below.

Embedded Credentials

Desktop Applications

See Embedded Credentials to connect with the provider's embedded credentials and skip creating a custom OAuth app.

Headless Machines

See Headless Machines to skip creating a custom OAuth app and authenticate an application running on a headless server or another machine where the provider is not authorized to open a browser.
 

Custom Credentials

 Instead of connecting with the provider's embedded credentials, you can register an app to obtain the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret.

When to Create a Custom OAuth App 

Web Applications

You need to create a custom OAuth app in the web flow.

Desktop Applications

Creating a custom OAuth app is optional as the provider is already registered with GoogleSpanner and you can connect with its embedded credentials. You might want to create a custom OAuth app to change the information displayed when users log into the GoogleSpanner OAuth endpoint to grant permissions to the provider.

Headless Machines

Creating a custom OAuth app is optional to authenticate a headless machine; the provider is already registered with GoogleSpanner and you can connect with its embedded credentials. In the headless OAuth flow, users need to authenticate via a browser on another machine. You might want to create a custom OAuth app to change the information displayed when users log into the GoogleSpanner OAuth endpoint to grant permissions to the provider.

Creating a Custom OAuth App 

Using a Service Account to Connect to Domain-Wide Data 

You can use a service account in this OAuth flow to access Google APIs on behalf of users in a domain. A domain administrator can delegate domain-wide access to the service account.

To complete the service account flow, generate a private key in the Google APIs Console. In the service account flow, the provider exchanges a JSON Web token (JWT) for the OAuthAccessToken. The OAuthAccessToken authenticates that the provider has the same permissions granted to the service account. The private key is required to sign the JWT.

Generate a Private Key 

Follow the steps below to obtain the credentials for your application:

  1. Log into the Google API Console.
  2. Click Create Project or select an existing project.
  3. In the API Manager, click Credentials -> Create Credentials -> Service Account Key. In the Service Account menu, select New Service Account or select an existing service account. In the Key Type section, select the P12 key type.
  4. Click Create to download the key pair. The private key's password is displayed: Set this in OAuthJWTCertPassword.
  5. In the Service Account Keys section on the Credentials page, click Manage Service Accounts and set OAuthJWTIssuer to the email address displayed in the Service Account Id field.
  6. Click Library -> Spanner API -> Enable API.

Authenticate with a Service Account 

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid manually generating the OAuthAccessToken connection property and repeating the OAuth exchange.
  • OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to "PFXFILE".
  • OAuthJWTCertPassword: Set this to the password of the .p12 file.
  • OAuthJWTCertSubject: Set this to "*" to pick the first certificate in the certificate store.
  • OAuthJWTIssuer: Set this to the email address of the service account.
  • OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the path to the .p12 file.
  • OAuthJWTSubject: Set this to the email address of the user for whom the application is requesting delegate access.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to.
When you connect the provider completes the OAuth flow for a service account:
  1. Creates and signs the JWT with the claim set required by the provider.
  2. Exchanges the JWT for the access token.
  3. Submits the JWT for a new access token when the token expires.

Embedded Credentials 

Authenticate using the Embedded OAuth Credentials

Desktop Authentication with the Embedded OAuth App 

You can connect without setting any connection properties for your user credentials. After setting the following, you are ready to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to.
When you connect the provider opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The provider then completes the OAuth process.
  1. Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
  2. Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
  3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.

Custom Credentials 

When to Use a Custom OAuth App

Creating a custom OAuth app is required in the web flow. Creating a custom OAuth app is optional for desktop and headless applications; the provider is already registered with GoogleSpanner and you can connect with its embedded credentials. 

You might want to create a custom OAuth app to change the information displayed when users log into GoogleSpanner to grant permissions to the provider.

Desktop Authentication with a Custom OAuth App

Follow the steps below to authenticate with the credentials for a custom OAuth app. See Creating a Custom OAuth App.

Get and Refresh the OAuth Access Token 

After setting the following, you are ready to connect:

  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your app.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your app.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to.
When you connect the provider opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The provider then completes the OAuth process:
  1. Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
  2. Refreshes the access token when it expires.
  3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.

Web Authentication with a Custom OAuth App 

When connecting via a Web application, you need to register a custom OAuth app with GoogleSpanner. See Creating a Custom OAuth App. You can then use the provider to get and manage the OAuth token values.

Get an OAuth Access Token 

Set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuthAccessToken:

  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to. 

You can then call stored procedures to complete the OAuth exchange:

  1. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB and set the CallbackURL input to the Redirect URI you specified in your app settings.

    The stored procedure returns the URL to the OAuth endpoint.

  2. Open the URL, log in, and authorize the application. You are redirected back to the callback URL.
  3. Call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB. Set the Verifier input to the "code" parameter in the query string of the callback URL. 

Refresh the OAuth Access Token 

You can set InitiateOAuth to REFRESH to automatically refresh the OAuth access token when it expires, or you can call the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure to refresh the token manually.

Automatic Refresh

To refresh the token with InitiateOAuth, set the following on the first data connection:

  • OAuthAccessToken: Set this to the access token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the path where the provider will save the OAuth values, to be persisted across connections.
  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.
  • OAuthRefreshToken: Set this to the refresh token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to. 

On subsequent data connections, set the following:

  • InitiateOAuth
  • OAuthSettingsLocation
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to. 

