Create Informatica Mappings From/To an ODBC Data Source for QuickBooks

Informatica provides a powerful, elegant means of transporting and transforming your data. By utilizing the CData ODBC Driver for QuickBooks, you are gaining access to a driver based on industry-proven standards that integrates seamlessly with Informatica's powerful data transportation and manipulation features. This tutorial shows how to transfer and browse QuickBooks data in Informatica PowerCenter.

Getting Started

---

Connect to QuickBooks as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to QuickBooks follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments.

When you are connecting to a local QuickBooks instance, you do not need to set any connection properties.

Requests are made to QuickBooks through the Remote Connector. The Remote Connector runs on the same machine as QuickBooks and accepts connections through a lightweight, embedded Web server. The server supports SSL/TLS, enabling users to connect securely from remote machines.

The first time you connect, authorize the Remote Connector with QuickBooks. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide.

Windows

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.

Linux

If you are installing the CData ODBC Driver for QuickBooks in a Linux environment, the driver installation predefines a system DSN. You can modify the DSN by editing the system data sources file (/etc/odbc.ini) and defining the required connection properties.

/etc/odbc.ini

[CData QuickBooks Source]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for QuickBooks
Description = My Description
URL = http://remotehost:8166
User = admin
Password = admin123

For specific information on using these configuration files, please refer to the help documentation (installed and found online).

Create a Linked Table to Customers Data

Follow the steps below to create a linked table, which enables you to access live Customers data.

Create the ODBC Connection

Follow the steps below to connect to QuickBooks in Informatica PowerCenter:

1. In the Informatica Developer tool connect to your repository and create a project.
2. In the Connection Explorer pane, right-click and click Create a Connection.
3. In the New Database Connection wizard that is displayed, enter a name and Id for the connection and in the Type menu select ODBC.
4. In the Connection String property, enter the DSN.

NOTE: If you are working in a Linux operating system, set the Driver Manager for Linux property to unixODBC 2.3.x.

Create the QuickBooks Data Object

After you have created an ODBC connection to QuickBooks, you can now access QuickBooks entities in Informatica. Follow the steps below to add Customers entities to your project.

1. In the Object Explorer, right-click your project and then click New -> Data Object.
2. In the wizard that is displayed, select the Relational Data Object option.
3. Click the Browse button next to the Connection box and select the ODBC connection you created in the previous step.
4. Select the option to create a data object from an existing resource and click the Browse button next to the Resource box.
5. In the dialog that is displayed, clear the Show Default Schema Only option and expand the node for the ODBC connection. Select the entity that you want. 👁 The driver models QuickBooks entities as relational tables. (Salesforce is shown.)
   

You can now browse the table in the Data Viewer: Right-click the node for the table and then click Open. On the Data Viewer view, click Run.

👁 Table data and metadata in the Data Viewer. (Salesforce is shown.)

Create the Mapping

Follow the steps below to add the QuickBooks source to a mapping:

1. In the Object Explorer, right-click your project and then click New -> Mapping.
2. Expand the node for the QuickBooks connection and then drag the data object for the table onto the editor.
3. In the dialog that appears, select the Read option.

👁 The source QuickBooks table in the mapping. (Salesforce is shown.)

Follow the steps below to map QuickBooks columns to a flat file:

1. In the Object Explorer, right-click your project and then click New -> Data Object.
2. Select Flat File Data Object -> Create as Empty -> Fixed Width.
3. In the properties for the QuickBooks object, select the rows you want, right-click, and then click copy. Paste the rows into the flat file properties.
4. Drag the flat file data object onto the mapping. In the dialog that appears, select the Write option.
5. Click and drag to connect columns.

To transfer QuickBooks data, right-click in the workspace and then click Run Mapping.

👁 The completed mapping. (Salesforce is shown.)