Use the CData ODBC Driver for ServiceDesk Plus in SAS for Real-Time Reporting and Analytics

SAS is a software suite developed for advanced analytics, multivariate analysis, business intelligence, data management, and predictive analytics. When you pair SAS with the CData ODBC Driver for ServiceDesk Plus, you gain database-like access to live ServiceDesk Plus data from SAS, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. This article explains how to create a library for ServiceDesk Plus in SAS and create a simple report based on real-time ServiceDesk Plus data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live ServiceDesk Plus data in SAS due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from SAS to ServiceDesk Plus, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to ServiceDesk Plus and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can easily visualize and analyze ServiceDesk Plus data in SAS.

Connect to ServiceDesk Plus as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to ServiceDesk Plus follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments (the ODBC Driver for ServiceDesk Plus must be installed on the machine hosting the SAS System).

Using OAuth Authentication

ServiceDeskPlus uses Zoho OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication. To set up OAuth access:

1. Register your application in the Zoho Developer Console at https://api-console.zoho.com
2. Configure your redirect URI to match your application setup
3. Note your Client ID and Client Secret from the application settings

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

• AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth.
• OAuthClientId: Set this to your Zoho application Client ID.
• OAuthClientSecret: Set this to your Zoho application Client Secret.
• Scope: Set this to the required ServiceDeskPlus permissions (default includes read access to requests, problems, assets, and projects).
• Domain: Set this to your ServiceDeskPlus domain
• Portal: Set this to your ServiceDeskPlus portal

Example Connection String

Profile=C:\profiles\ServiceDeskPlus.apip;ProfileSettings="Portal=itdesk;Domain=.in;Scope=SDPOnDemand.requests.READ SDPOnDemand.problems.READ SDPOnDemand.assets.READ SDPOnDemand.projects.READ";AuthScheme=OAuth;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

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 ServiceDesk Plus 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 API Sys]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for ServiceDesk Plus
Description = My Description
Profile = C:\profiles\ServiceDeskPlus.apip
ProfileSettings = "Portal = itdesk
Domain = .in
Scope = SDPOnDemand.requests.READ SDPOnDemand.problems.READ SDPOnDemand.assets.READ SDPOnDemand.projects.READ"
AuthScheme = OAuth
OAuthClientId = your_client_id
OAuthClientSecret = your_client_secret

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

Create a ServiceDesk Plus Library in SAS

Connect to ServiceDesk Plus in SAS by adding a library based on the CData ODBC Driver for ServiceDesk Plus.

1. Open SAS and expand Libraries in the Explorer pane.
2. In the Active Libraries window, right-click and select New.
3. Name your library (odbclib), select ODBC as the Engine, and click to Enable at startup (if you want the library to persist between sessions).
4. Set Data Source to the DSN you previously configured and click OK. 👁 Creating a library for ServiceDesk Plus in SAS.
   

Create a View from a ServiceDesk Plus Query

SAS natively supports querying data either using a low-code, point-and-click Query tool or programmatically with PROC SQL and a custom SQL query. When you create a View in SAS, the defining query is executed each time the view is queried. This means that you always query live ServiceDesk Plus data for reports, charts, and analytics.

Using the Query Tool

1. In SAS, click Tools -> Query
2. Select the table sources and the table(s) you wish to pull data from. Then, click OK. 👁 Selecting table(s) to visualize.
   
3. Select columns and right-click to add filtering, ordering, grouping, etc. 👁 Selecting columns(s) to visualize and configuring the query.
   
4. Create a local view to contain the query results by right-clicking the SQL Query Tool window, selecting Show Query, and clicking Create View. Name the View and click OK. 👁 Create a local view to work with ServiceDesk Plus data.
   

Using PROC SQL

1. In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
2. Use PROC SQL to query the data and create a local view.
   NOTE: This procedure creates a view in the Work library. You can optionally specify a library in the create view statement.

   proc sql;
    create view announcementcomments_view as
    select 
    , 
    
    from 
    odbclib.announcementcomments 
    where 
    AnnouncementId = '12345';
   quit;
   

3. Click Run -> Submit to execute the query and create a local view.

Report On or Visualize ServiceDesk Plus Data in SAS

With a local view created, you can report, visualize, or otherwise analyze ServiceDesk Plus data using the powerful SAS features. Print a simple report using PROC PRINT and create a basic graph based on the data using PROC GCHART.

Print an HTML Report

1. In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
2. Use PROC PRINT to print an HTML report for the ServiceDesk Plus AnnouncementComments data.

   proc print data=announcementcomments;
    title "ServiceDesk Plus AnnouncementComments Data";
   run;
   

   👁 A simple ServiceDesk Plus data report.
   

Print a Chart

1. In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
2. Use PROC GCHART to create a chart for the AnnouncementComments data.

   proc gchart data=announcementcomments;
    pie / sumvar=
    value=arrow
    percent=arrow
    noheading
    percent=inside plabel=(height=12pt)
    slice=inside value=none
    name='AnnouncementCommentsChart';
   run;
   

   👁 A simple ServiceDesk Plus data chart.