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URL: https://www.cdata.com/kb/tech/qbonline-odbc-rad-data-explorer.rst

⇱ Viewing QuickBooks Online Data in RAD Studio Data Explorer

Viewing QuickBooks Online Data in RAD Studio Data Explorer

👁 Dibyendu Datta
Dibyendu Datta
Lead Technology Evangelist
How to view QuickBooks Online data in RAD Studio Data Explorer using the CData ODBC Driver for QuickBooks Online.

Embarcadero RAD Studio provides a development environment for Delphi and C++Builder applications. With the CData ODBC Driver for QuickBooks Online, you gain access to live QuickBooks Online data within RAD Studio, abstracting the data into tables, views, and stored procedures that can be used to both retrieve and update QuickBooks Online data. This article will walk through connecting to QuickBooks Online using the Data Explorer.

About QuickBooks Online Data Integration

CData provides the easiest way to access and integrate live data from QuickBooks Online. Customers use CData connectivity to:

  • Realize high-performance data reads thanks to push-down query optimization for complex operations like filters and aggregations.
  • Read, write, update, and delete QuickBooks Online data.
  • Run reports, download attachments, and send or void invoices directly from code using SQL stored procedures.
  • Connect securely using OAuth and modern cryptography, including TLS 1.2, SHA-256, and ECC.

Many users access live QuickBooks Online data from preferred analytics tools like Power BI and Excel, directly from databases with federated access, and use CData solutions to easily integrate QuickBooks Online data with automated workflows for business-to-business communications.

For more information on how customers are solving problems with CData's QuickBooks Online solutions, refer to our blog: https://www.cdata.com/blog/360-view-of-your-customers.


Getting Started


Configure a Connection to QuickBooks Online

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

QuickBooks Online uses the OAuth authentication standard. OAuth requires the authenticating user to log in through the browser. To authenticate using OAuth, you can use the embedded OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL or you can obtain your own by registering an app with Intuit. Additionally, if you want to connect to sandbox data, set UseSandbox to true.

See the Getting Started chapter of the help documentation for a guide to using OAuth.

Connecting to QuickBooks Online Data Using Data Explorer

You can create a simple application for displaying QuickBooks Online data by utilizing the CData FireDAC Components for QuickBooks Online and a new VCL Forms Application:

  1. Open the Data Explorer in RAD Studio and expand FireDAC.
  2. Right-click the ODBC Data Source node in the Data Explorer.
  3. Click Add New Connection. 👁 Adding a New Connection. (Salesforce is shown.)
  4. Enter a name for the connection.
  5. In the FireDAC Connection Editor that appears, set the DataSource property to the name of the ODBC DSN for QuickBooks Online. 👁 Setting the Connection Parameters. (Salesforce is shown.)
  6. Back in the Data Explorer, expand the tables for the connection.

  7. Create a new VCL Forms application and drag a table (for example: Customers) onto the form.

    👁 Placing the Table on the Form. (Salesforce is shown.)
  8. Select the CustomersTable object on the form and set the Active property to true.

  9. Right-click on the object, bind visually, and link everything (*) to a new control (TStringGrid).

    👁 Visually Binding the Table. (Salesforce is shown.)

  10. Arrange the TStringGrid on the form and run the application to see the Customers data.

    👁 The Table data on a Form. (Salesforce is shown.)

Related Articles

Below you can find other articles for using the CData ODBC Driver with RAD Studio, Delphi, and C++ Builder.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the QuickBooks Online ODBC Driver to get started:

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Learn more:

👁 QuickBooks Online Icon
QuickBooks Online ODBC Driver

The QuickBooks Online ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from QuickBooks Online, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access QuickBooks Online data like you would a database - read, write, and update Customers, Transactions, Invoices, Sales Receipts, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.