Connect to Freshdesk Data from PowerBuilder via ODBC

The CData ODBC Driver for Freshdesk can be used from any platform or development technology that supports ODBC, including PowerBuilder. This article shows how to connect to Freshdesk data and execute queries from the Database Painter and controls such as the DataWindow.

Connect to Freshdesk as an ODBC Data Source

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. 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.

Create a Profile for the ODBC Driver for Freshdesk

Follow the steps below to use the Database Painter tool to create a database profile based on an ODBC DSN (data source name) for Freshdesk. In the Database Painter, you can use wizards and the UI to work with Freshdesk data.

1. In PowerBuilder, click Tools -> Database Painter.
2. In the Objects window in the Database Painter, right-click the ODBC node and click New Profile.
3. On the Connection tab, enter a name for the profile and select the Freshdesk DSN in the Data Source menu. 👁 The ODBC DSN, required to create the Database Profile. (Salesforce is shown.)
   
4. To view and modify a table, right-click a table and then click Edit Data -> Grid.

Using Freshdesk Data with PowerBuilder Controls

You can use standard PowerBuilder objects to connect to ODBC data sources and execute queries. The following example shows how to retrieve Freshdesk data into a DataWindow. You can add the following code to the open method:

SQLCA.DBMS = "ODBC"
SQLCA.DBParm = "ConnectString='DSN=CData FreshDesk Source'"
CONNECT USING SQLCA;
dw_tickets.SetTransObject(SQLCA);
dw_tickets.Retrieve();