Connect to Google Analytics Data in JRuby

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

Configure a JDBC Connection to Google Analytics 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 Google Analytics\lib).

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

Google uses the OAuth authentication standard. To access Google APIs on behalf on individual users, you can use the embedded credentials or you can register your own OAuth app.

OAuth also enables you to use a service account to connect on behalf of users in a Google Apps domain. To authenticate with a service account, register an application to obtain the OAuth JWT values.

In addition to the OAuth values, set Profile to the profile you want to connect to. This can be set to either the Id or website URL for the Profile. If not specified, the first Profile returned will be used.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.googleanalytics.jar

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

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Google Analytics:

jdbc:googleanalytics:Profile=MyProfile;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Google Analytics Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: GoogleAnalyticsSelect.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 Google Analytics 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.googleanalytics.jar'

url = "jdbc:googleanalytics:Profile=MyProfile;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Browser, Sessions FROM Traffic")
while (rs.next) do
 puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

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

jruby -S GoogleAnalyticsSelect.rb

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