Build a PostgreSQL Interface for Salesforce Data Cloud Data using the CData JDBC Driver

There are a vast number of PostgreSQL clients available on the Internet. From standard Drivers to BI and Analytics tools, PostgreSQL is a popular interface for data access. Using our JDBC Drivers, you can now create PostgreSQL entry-points that you can connect to from any standard client.

To access Salesforce Data Cloud data as a PostgreSQL database, use the CData JDBC Driver for Salesforce Data Cloud and a JDBC foreign data wrapper (FDW). In this article, we compile the FDW, install it, and query Salesforce Data Cloud data from PostgreSQL Server.

Connect to Salesforce Data Cloud Data as a JDBC Data Source

To connect to Salesforce Data Cloud as a JDBC data source, you will need the following:

• Driver JAR path: The JAR is located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.

• Driver class:

  cdata.jdbc.salesforcedatacloud.SalesforceDataCloudDriver
  

• JDBC URL: The URL must start with "jdbc:salesforcedatacloud:" and can include any of the connection properties in name-value pairs separated with semicolons.

  Salesforce Data Cloud supports authentication via the OAuth standard.

  OAuth

  Set to OAuth.

  Desktop Applications

  CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies authentication at the desktop.

  You can also authenticate from the desktop via a custom OAuth application, which you configure and register at the Salesforce Data Cloud console. For further information, see Creating a Custom OAuth App in the Help documentation.

  Before you connect, set these properties:

  • : GETANDREFRESH. You can use to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the .
  • (custom applications only): The Client ID assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • (custom applications only): The Client Secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

  When you connect, the driver opens Salesforce Data Cloud's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.

  The driver then completes the OAuth process as follows:

  • Extracts the access token from the callback URL.
  • Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
  • Saves OAuth values in so that they persist across connections.

  For other OAuth methods, including Web Applications and Headless Machines, refer to the Help documentation.

  Built-in Connection String Designer

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

  java -jar cdata.jdbc.salesforcedatacloud.jar
  

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

  👁 Using the built-in connection string designer to generate a JDBC URL (Salesforce is shown.)
  

  A typical JDBC URL is below:

  jdbc:salesforcedatacloud:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;
  

Build the JDBC Foreign Data Wrapper

The Foreign Data Wrapper can be installed as an extension to PostgreSQL, without recompiling PostgreSQL. The jdbc2_fdw extension is used as an example (downloadable here).

1. Add a symlink from the shared object for your version of the JRE to /usr/lib/libjvm.so. For example:

   ln -s /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/jre/lib/amd64/server/libjvm.so /usr/lib/libjvm.so
   

2. Start the build:

   make install USE_PGXS=1
   

Query Salesforce Data Cloud Data as a PostgreSQL Database

After you have installed the extension, follow the steps below to start executing queries to Salesforce Data Cloud data:

1. Log into your database.
2. Load the extension for the database:

   CREATE EXTENSION jdbc2_fdw;
   

3. Create a server object for Salesforce Data Cloud:

   CREATE SERVER SalesforceDataCloud 
   FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER jdbc2_fdw OPTIONS (
   drivername 'cdata.jdbc.salesforcedatacloud.SalesforceDataCloudDriver',
   url 'jdbc:salesforcedatacloud:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;',
   querytimeout '15',
   jarfile '/home/MyUser/CData/CData\ JDBC\ Driver\ for\ Salesforce MyDriverEdition/lib/cdata.jdbc.salesforcedatacloud.jar'); 
   

4. Create a user mapping for the username and password of a user known to the MySQL daemon.

   CREATE USER MAPPING for postgres SERVER SalesforceDataCloud OPTIONS (
   username 'admin', 
   password 'test');
   

5. Create a foreign table in your local database:

   postgres=# CREATE FOREIGN TABLE account (
   account_id text,
   account_[Account ID] text,
   account_[Account Name] numeric) 
   SERVER SalesforceDataCloud OPTIONS (
   table_name 'account');
   

You can now execute SELECT commands to Salesforce Data Cloud:

postgres=# SELECT * FROM account;