Connect to Microsoft Project Data in JRuby

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

Configure a JDBC Connection to Microsoft Project 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 Microsoft Project\lib).

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

The User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid Microsoft Project user credentials. In addition, specify a URL to a valid Microsoft Project server organization root or Microsoft Project services file.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.microsoftproject.jar

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

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Microsoft Project:

jdbc:microsoftproject:User=myuseraccount;Password=mypassword;URL=http://myserver/myOrgRoot;

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Microsoft Project Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: MicrosoftProjectSelect.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 Microsoft Project 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.microsoftproject.jar'

url = "jdbc:microsoftproject:User=myuseraccount;Password=mypassword;URL=http://myserver/myOrgRoot;"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT ProjectName, ProjectActualCost FROM Projects")
while (rs.next) do
 puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

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

jruby -S MicrosoftProjectSelect.rb

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