Connect to Freshdesk Data in JRuby

JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for Freshdesk makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Freshdesk data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to Freshdesk data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Configure a JDBC Connection to Freshdesk Data

Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Freshdesk\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to Freshdesk and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.

FreshDesk makes use of basic authentication. To connect to data, set the following connection properties:

• Domain: Set this to the domain associated with your FreshDesk account. For example, in your URL: https://my_domain.freshdesk.com.
• APIKey: Set this to the API key associated with your FreshDesk account. To retrieve your API key, Log into your support Portal -> Click on profile picture in the top right corner -> profile settings page. The API key will be available below the change password section to the right.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.freshdesk.jar

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

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Freshdesk:

jdbc:freshdesk:Domain=MyDomain;APIKey=myAPIKey;

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Freshdesk Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: FreshDeskSelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for Freshdesk 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.freshdesk.jar'

url = "jdbc:freshdesk:Domain=MyDomain;APIKey=myAPIKey;"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Id, Name FROM Tickets")
while (rs.next) do
 puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Freshdesk data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

jruby -S FreshDeskSelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to Freshdesk allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Freshdesk data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!