Manual Refresh

You can use the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure to manually refresh the OAuthAccessToken. Call the stored procedure after the ExpiresIn parameter value returned by GetOAuthAccessToken has elapsed. You need the following connection properties to be set:

  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.
  • InstanceId
  • Database
  • ProjectId 

You can then call RefreshOAuthAccessToken with the following parameter set:

  • OAuthRefreshToken: Set this to the OAuthRefreshToken returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.

Headless Machines

Using OAuth on a Headless Machine 

To create GoogleSpanner data sources on headless servers or other machines on which the provider cannot open a browser, you need to authenticate from another machine. Authentication is a two-step process.

  1. Instead of installing the provider on another machine, you can follow the steps below to obtain the OAuthVerifier value. Or, you can install the provider on another machine and transfer the OAuth authentication values, after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow.
  2. You can then configure the provider to automatically refresh the access token from the headless machine.
You can follow the headless OAuth authentication flow using the provider's embedded OAuth credentials or using the OAuth credentials for your custom OAuth app.
 
Using the Embedded OAuth Credentials 

Obtain a Verifier Code

Follow the steps below to authenticate from another machine and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property: 

  1. Click the following link to open the GoogleSpanner OAuth endpoint in your browser.
  2. Log in and grant permissions to the provider. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
  3. Save the value of the verifier code. You will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property. 

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values.

  • OAuthVerifier: Set this to the verifier code.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified file.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to. 

After the OAuth settings file is generated, set the following properties to connect to data:

  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the file containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this file gives read and write permissions to the provider to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to. 

Transfer OAuth Settings

Follow the steps below to install the provider on another machine, authenticate, and then transfer the resulting OAuth values.

On a second machine, install the provider and connect with the following properties set:

  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to a writable text file.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to.
Test the connection to authenticate in the browser. The resulting authentication values are written, encrypted, to the path specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. Once you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine. 

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the path to your OAuth settings file. Make sure this file gives read and write permissions to the provider to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to.

Using the Credentials for a Custom OAuth App 

Create a Custom OAuth App

Creating a custom OAuth app is optional in the headless OAuth flow; you can skip creating an app by connecting with the provider's embedded OAuth credentials. You might want to create a custom OAuth app to change the information displayed when users log into GoogleSpanner to grant permissions to the provider.

See Creating a Custom OAuth App for a procedure. You can then follow the procedures below to authenticate and connect to data.

Obtain a Verifier Code

Set the following properties on the headless machine:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to OFF.
  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to. 

You can then follow the steps below to authenticate from another machine and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  1. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the CallbackURL input parameter set to the exact Redirect URI you specified in your app settings.
  2. Open the returned URL in a browser. Log in and grant permissions to the provider. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
  3. Save the value of the verifier code. You will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property. 

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values:

  • OAuthVerifier: Set this to the verifier code.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified file.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to. 

After the OAuth settings file is generated, set the following properties to connect to data:

  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the file containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this file gives read and write permissions to the provider to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • InstanceId: Set this to the Id of the instance you want to connect to.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the database you want to connect to.
  • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to. 

Transfer OAuth Settings

Follow the steps below to install the provider on another machine, authenticate, and then transfer the resulting OAuth values.

Creating a Custom OAuth App 

Registering Your Application 

The OAuth user consent flow involves the authenticating user interacting with Google using the browser. To facilitate this, the provider is already registered as an OAuth application, but you may need to configure values specific to your application or organization. You may also want to display your own information instead of the Lyftron app's when users log in to grant permissions.

  1. Log into the Google API Console.
  2. Click Create Project or select an existing project.
  3. Open the API Manager from the main menu and click Credentials -> Create Credentials -> OAuth Client Id.

  4. If you are connecting from a desktop application, select Other.

    If you are connecting from a Web application, select Web Application. In the Authorized Redirect URIs box, enter the URL you want to be used as a trusted redirect URL, where the user will return with the token that verifies that they have granted your app access.

  5. Click Create. The OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret are displayed.
  6. Click Library -> Spanner API -> Enable API. 

When to Create a Custom OAuth App

Creating a custom OAuth app is required in the web flow. Creating a custom OAuth app is optional for desktop and headless applications; the provider is already registered with GoogleSpanner and you can connect with its embedded credentials. 

You might want to create a custom OAuth app to change the information displayed when users log into the GoogleSpanner OAuth endpoint to grant permissions to the provider.

Follow the steps below to create a custom OAuth app and obtain the connection properties in a specific OAuth authentication flow.

Create a Custom OAuth App: Desktop 

Register your GoogleSpanner app on https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials to obtain the following connection properties:

  • OAuthClientId
  • OAuthClientSecret 

Create a Custom OAuth App: Web Apps 

Register your GoogleSpanner app on https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials to obtain the following connection properties:

  • OAuthClientId
  • OAuthClientSecret 

Create a Custom OAuth App: Headless Machines 

Register your GoogleSpanner app on https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials to obtain the following connection properties:

  • OAuthClientId
  • OAuthClientSecret
Set the Redirect URI to http://localhost:portnumber. You can specify any port available.
 

Troubleshooting the Connection 

To show provider activity from query execution to network traffic, use Logfile and Verbosity. The examples of common connection errors below show how to use these properties to get more context. Contact the support team for help tracing the source of an error or circumventing a performance issue.

  • Authentication errors: Typically, recording a Logfile at Verbosity 4 is necessary to get full details on an authentication error.
  • Queries time out: A server that takes too long to respond will exceed the provider's client-side timeout. Often, setting the Timeout property to a higher value will avoid a connection error. Another option is to disable the timeout by setting the property to 0. Setting Verbosity to 2 will show where the time is being spent.