CData Connect AI, enables you to access Jira data from cloud-based applications like the Salesforce console and mobile applications like the Salesforce Mobile App. In this article, you will use CData Connect AI and Salesforce Connect to access external Jira objects alongside standard Salesforce objects.
About Jira Data Integration
CData simplifies access and integration of live Jira data. Our customers leverage CData connectivity to:
- Gain bi-directional access to their Jira objects like issues, projects, and workflows.
- Use SQL stored procedures to perform functional actions like changing issues status, creating custom fields, download or uploading an attachment, modifying or retrieving time tracking settings, and more.
- Authenticate securely using a variety of methods, including username and password, OAuth, personal access token, API token, Crowd or OKTA SSO, LDAP, and more.
Most users leverage CData solutions to integrate Jira data with their database or data warehouse, whether that's using CData Sync directly or relying on CData's compatibility with platforms like SSIS or Azure Data Factory. Others are looking to get analytics and reporting on live Jira data from preferred analytics tools like Tableau and Power BI.
Learn more about how customers are seamlessly connecting to their Jira data to solve business problems from our blog: Drivers in Focus: Collaboration Tools.
Getting Started
Connect to Jira from Salesforce
To work with live Jira data in Salesforce Connect, we need to connect to Jira from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the Jira data.
Connect to Jira from Connect AI
CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.
-
Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
👁 Adding a Connection
- Select "Jira" from the Add Connection panel
👁 Selecting a data source
-
Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Jira.
To connect to JIRA, provide the User and Password. Additionally, provide the Url; for example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.
👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
-
Click Save & Test
-
Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Jira Connection page and update the User-based permissions.
👁 Updating permissions
Add a Personal Access Token
When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.
-
Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
-
On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
-
Give the PAT a name and click Create.
👁 Creating a new PAT
-
The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.
Configure Jira Endpoints for Salesforce Connect
After connecting to Jira, create a workspace for your desired table(s).
-
Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
👁 The Workspaces page.
👁 Adding a new Workspace.
-
Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
-
Select the Jira connection (e.g. JIRA1) and click Next.
👁 Selecting an Asset (Salesforce is shown).
-
Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
👁 Selecting Tables (Salesforce is shown).
-
Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to Jira data from Salesforce Connect.
Connect to Jira Data as an External Data Sources
Follow the steps below to connect to the feed produced by Connect AI.
- Log into Salesforce and click Setup -> Integrations -> External Data Sources.
- Click Now External Data Sources.
- Enter values for the following properties:
- External Data Sources: Enter a label to be used in list views and reports.
- Name: Enter a unique identifier.
- Type: Select the option "Salesforce Connect: OData 4.0".
- URL: Enter the URL to the OData endpoint of Connect AI: https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
- Select JSON in the Format menu.
- In the Authentication section, set the following properties:
- Identity Type: If all members of your organization will use the same credentials to access Connect AI, select "Named Principal".
If the members of your organization will connect with their own credentials, select "Per User".
- Authentication Protocol: Select Password Authentication to use basic authentication.
- Certificate: Enter or browse to the certificate to be used to encrypt and authenticate communications from Salesforce to your server.
- Username: Enter a CData Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected]).
- Password: Enter the user's PAT.
👁 Configuration settings for the data source (NetSuite is shown)
Synchronize Jira Objects
After you have created the external data source, follow the steps below to create Jira external objects that reflect any changes in the data source. You will synchronize the definitions for the Jira external objects with the definitions for Jira tables.
- Click the link for the external data source you created.
- Click Validate and Scan.
- Select the Jira tables you want to work with as external objects.
👁 Select external objects (NetSuite is shown)
Access Jira Data as Salesforce Objects
After adding Jira data as an external data source and syncing Jira tables as external objects, you can use the external Jira objects just as you would standard Salesforce objects.
Simplified Access to Jira Data from Cloud Applications
At this point, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live Jira data from Salesforce. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in cloud applications like Salesforce, refer to our Connect AI page.
