Load Act CRM Data to a Database Using Embulk

Embulk is an open source bulk data loader. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Act CRM, Embulk easily loads data from Act CRM to any supported destination. In this article, we explain how to use the CData JDBC Driver for Act CRM in Embulk to load Act CRM data to a MySQL dtabase.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Act CRM data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Act CRM, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Act CRM and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).

Configure a JDBC Connection to Act CRM Data

Before creating a bulk load job in Embulk, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Act CRM\lib).

Embulk supports JDBC connectivity, so you can easily connect to Act CRM and execute SQL queries. Before creating a bulk load job, create a JDBC URL for authenticating with Act CRM.

The and properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid Act! user credentials. In addition to the authentication values, see the following:

• Connecting to Act! Premium

  In addition to the authentication values, the to Act! is also required; for example https://eup1-iis-04.eu.hosted.act.com/.

  Additionally, you must specify the you will connect to. This is found by going to the About Act! Premium menu of your account, at the top right of the page, in the ? menu. Use the Database Name in the window that appears.

• Connecting to Act! Premium Cloud

  To connect to your Act! Premium Cloud account, you also need to specify the property. This property is found in the URL address of the Cloud account; for example https://eup1-iis-04.eu.hosted.act.com/ActCloudName/.

Note that retrieving ActCRM metadata can be expensive. It is advised that you set the property to store the metadata locally.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Act CRM JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

java -jar cdata.jdbc.actcrm.jar

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

👁 Using the built-in connection string designer to generate a JDBC URL (Salesforce is shown.)

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Act CRM:

jdbc:actcrm:URL=https://myActCRMserver.com;User=myUser;Password=myPassword;ActDatabase=MyDB;

Load Act CRM Data in Embulk

After installing the CData JDBC Driver and creating a JDBC connection string, install the required Embulk plugins.

Install Embulk Input & Output Plugins

1. Install the JDBC Input Plugin in Embulk.
   https://github.com/embulk/embulk-input-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-input-jdbc

embulk gem install embulk-input-jdbc

2. In this article, we use MySQL as the destination database. You can also choose SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or Google BigQuery as the destination using the output Plugins.
   https://github.com/embulk/embulk-output-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-output-mysql

   embulk gem install embulk-output-mysql
   

With the input and output plugins installed, we are ready to load Act CRM data into MySQL using Embulk.

Create a Job to Load Act CRM Data

Start by creating a config file in Embulk, using a name like actcrm-mysql.yml.

1. For the input plugin options, use the CData JDBC Driver for Act CRM, including the path to the driver JAR file, the driver class (e.g. cdata.jdbc.actcrm.ActCRMDriver), and the JDBC URL from above
2. For the output plugin options, use the values and credentials for the MySQL database

Sample Config File (actcrm-mysql.yml)

in:
	type: jdbc
	driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.actcrm.jar
	driver_class: cdata.jdbc.actcrm.ActCRMDriver
	url: jdbc:actcrm:URL=https://myActCRMserver.com;User=myUser;Password=myPassword;ActDatabase=MyDB;
	table: "Activities"
out: 
	type: mysql
	host: localhost
	database: DatabaseName
	user: UserId
	password: UserPassword
	table: "Activities"
	mode: insert

After creating the file, run the Embulk job.

embulk run actcrm-mysql.yml

After running the the Embulk job, find the Salesforce data in the MySQL table.

Load Filtered Act CRM Data

In addition to loading data directly from a table, you can use a custom SQL query to have more granular control of the data loaded. You can also perform increment loads by setting a last updated column in a SQL WHERE clause in the query field.

in:
	type: jdbc
	driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.actcrm.jar
	driver_class: cdata.jdbc.actcrm.ActCRMDriver
	url: jdbc:actcrm:URL=https://myActCRMserver.com;User=myUser;Password=myPassword;ActDatabase=MyDB;
	query: "SELECT ActivityDisplayName, Subject FROM Activities WHERE [RecordId] = 1"
out: 
	type: mysql
	host: localhost
	database: DatabaseName
	user: UserId
	password: UserPassword
	table: "Activities"
	mode: insert

More Information & Free Trial

By using CData JDBC Driver for Act CRM as a connector, Embulk can integrate Act CRM data into your data load jobs. And with drivers for more than 200+ other enterprise sources, you can integrate any enterprise SaaS, big data, or NoSQL source as well. Download a 30-day free trial and get started today.