Connect to LinkedIn Data in HULFT Integrate

HULFT Integrate is a modern data integration platform that provides a drag-and-drop user interface to create cooperation flows, data conversion, and processing so that complex data connections are easier than ever to execute. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for LinkedIn, HULFT Integrate can work with live LinkedIn data. This article explains how to connect to LinkedIn and move the data into a CSV file.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live LinkedIn data. When you issue complex SQL queries to LinkedIn, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to LinkedIn and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying allows you to work with and analyze LinkedIn data using native data types.

Enable Access to LinkedIn

To enable access to LinkedIn data from HULFT Integrate projects:

1. Copy the CData JDBC Driver JAR file (and license file if it exists), cdata.jdbc.linkedin.jar (and cdata.jdbc.linkedin.lic), to the jdbc_adapter subfolder for the Integrate Server
2. Restart the HULFT Integrate Server and launch HULFT Integrate Studio

Build a Project with Access to LinkedIn Data

Once you copy the JAR files, you can create a project with access to LinkedIn data. Start by opening Integrate Studio and creating a new project.

1. Name the project
2. Ensure the "Create script" checkbox is checked
3. Click Next 👁 Creating a new project.
   
4. Name the script (e.g.: LinkedIntoCSV)

Once you create the project, add components to the script to copy LinkedIn data to a CSV file.

Configure an Execute Select SQL Component

Drag an "Execute Select SQL" component from the Tool Palette (Database -> JDBC) into the Script workspace.

1. In the "Required settings" tab for the Destination, click "Add" to create a new connection for LinkedIn. Set the following properties:
   • Name: LinkedIn Connection Settings
   • Driver class name: cdata.jdbc.linkedin.LinkedInDriver
   • URL: jdbc:linkedin:OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:portNumber;CompanyId=XXXXXXX;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;
     
     👁 JDBC connection settings (Salesforce is shown).
     

     Built-in Connection String Designer

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

     		java -jar cdata.jdbc.linkedin.jar
     		

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

     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. 👁 Using the built-in connection string designer to generate a JDBC URL (Salesforce is shown.)
     
2. Write your SQL statement. For example:

   SELECT VisibilityCode, Comment FROM CompanyStatusUpdates

3. Click "Extraction test" to ensure the connection and query are configured properly
4. Click "Execute SQL statement and set output schema"
5. Click "Finish" 👁 Configuring the Execute Select SQL operation
   

Configure a Write CSV File Component

Drag a "Write CSV File" component from the Tool Palette (File -> CSV) onto the workspace.

1. Set a file to write the query results to (e.g. CompanyStatusUpdates.csv)
2. Set "Input data" to the "Select SQL" component
3. Add columns for each field selected in the SQL query
4. In the "Write settings" tab, check the checkbox to "Insert column names into first row"
5. Click "Finish"

Map LinkedIn Fields to the CSV Columns

Map each column from the "Select" component to the corresponding column for the "CSV" component.

Finish the Script

Drag the "Start" component onto the "Select" component and the "CSV" component onto the "End" component. Build the script and run the script to move LinkedIn data into a CSV file.

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for LinkedIn and start working with your live LinkedIn data in HULFT Integrate. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.