Query Foursquare Data in DataGrip

DataGrip is a database IDE that allows SQL developers to query, create, and manage databases. When paired with the CData API Driver for JDBC, DataGrip can work with live Foursquare data. This article shows how to establish a connection to Foursquare data in DataGrip.

Create a New Driver Definition for Foursquare

The steps below describe how to create a new Data Source in DataGrip for Foursquare.

1. In DataGrip, click File -> New > Project and name the project 👁 Creating a new DataGrip project.
   
2. In the Database Explorer, click the plus icon () and select Driver. 👁 Adding a new Driver.
   
3. In the Driver tab:
   • Set Name to a user-friendly name (e.g. "CData Foursquare Driver")
   • Set Driver Files to the appropriate JAR file. To add the file, click the plus (), select "Add Files," navigate to the "lib" folder in the driver's installation directory and select the JAR file (e.g. cdata.jdbc.api.jar).
   • Set Class to cdata.jdbc.api.API.jar
4. Click "Apply" then "OK" to save the Connection 👁 A configured Driver (Salesforce is shown).
   

Configure a Connection to Foursquare

1. Once the connection is saved, click the plus (), then "Data Source" then "CData Foursquare Driver" to create a new Foursquare Data Source.
2. In the new window, configure the connection to Foursquare with a JDBC URL.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

   For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Foursquare JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

    java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar
    

   Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

   Using API Key Authentication

   Foursquare Places API uses Service Key (Bearer token) authentication. To obtain a Service Key:

   1. Go to the Foursquare Developer Console at https://foursquare.com/developers/
   2. Create a new project or select an existing one
   3. Navigate to the API Keys section
   4. Generate a new Service Key for the Places API

   After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
   • ServiceKey: Set this to your Foursquare Service Key obtained from the Developer Console.
   • XPlacesApiVersion: (Optional) Set this to the API version date. Defaults to 2025-06-17.

   Example APIKey connection string

   Profile=C:\profiles\Foursquare.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_personal_access_token';
   

   👁 Using the built-in connection string designer to generate a JDBC URL (Salesforce is shown.)
   
3. Set URL to the connection string, e.g.,

   jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Foursquare.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_personal_access_token';

4. Click "Apply" and "OK" to save the connection string 👁 A configured Data Source (Salesforce is shown).
   

At this point, you will see the data source in the Data Explorer.

Execute SQL Queries Against Foursquare

To browse through the Foursquare entities (available as tables) accessible through the JDBC Driver, expand the Data Source.

To execute queries, right click on any table and select "New" -> "Query Console."

In the Console, write the SQL query you wish to execute. For example:

SELECT , FROM Autocomplete WHERE Query = 'abc'

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData API Driver for JDBC and start working with your live Foursquare data in DataGrip. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.