How to create an RPA flow for Certinia Data in UiPath Studio

UiPath is a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform with rich features and an easy-to-use UI that enables non-developers to create process automation. By using UiPath Studio, you can build an RPA program just like drawing a diagram. With the CData ODBC Driver for Certinia, users can embed Certinia data in the workflow.

This article explains how to use the Certinia ODBC Driver in UiPath Studio to create an RPA program that accesses Certinia data.

👁 Using the CData ODBC Data Sources in UiPath

Configure the Connection to Certinia

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. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

There are several authentication methods available for connecting to Certinia: login credentials, SSO, and OAuth.

Authenticating with a Login and Token

Set the User and Password to your login credentials. Additionally, set the SecurityToken. By default, the SecurityToken is required, but you can make it optional by allowing a range of trusted IP addresses.

To disable the security token:

1. Log in to Certinia and enter "Network Access" in the Quick Find box in the setup section.
2. Add your IP address to the list of trusted IP addresses.

To obtain the security token:

1. Open the personal information page on certinia.com.
2. Click the link to reset your security token. The token will be emailed to you.
3. Specify the security token in the SecurityToken connection property or append it to the Password.

Authenticating with OAuth

If you do not have access to the user name and password or do not want to require them, use the OAuth user consent flow. See the OAuth section in the Help for an authentication guide.

Connecting to Certinia Sandbox Accounts

Set UseSandbox to true (false by default) to use a Certinia sandbox account. Ensure that you specify a sandbox user name in User.

Connect UiPath Studio to Certinia Data

Now you are ready to use Certinia data ODBC DSN in UiPath Studio with the following steps.

1. From the Start page, click Blank to create a New Project.
2. Click Manage Packages then search for and install UiPath.Database.Activities.
3. Navigate to the Activities and drop a Flowchart (Workflow -> Flowchart -> Flowchart) onto the process.
4. Drop a database Connect activity (App Integration -> Datbase -> Connect) after the Start activity.
5. Double-click the Connect activity and configure the Connection. 👁 Configure the Connect Activity
   
   1. Click the Connection Wizard
   2. Select "Microsoft ODBC Data Source"
   3. In Connection Properties, select your DSN (CData Certinia Source) and click OK
6. To store Connection info, create a variable and bind to Output in the Properties section. Choose DatabaseConnection in Output.
   👁 Bind the Connection to the Output property.
   

Create an Execute Query Activity

With the connection configured, we are ready to query Certinia data in our RPA.

1. From the Activities navigation, select Execute Query and drop it on the Flowchart.
2. Double-click the Execute Query activity and set the properties as follows:
   • ExistingDbConnection: Your Connection variable
   • Sql: SELECT statement like SELECT BillingState, Name FROM Account WHERE Industry = 'Floppy Disks'
   • DataTable: Create and use a variable with the Type System.Data.DataTable
   👁 Set the Query for the ODBC Driver.
   

Create Write CSV Activity

With the Connection and Execute Query activities configured, we are ready to add a Write CSV activity to the Flowchart to replicate the Certinia data.

1. From the Activities navigation, select Write CSV and drop it after the Execute Query activity.
2. Double-click the Write CSV activity and set the properties as follows:
   • FilePath: Set to a file (new or existing) on disk (i.e.: C:\UiPath[id]-data.csv
   • DataTable: Set to the DataTable variable you created earlier

Connect the Activities and Run the Flowchart

If they are not already connected, connect each Activity that you created to complete the RPA project for extracting Certinia data and exporting it to CSV.

👁 Connect each Activity in the Flowchart

Click Run to extract Certinia data and create a CSV file.

👁 Running the RPA Flowchart

In this article, we used the CData ODBC Driver for Certinia to create an automation flow that accesses Certinia data in UiPath Studio. Download a free, 30-day trial of the ODBC Driver and start working with live Certinia data in UiPath Studio today!