VOOZH about

URL: https://www.cdata.com/kb/tech/dataverse-odbc-filemaker-ess.rst

⇱ Connect Microsoft Dataverse Data to Claris FileMaker via ESS using an ODBC Driver and the CData SQL Gateway

Connect Microsoft Dataverse Data to Claris FileMaker via ESS using an ODBC Driver and the CData SQL Gateway

👁 Dibyendu Datta
Dibyendu Datta
Lead Technology Evangelist
Connect to your Microsoft Dataverse data using the ESS feature of Claris FileMaker with MySQL ODBC driver and CData SQL Gateway.

Claris FileMaker is a low-code platform that enables users to quickly create custom apps to manage and automate data workflows. Using the CData ODBC Driver for Microsoft Dataverse and the CData SQL Gateway, FileMaker connects to Microsoft Dataverse data through its ESS (External SQL Source) feature, allowing you to work with Microsoft Dataverse records as if they were native FileMaker tables.

In this article, we configure and use the CData ODBC Driver for Microsoft Dataverse and the CData SQL Gateway, along with the MySQL ODBC Driver, to connect to Microsoft Dataverse data using the ESS functionality in FileMaker.

About Microsoft Dataverse Data Integration

CData provides the easiest way to access and integrate live data from Microsoft Dataverse (formerly the Common Data Service). Customers use CData connectivity to:

  • Access both Dataverse Entities and Dataverse system tables to work with exactly the data they need.
  • Authenticate securely with Microsoft Dataverse in a variety of ways, including Azure Active Directory, Azure Managed Service Identity credentials, and Azure Service Principal using either a client secret or a certificate.
  • Use SQL stored procedures to manage Microsoft Dataverse entities - listing, creating, and removing associations between entities.

CData customers use our Dataverse connectivity solutions for a variety of reasons, whether they're looking to replicate their data into a data warehouse (alongside other data sources)or analyze live Dataverse data from their preferred data tools inside the Microsoft ecosystem (Power BI, Excel, etc.) or with external tools (Tableau, Looker, etc.).


Getting Started


Create an ODBC Data Source for Microsoft Dataverse

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.

You can connect without setting any connection properties for your user credentials. Below are the minimum connection properties required to connect.

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
  • OrganizationUrl: Set this to the organization URL you are connecting to, such as https://myorganization.crm.dynamics.com.
  • Tenant (optional): Set this if you wish to authenticate to a different tenant than your default. This is required to work with an organization not on your default Tenant.

When you connect the Common Data Service OAuth endpoint opens in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions. The OAuth process completes automatically.

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Configuring the CData SQL Gateway

The CData SQL Gateway bridges non-SQL data sources (like SaaS applications, APIs, and NoSQL databases) with SQL-based tools (like FileMaker, MySQL clients, and BI tools).

In simple terms, it exposes any CData driver-supported source - for example, Microsoft Dataverse - as a standard MySQL or SQL Server endpoint.

See the SQL Gateway Overview to set up Microsoft Dataverse data connectivity as a virtual MySQL database. Set up a MySQL remoting service that listens for MySQL requests from clients, and configure the service through the SQL Gateway UI (as shown below). Save the user credentials (Username and Password) for future use.

👁 Add a new service in CData SQL Gateway
👁 Add a new user and save the credentials

Once you establish the connection, you can use the CData SQL Gateway to access Microsoft Dataverse data through the MySQL protocol.

Installing the MySQL ODBC Driver

Follow the steps below to install and configure the MySQL ODBC Driver:

  1. Download and install the latest 64-bit Windows version of the MySQL ODBC Unicode Driver from this link.
  2. Launch ODBC Data Sources (64-bit) from Windows search. Open the System DSN tab, click Add, select MySQL ODBC Unicode Driver from the Create New Data Source window, and click Finish.
    3. 👁 Create a new data source using the latest MySQL ODBC Unicode Driver
  3. Enter the following connection details in the MySQL Connector/ODBC Data Source Configuration window:
    • Data Source Name: Enter a DSN of your choice
    • TCP/IP Server: localhost
    • Port: Enter the port set in the SQL Gateway (for this procedure, use "3307")
    • User: Enter the username set in the CData SQL Gateway
    • Password: Enter the password set in the CData SQL Gateway
    • Database: CData CDS Sys
    👁 Configure the MySQL ODBC Driver using CData SQL Gateway credentials
  4. Click Test to verify that the "Connection Successful" dialog box appears. Then click OK to save the configuration details.

You have now successfully configured the MySQL ODBC Driver.

Use FileMaker ESS function to load Microsoft Dataverse data

In this section, we explore how to use the ESS (External SQL Source) feature to retrieve data in the FileMaker application. Follow the given steps to complete the process:

  1. Open FileMaker Pro. Navigate to Create from the left panel and select Blank > Create.
    2. 👁 Create a new application in FileMaker Pro
  2. Enter a desired filename and click Save.
  3. In Manage Database, remove the Tables and Fields from the respective tabs. Select the Relationships tab and click Add Table.
    4. 👁 Add a table in the Manage Database window in FileMaker Pro
  4. In Specify Table, expand the Data Source dropdown menu and select Add ODBC Data Source. Click OK.
    5. 👁 Add an ODBC Data Source in the Specify Table window
  5. In Select ODBC Data Source, select the previously configured MySQL ODBC driver and click Continue.
    6. 👁 Select the newly configured MySQL ODBC Unicode Driver
  6. In the Edit Data Source window, enter the following details:
    • Name: This field will be auto-filled. Enter a new name of choice if necessary.
    • Type: Select "ODBC".
    • Under Authentication, select the Specify username and password radio button and enter the following details:
      • User name: Enter the username set in the CData SQL Gateway.
      • Password: Enter the password set in the CData SQL Gateway.
    • Catalog Name: CData CDS Sys
  7. Click OK.
    8. 👁 Configure the data source in FileMaker
  8. View the tables from Microsoft Dataverse populated under the Data Source section. Select the table of your choice and click OK.
    9. 👁 Add a new table in the Specify Table window
  9. The Relationships tab now displays the selected table and its metadata. Click OK.
    10. 👁 The new table gets added in the Relationships tab
  10. Select the table from the Layout dropdown. The Microsoft Dataverse table data appears on the screen. (As shown)
    11. 👁 The Microsoft Dataverse table data is displayed in FileMaker Pro

Get Started Today

Download a free 30-day trial of CData ODBC Driver for Microsoft Dataverse to integrate Microsoft Dataverse data into Claris FileMaker and use Microsoft Dataverse data in your FileMaker applications.

Contact our Support Team if you have any questions.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Microsoft Dataverse ODBC Driver to get started:

 Download Now

Learn more:

👁 Microsoft Dataverse Icon
Microsoft Dataverse ODBC Driver

The Microsoft Dataverse ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with Microsoft Dataverse, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Microsoft Dataverse like you would a database - access entities through a standard ODBC Driver interface.