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URL: https://www.cdata.com/kb/tech/azureactivedirectory-odbc-coldfusion.rst

⇱ Import Real-Time Azure Active Directory Data via ODBC in ColdFusion to Build Applications

Import Real-Time Azure Active Directory Data via ODBC in ColdFusion to Build Applications

👁 Dibyendu Datta
Dibyendu Datta
Lead Technology Evangelist
Use CData ODBC drivers to import and use Azure Active Directory data in ColdFusion.

Adobe ColdFusion is a web and mobile application development platform. It uses its own scripting language, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), to create data-driven websites as well as generate remote services, such as REST. When ColdFusion is paired with the CData ODBC Driver for Azure Active Directory, you can link your ColdFusion web and mobile applications to operational Azure Active Directory data. This allows for your applications to be more robust and complete. This article details how to use the ODBC driver to create a table populated with Azure Active Directory data from within a ColdFusion markup file.

To follow along with this tutorial, you need to install the CData ODBC Driver for Azure Active Directory and Adobe ColdFusion.

Configuring the Connection

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (Data Source Name). This is the last step of the driver installation process. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Azure Active Directory uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, create an app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties. See the OAuth section in the Help documentation for an authentication guide.

Adding a Data Source and Creating a Table

After creating a DSN, follow the steps below to add a new data source, test our connection to it, create a ColdFusion markup file, and, finally, import Azure Active Directory Data and display it in a table in ColdFusion:

  1. From the ColdFusion administrator interface, choose Data & Services. 👁 Selecting Data & Services
  2. Here, click "Add New Data Source". The data source name can be any name, provided it conforms to the ColdFusion variable naming conventions. For our ODBC driver, choose "ODBC Socket", then click the "Add" button. 👁 Adding Data Source Name
  3. From the ODBC DSN Dropdown menu select CData Azure Active Directory Sys. Under the Advanced Settings section, leave the Connection String blank. Note that any properties specified in this input field will override the ones specified in the DSN Configuration. 👁 Populating driver properties
  4. Now, test the connection by pressing the check mark to the left of the CDataAzure Active DirectoryODBC data source you just created. When the data source reports an "OK" status, it is ready for use. 👁 Testing the connection
  5. Next, create a new ColdFusion Markup file (.cfm) and place it in the wwwroot directory ("C:\ColdFusion2021\cfusion\wwwroot") for ColdFusion.

    The following code queries the data source: 

     
 <cfquery name="Azure Active DirectoryQuery" dataSource="CDataAzure Active DirectoryODBC"> 
 SELECT * FROM Domains 
 </cfquery>
    And a CFTable can be used to quickly output the table in HTML: 
     
 <cftable 
 query = "Azure Active DirectoryQuery" 
 border = "1" 
 colHeaders 
 colSpacing = "2" 
 headerLines = "2" 
 HTMLTable 
 maxRows = "500" 
 startRow = "1"> 

 <cfcol header="<b>id</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="id"/> 

 <cfcol header="<b>availabilityStatus</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="availabilityStatus"/> 

 ...

 </cftable>
    Full code, including the HTML portion is available below: 
     
 <html> 
 <head><title>CData Software | Azure Active Directory Domains Table Demo </title></head> 
 <body> 
 <cfoutput>#ucase("Azure Active Directory Domains Table Demo")#</cfoutput> 
 <cfquery name="Azure Active DirectoryQuery" dataSource="CDataAzure Active DirectoryODBC"> 

 SELECT * FROM Domains 

 </cfquery> 
 <cftable 
 query = "Azure Active DirectoryQuery" 
 border = "1" 
 colHeaders 
 colSpacing = "2" 
 headerLines = "2" 
 HTMLTable 
 maxRows = "500" 
 startRow = "1"> 
 <cfcol header="<b>id</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="id"/> 

 <cfcol header="<b>availabilityStatus</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="availabilityStatus"/> 

 ...

 </cftable> 
 </body> 

 </html>
  6. Finally, run the code in a browser. It produces a table populated with Azure Active Directory data! 👁 Running the code

As a note, the CData ODBC Drivers also support parameterized queries using the cfqueryparam element. For example: 

SELECT * FROM Account WHERE name =

Get Started Today

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData ODBC Driver for Azure Active Directory and start building Azure Active Directory-connected applications with Adobe ColdFusion. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Azure Active Directory ODBC Driver to get started:

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Learn more:

👁 Azure Active Directory Icon
Azure Active Directory ODBC Driver

The Azure Active Directory ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from Azure Active Directory, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Azure Active Directory data like you would a database - read, write, and update Azure Active Directory 0, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.