Integrate Freshdesk Data in Pentaho Data Integration

The CData JDBC Driver for Freshdesk enables access to live data from data pipelines. Pentaho Data Integration is an Extraction, Transformation, and Loading (ETL) engine that data, cleanses the data, and stores data using a uniform format that is accessible.This article shows how to connect to Freshdesk data as a JDBC data source and build jobs and transformations based on Freshdesk data in Pentaho Data Integration.

Configure to Freshdesk Connectivity

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.

When you configure the JDBC URL, 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.

Below is a typical JDBC URL:

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

Save your connection string for use in Pentaho Data Integration.

Connect to Freshdesk from Pentaho DI

Open Pentaho Data Integration and select "Database Connection" to configure a connection to the CData JDBC Driver for Freshdesk

1. Click "General"
2. Set Connection name (e.g. Freshdesk Connection)
3. Set Connection type to "Generic database"
4. Set Access to "Native (JDBC)"
5. Set Custom connection URL to your Freshdesk connection string (e.g.
   

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

6. Set Custom driver class name to "cdata.jdbc.freshdesk.FreshDeskDriver" 👁 Configuring the JDBC Driver connection.
   
7. Test the connection and click "OK" to save. 👁 Saving the connection.
   

Create a Data Pipeline for Freshdesk

Once the connection to Freshdesk is configured using the CData JDBC Driver, you are ready to create a new transformation or job.

1. Click "File" >> "New" >> "Transformation/job"
2. Drag a "Table input" object into the workflow panel and select your Freshdesk connection. 👁 Configuring the Table input object
   
3. Click "Get SQL select statement" and use the Database Explorer to view the available tables and views. 👁 Selecting data (QuickBooks Online is shown).
   
4. Select a table and optionally preview the data for verification. 👁 Previewing the data (QuickBooks Online is shown).
   

At this point, you can continue your transformation or jb by selecting a suitable destination and adding any transformations to modify, filter, or otherwise alter the data during replication.

Free Trial & More Information

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Freshdesk and start working with your live Freshdesk data in Pentaho Data Integration today.