---
title: "Database Links"
canonical: "https://docs.vaultspeed.com/space/VPD/3011379586/Database%20Links"
format: markdown
---
Metadata used as input for VaultSpeed can be located either in files or a source database. To allow VaultSpeed to read metadata from a database, you need to specify a database link.

An overview of the database links can be found by clicking on the **“DB Links”** button in the upper-right corner of the **Sources** page.

![image](media://2a7d04ea-c162-47d4-be99-ec4a53f1f5a2)


### **Adding a Database Link**

You can add a database link in one of two ways:

1. By clicking the **“+ DB Link”** button in the upper-right corner of the **Database Links** page.
2. By clicking the **“Create DB Link”** button while adding a source (see [Adding a Source](https://vaultspeed.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VPD/pages/3011444825)).

![image](media://a1eccf62-0f89-4364-9764-a7aa72aeea32)

### **Database Information Storage**

Database information (including user login and password) can be stored in one of two locations:

1. **In the VaultSpeed Cloud (not recommended)**  
Choosing the **Settings Form** option will store the database information in the cloud application.
  - Fill in all the required fields for the database type you selected.
  - Click the **Create** button to save the database link.
2. **In the Agent Configuration File (recommended)**  
Choosing the **Agent Properties File** option will use the database information stored locally in the agent setup.
  - For each database link, an entry `<dblinkname>.url = <url>` must exist in the `connections.properties` file of the agent, where `<dblinkname>` matches the database link name you enter in VaultSpeed.
  - Details on adding a database link to the VaultSpeed agent can be found in the [Agent Database Link Setup](https://vaultspeed.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VPD/pages/3011084322) page.
  - Choose the appropriate database type and hit the **Create** button.

> ⚠️ **Important Note:**
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ - The database type **“BigQuery”** is available when creating a database link; however, the agent does not include the BigQuery driver.
> ⚠️ - Consequently, links created with this type will **not appear in the list of available database links** when creating a source.
> ⚠️ - A database link with the type **“BigQuery”** is only supported when deploying to a **target BigQuery database**.

**Using BigQuery as a Source:**

- To use BigQuery as a source, create the database link with the type **“JDBC”**.  
Follow the steps on the [Google BigQuery Connection Setup](https://docs.vaultspeed.com/space/VPD/3780935696/Google+BigQuery+Connection+Setup) page to configure the JDBC connection in the agent.
  **Example:**  
Add the following entry to the `connections.properties` file:  
`bigquery_source.url = jdbc:bigquery://https://project_id:region;OAuthType=3;`

![image](media://81ab7448-db70-46aa-898d-8b0038cff01d)

Once you’ve filled in the required fields and created the database link, the screen will display all links created, as shown below. This includes the name, database type, and URL (if the **Settings Form** was used).

![image](media://30e8415b-f8b7-4c47-82ea-1d6534991d30)

After adding the links, the screen will show all links created, with an URL if the **Settings Form** was used, the URL will also be visible. For database links defined via the VaultSpeed Agent, only the name and database type will be displayed.

Use the **Actions menu** (indicated with the red arrow) to perform the following actions for each link:

- **Edit** the database link configuration.
- **Delete** the database link.
- **Test connection** to verify the database link’s functionality.

![image](media://85d20c72-c71d-46f5-ae08-f3fa5e9adc13)

By clicking the **‘Test connection’** action in the menu, a job will be started to test the connection. The results of this test can be viewed by pressing the **task button** in the bottom-right corner, as shown below.

If the connection is successful, the test will show a green **‘Done’** status.

![image](media://85508cad-34e4-429d-8021-5627de0bbc2e)