How to use SQLAlchemy ORM to access ServiceDesk Plus Data in Python

The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems effectively. With the CData API Driver for Python and the SQLAlchemy toolkit, you can build ServiceDesk Plus-connected Python applications and scripts. This article shows how to use SQLAlchemy to connect to ServiceDesk Plus data to query ServiceDesk Plus data.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData Python Connector offers unmatched performance for interacting with live ServiceDesk Plus data in Python. When you issue complex SQL queries from ServiceDesk Plus, the CData Connector pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to ServiceDesk Plus and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).

Connecting to ServiceDesk Plus Data

Connecting to ServiceDesk Plus data looks just like connecting to any relational data source. Create a connection string using the required connection properties. For this article, you will pass the connection string as a parameter to the create_engine function.

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;

Follow the procedure below to install SQLAlchemy and start accessing ServiceDesk Plus through Python objects.

Install Required Modules

Use the pip utility to install the SQLAlchemy toolkit and SQLAlchemy ORM package:

pip install sqlalchemy
pip install sqlalchemy.orm

Be sure to import the appropriate modules:

from sqlalchemy import create_engine, String, Column
from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker

Model ServiceDesk Plus Data in Python

You can now connect with a connection string. Use the create_engine function to create an Engine for working with ServiceDesk Plus data.

NOTE: Users should URL encode the any connection string properties that include special characters. For more information, refer to the SQL Alchemy documentation.

engine = create_engine("api:///?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")

Declare a Mapping Class for ServiceDesk Plus Data

After establishing the connection, declare a mapping class for the table you wish to model in the ORM (in this article, we will model the AnnouncementComments table). Use the sqlalchemy.ext.declarative.declarative_base function and create a new class with some or all of the fields (columns) defined.

base = declarative_base()
class AnnouncementComments(base):
	__tablename__ = "AnnouncementComments"
	 = Column(String,primary_key=True)
	 = Column(String)
	...

Query ServiceDesk Plus Data

With the mapping class prepared, you can use a session object to query the data source. After binding the Engine to the session, provide the mapping class to the session query method.

Using the query Method

engine = create_engine("api:///?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")
factory = sessionmaker(bind=engine)
session = factory()
for instance in session.query(AnnouncementComments).filter_by(AnnouncementId="12345"):
	print(": ", instance.)
	print(": ", instance.)
	print("---------")

Alternatively, you can use the execute method with the appropriate table object. The code below works with an active session.

Using the execute Method

AnnouncementComments_table = AnnouncementComments.metadata.tables["AnnouncementComments"]
for instance in session.execute(AnnouncementComments_table.select().where(AnnouncementComments_table.c.AnnouncementId == "12345")):
	print(": ", instance.)
	print(": ", instance.)
	print("---------")

For examples of more complex querying, including JOINs, aggregations, limits, and more, refer to the Help documentation for the extension.

Free Trial & More Information

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData API Driver for Python to start building Python apps and scripts with connectivity to ServiceDesk Plus data. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.