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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 Freshdesk 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 Freshdesk 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 CDataFreshdeskODBC 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="FreshdeskQuery" dataSource="CDataFreshdeskODBC"> 
 SELECT * FROM Tickets 
 </cfquery>
    And a CFTable can be used to quickly output the table in HTML: 
     
 <cftable 
 query = "FreshdeskQuery" 
 border = "1" 
 colHeaders 
 colSpacing = "2" 
 headerLines = "2" 
 HTMLTable 
 maxRows = "500" 
 startRow = "1"> 

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

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

 ...

 </cftable>
    Full code, including the HTML portion is available below: 
     
 <html> 
 <head><title>CData Software | Freshdesk Tickets Table Demo </title></head> 
 <body> 
 <cfoutput>#ucase("Freshdesk Tickets Table Demo")#</cfoutput> 
 <cfquery name="FreshdeskQuery" dataSource="CDataFreshdeskODBC"> 

 SELECT * FROM Tickets 

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

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

 ...

 </cftable> 
 </body> 

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

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Learn more:

👁 Freshdesk Icon
Freshdesk ODBC Driver

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

Access Freshdesk data like you would a database - read, write, and update Freshdesk Agents, Companies, Contacts, Groups, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.