Query LinkedIn Data as a SQL Server Database in Node.js

You can use CData Connect AI to query LinkedIn data through a SQL Server interface. Follow the procedure below to create a virtual database for LinkedIn in Connect AI and start querying using Node.js.

CData Connect AI provides a pure MySQL, cloud-to-cloud interface for LinkedIn, allowing you to easily query live LinkedIn data in Node.js — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. As you query data in Node.js, CData Connect AI pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to LinkedIn, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return LinkedIn data.

Configure LinkedIn Connectivity for NodeJS

Connectivity to LinkedIn from NodeJS is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with LinkedIn data from NodeJS, we start by creating and configuring a LinkedIn connection.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
👁 Adding a Connection

2. Select "LinkedIn" from the Add Connection panel
👁 Selecting a data source

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to LinkedIn. LinkedIn uses the OAuth 2 authentication standard. Obtain the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret by registering an app with LinkedIn. For more information refer to our authentication guide. 👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add LinkedIn 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.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create. 👁 Creating a new PAT
   
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to LinkedIn data from Node.js.

Query LinkedIn from Node.js

The following example shows how to define a connection and execute queries to LinkedIn with the SQL Server module. You will need the following information:

• server: tds.cdata.com
• port: 14333
• user: a Connect AI user (e.g. [email protected])
• password: the PAT for the above user
• database: The connection you configured for LinkedIn (LinkedIn1)

Connect to LinkedIn data and start executing queries with the code below:

var sql = require('mssql')
var config = {
	server: 'tds.cdata.com',
	port: 14333, 
	user: '[email protected]', //update me
	password: 'CONNECT_USER_PAT', //update me	
	options: {
		encrypt: true,
		database: 'LinkedIn1'
	}
}

sql.connect(config, err => { 
 if(err){
 throw err ;
 }
 new sql.Request().query('SELECT * FROM CompanyStatusUpdates', (err, result) => {
 console.dir(result)
 })
 
});

sql.on('error', err => {
 console.log("SQL Error: " ,err);
})