Use the CData JDBC Driver for HubDB in MicroStrategy Desktop

MicroStrategy is an analytics and mobility platform that enables data-driven innovation. When you pair MicroStrategy with the CData JDBC Driver for HubDB, you gain database-like access to live HubDB data from MicroStrategy, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. In this article, we walk through adding HubDB as a data source in MicroStrategy Desktop and creating a simple visualization of HubDB data.

The CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live HubDB data in MicroStrategy due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from MicroStrategy to HubDB, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to HubDB and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can use native MicroStrategy data types to visualize and analyze HubDB data.

Connect to and Visualize HubDB Data using MicroStrategy Desktop

In addition to connecting to HubDB in MicroStrategy enterprise products, you can connect to HubDB in MicroStrategy Desktop. Follow the steps below to add HubDB data as a dataset using JDBC and create visualizations and reports of HubDB data.

1. Open MicroStrategy Desktop and create a new dossier.
2. In the datasets panel, click New Data, select Databases, and choose Select a Table as the Import Option.
3. Add a new data source and choose the DSN-less data sources option.
4. Choose Generic in the Database menu and Generic DBMS in the Version menu.
5. Click the link to show the connection string and opt to edit the connection string. In the Driver menu, select MicroStrategy Cassandra ODBC Driver. (MicroStrategy requires a certified driver to interface through JDBC; the actual driver will not be used.)
6. Set the connection string as follows and click OK:
   • Add the JDBC keyword to the connection string.
   • Set MSTR_JDBC_JAR_FOLDER to the path of the JAR file for the JDBC driver. (C:\Program Files\CData JDBC Driver for HubDB\lib\ on Windows.)
   • Set DRIVER to cdata.jdbc.hubdb.HubDBDriver, the driver class.
   • Set URL to the JDBC URL for the HubDB driver, setting the necessary connection properties.

     There are two authentication methods available for connecting to HubDB data source: OAuth Authentication with a public HubSpot application and authentication with a Private application token.

     Using a Custom OAuth App

     AuthScheme must be set to "OAuth" in all OAuth flows. Be sure to review the Help documentation for the required connection properties for you specific authentication needs (desktop applications, web applications, and headless machines).

     Follow the steps below to register an application and obtain the OAuth client credentials:

     1. Log into your HubSpot app developer account.
        • Note that it must be an app developer account. Standard HubSpot accounts cannot create public apps.
     2. On the developer account home page, click the Apps tab.
     3. Click Create app.
     4. On the App info tab, enter and optionally modify values that are displayed to users when they connect. These values include the public application name, application logo, and a description of the application.
     5. On the Auth tab, supply a callback URL in the "Redirect URLs" box.
        • If you're creating a desktop application, set this to a locally accessible URL like http://localhost:33333.
        • If you are creating a Web application, set this to a trusted URL where you want users to be redirected to when they authorize your application.
     6. Click Create App. HubSpot then generates the application, along with its associated credentials.
     7. On the Auth tab, note the Client ID and Client secret. You will use these later to configure the driver.

     8. Under Scopes, select any scopes you need for your application's intended functionality.

        A minimum of the following scopes is required to access tables:

        • hubdb
        • oauth
        • crm.objects.owners.read
     9. Click Save changes.
     10. Install the application into a production portal with access to the features that are required by the integration.
         • Under "Install URL (OAuth)", click Copy full URL to copy the installation URL for your application.
         • Navigate to the copied link in your browser. Select a standard account in which to install the application.
         • Click Connect app. You can close the resulting tab.

     Using a Private App

     To connect using a HubSpot private application token, set the AuthScheme property to "PrivateApp."

     You can generate a private application token by following the steps below:

     1. In your HubDB account, click the settings icon (the gear) in the main navigation bar.
     2. In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Integrations > Private Apps.
     3. Click Create private app.
     4. On the Basic Info tab, configure the details of your application (name, logo, and description).
     5. On the Scopes tab, select Read or Write for each scope you want your private application to be able to access.
     6. A minimum of hubdb and crm.objects.owners.read is required to access tables.
     7. After you are done configuring your application, click Create app in the top right.
     8. Review the info about your application's access token, click Continue creating, and then Show token.
     9. Click Copy to copy the private application token.

     To connect, set PrivateAppToken to the private application token you retrieved.

     Built-in Connection String Designer

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

     java -jar cdata.jdbc.hubdb.jar
     

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

     👁 Using the built-in connection string designer to generate a JDBC URL (Salesforce is shown.)
     

     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.

   A typical connection string follows:

   JDBC;MSTR_JDBC_JAR_FOLDER=PATH\TO\JAR\;DRIVER=cdata.jdbc.hubdb.HubDBDriver;URL={jdbc:hubdb:AuthScheme=OAuth;OAuthClientID=MyOAuthClientID;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;};
   

   👁 Creating a new data source for HubDB.
   
7. Right-click on the new data source, and choose Edit catalog options.
8. Edit the SQL Statement to SELECT * FROM SYS_SCHEMAS to read the metadata from the JDBC Driver.
9. Select the new data source to view the available tables. You may need to manually click the search icon in the Available Tables section to see the tables.
10. Drag tables into the pane to import them. 👁 Select tables to import.
    Note: Since we create a live connection, we can import whole tables and utilize the filtering and aggregation features native to the MicroStrategy products.
11. Click Finish and choose the option to connect Live. Live connections are possible and effective, thanks to the high-performance data processing native to CData JDBC Drivers.
12. Choose a visualization, choose fields to display, and apply any filters to create a new visualization of HubDB data. Data types are discovered automatically through dynamic metadata discovery. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to HubDB, while any unsupported operations (which can include SQL functions and JOIN operations) will be managed client-side by the CData SQL engine embedded in the driver. 👁 Visualize HubDB data.
    
13. Once you are finished configuring the dossier, click File -> Save.

Using the CData JDBC Driver for HubDB in MicroStrategy Desktop, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on HubDB data. Read our other articles for connecting to HubDB data in MicroStrategy Developer and connecting to HubDB data in MicroStrategy Web for more examples.