Connect to Snapchat Ads Data in JRuby

JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for Snapchat Ads makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Snapchat Ads data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to Snapchat Ads data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Configure a JDBC Connection to Snapchat Ads Data

Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Snapchat Ads\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to Snapchat Ads and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.

Create an OAuth application to connect to Snapchat Ads. See the online Help documentation for an authentication guide.

Additionally, you can optionally set AccountId to provide a default Account ID (meaning it won't need to be manually provided in the WHERE clause). If the AccountId is not specified, the first account in the Accounts view is used.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.snapchatads.jar

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

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Snapchat Ads:

jdbc:snapchatads:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Snapchat Ads Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: SnapchatAdsSelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for Snapchat Ads 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.snapchatads.jar'

url = "jdbc:snapchatads:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT AccountId, Name FROM Campaigns")
while (rs.next) do
 puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Snapchat Ads data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

jruby -S SnapchatAdsSelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to Snapchat Ads allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Snapchat Ads data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!