CData Connect AI, enables you to access ADP data from cloud-based applications like the Salesforce console and mobile applications like the Salesforce Mobile App. In this article, you will use CData Connect AI and Salesforce Connect to access external ADP objects alongside standard Salesforce objects.
Connect to ADP from Salesforce
To work with live ADP data in Salesforce Connect, we need to connect to ADP from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the ADP data.
Connect to ADP from Connect AI
CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.
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Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
👁 Adding a Connection
- Select "ADP" from the Add Connection panel
👁 Selecting a data source
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to ADP.
Connect to ADP by specifying the following properties:
- OAuthClientId: The client Id of the custom OAuth application you obtained from ADP.
- OAuthClientSecret: The custom OAuth application's client secret.
- SSLClientCert: Set this to the certificate provided during registration.
- SSLClientCertPassword: Set this to the password of the certificate.
- UseUAT: The connector makes requests to the production environment by default. If using a developer account, set UseUAT = true.
- RowScanDepth: The maximum number of rows to scan for the custom fields columns available in the table. The default value will be set to 100. Setting a high value may decrease performance.
The connector uses OAuth to authenticate with ADP. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with ADP using the browser. OAuth access can be configured in ADP through ADP API Central. For more information, refer ADP's API Central Quick Start Guide and the OAuth section in CData's Help documentation.
👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
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Click Save & Test
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Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add ADP Connection page and update the User-based permissions.
👁 Updating permissions
Add a Personal Access Token
When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.
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Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
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On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
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Give the PAT a name and click Create.
👁 Creating a new PAT
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The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.
Configure ADP Endpoints for Salesforce Connect
After connecting to ADP, create a workspace for your desired table(s).
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Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
👁 The Workspaces page.
👁 Adding a new Workspace.
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Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
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Select the ADP connection (e.g. ADP1) and click Next.
👁 Selecting an Asset (Salesforce is shown).
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Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
👁 Selecting Tables (Salesforce is shown).
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Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to ADP data from Salesforce Connect.
Connect to ADP Data as an External Data Sources
Follow the steps below to connect to the feed produced by Connect AI.
- Log into Salesforce and click Setup -> Integrations -> External Data Sources.
- Click Now External Data Sources.
- Enter values for the following properties:
- External Data Sources: Enter a label to be used in list views and reports.
- Name: Enter a unique identifier.
- Type: Select the option "Salesforce Connect: OData 4.0".
- URL: Enter the URL to the OData endpoint of Connect AI: https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
- Select the Writable External Objects option.
- Select JSON in the Format menu.
- In the Authentication section, set the following properties:
- Identity Type: If all members of your organization will use the same credentials to access Connect AI, select "Named Principal".
If the members of your organization will connect with their own credentials, select "Per User".
- Authentication Protocol: Select Password Authentication to use basic authentication.
- Certificate: Enter or browse to the certificate to be used to encrypt and authenticate communications from Salesforce to your server.
- Username: Enter a CData Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected]).
- Password: Enter the user's PAT.
👁 Configuration settings for the data source (NetSuite is shown)
Synchronize ADP Objects
After you have created the external data source, follow the steps below to create ADP external objects that reflect any changes in the data source. You will synchronize the definitions for the ADP external objects with the definitions for ADP tables.
- Click the link for the external data source you created.
- Click Validate and Scan.
- Select the ADP tables you want to work with as external objects.
👁 Select external objects (NetSuite is shown)
Access ADP Data as Salesforce Objects
After adding ADP data as an external data source and syncing ADP tables as external objects, you can use the external ADP objects just as you would standard Salesforce objects.
Simplified Access to ADP Data from Cloud Applications
At this point, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live ADP data from Salesforce. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in cloud applications like Salesforce, refer to our Connect AI page.
