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

⇱ Import Real-Time Epicor Kinetic Data via ODBC in ColdFusion to Build Applications

Import Real-Time Epicor Kinetic Data via ODBC in ColdFusion to Build Applications

👁 Dibyendu Datta
Dibyendu Datta
Lead Technology Evangelist
Use CData ODBC drivers to import and use Epicor Kinetic 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 Epicor Kinetic, you can link your ColdFusion web and mobile applications to operational Epicor Kinetic 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 Epicor Kinetic data from within a ColdFusion markup file.

To follow along with this tutorial, you need to install the CData ODBC Driver for Epicor Kinetic 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.

To successfully connect to your ERP instance, you must specify the following connection properties:

  • Url:the URL of the server hosting your ERP instance. For example, https://myserver.EpicorSaaS.com
  • ERPInstance: the name of your ERP instance.
  • User: the username of your account.
  • Password: the password of your account.
  • Service: the service you want to retrieve data from. For example, BaqSvc.

In addition, you may also set the optional connection properties:

  • ApiKey: An optional key that may be required for connection to some services depending on your account configuration.
  • ApiVersion: Defaults to v1. May be set to v2 to use the newer Epicor API.
  • Company: Required if you set the ApiVersion to v2.

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 Epicor Kinetic 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 Epicor Kinetic 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 CDataEpicor KineticODBC 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="Epicor KineticQuery" dataSource="CDataEpicor KineticODBC"> 
 SELECT * FROM Customers 
 </cfquery>
    And a CFTable can be used to quickly output the table in HTML: 
     
 <cftable 
 query = "Epicor KineticQuery" 
 border = "1" 
 colHeaders 
 colSpacing = "2" 
 headerLines = "2" 
 HTMLTable 
 maxRows = "500" 
 startRow = "1"> 

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

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

 ...

 </cftable>
    Full code, including the HTML portion is available below: 
     
 <html> 
 <head><title>CData Software | Epicor Kinetic Customers Table Demo </title></head> 
 <body> 
 <cfoutput>#ucase("Epicor Kinetic Customers Table Demo")#</cfoutput> 
 <cfquery name="Epicor KineticQuery" dataSource="CDataEpicor KineticODBC"> 

 SELECT * FROM Customers 

 </cfquery> 
 <cftable 
 query = "Epicor KineticQuery" 
 border = "1" 
 colHeaders 
 colSpacing = "2" 
 headerLines = "2" 
 HTMLTable 
 maxRows = "500" 
 startRow = "1"> 
 <cfcol header="<b>CustNum</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="CustNum"/> 

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

 ...

 </cftable> 
 </body> 

 </html>
  6. Finally, run the code in a browser. It produces a table populated with Epicor Kinetic 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 Epicor Kinetic and start building Epicor Kinetic-connected applications with Adobe ColdFusion. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

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Download a free trial of the Epicor Kinetic ODBC Driver to get started:

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Learn more:

👁 Epicor Kinetic Icon
Epicor Kinetic ODBC Driver

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

Access Epicor Kinetic like you would a database - read, write, and update Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Accounts, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.