Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your apps and services. When paired with CData Connect AI, you get access to live SQL Server data for your workflows. This article shows how to connect to SQL Server and build workflows with live SQL Server data in Zapier.
Connect to SQL Server from Zapier
To work with SQL Server in Zapier, we need to connect to SQL Server from Connect AI, provide user access to
the connection, and create a Workspace for the SQL Server data.
Connect to SQL Server from Connect AI
CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.
-
Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
👁 Adding a Connection
- Select "SQL Server" from the Add Connection panel
👁 Selecting a data source
-
Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to SQL Server.
Connecting to Microsoft SQL Server
Connect to Microsoft SQL Server using the following properties:
- Server: The name of the server running SQL Server.
- User: The username provided for authentication with SQL Server.
- Password: The password associated with the authenticating user.
- Database: The name of the SQL Server database.
Connecting to Azure SQL Server and Azure Data Warehouse
You can authenticate to Azure SQL Server or Azure Data Warehouse by setting the following connection properties:
- Server: The server running Azure. You can find this by logging into the Azure portal and navigating to "SQL databases" (or "SQL data warehouses") -> "Select your database" -> "Overview" -> "Server name."
- User: The name of the user authenticating to Azure.
- Password: The password associated with the authenticating user.
- Database: The name of the database, as seen in the Azure portal on the SQL databases (or SQL warehouses) page.
SSH Connectivity for SQL Server
You can use SSH (Secure Shell) to authenticate with SQL Server, whether the instance is hosted on-premises or in supported cloud environments. SSH authentication ensures that access is encrypted (as compared to direct network connections).
SSH Connections to SQL Server in Password Auth Mode
To connect to SQL Server via SSH in Password Auth mode, set the following connection properties:
- User: SQL Server User name
- Password: SQL Server Password
- Database: SQL Server database name
- Server: SQL Server Server name
- Port: SQL Server port number like 3306
- UserSSH: "true"
- SSHAuthMode: "Password"
- SSHPort: SSH Port number
- SSHServer: SSH Server name
- SSHUser: SSH User name
- SSHPassword: SSH Password
SSH Connections to SQL Server in Public Key Auth Mode
To connect to SQL Server via SSH in Password Auth mode, set the following connection properties:
- User: SQL Server User name
- Password: SQL Server Password
- Database: SQL Server database name
- Server: SQL Server Server name
- Port: SQL Server port number like 3306
- UserSSH: "true"
- SSHAuthMode: "Public_Key"
- SSHPort: SSH Port number
- SSHServer: SSH Server name
- SSHUser: SSH User name
- SSHClientCret: the path for the public key certificate file
👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
-
Click Save & Test
-
Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add SQL Server Connection page and update the User-based permissions.
👁 Updating permissions
Add a Personal Access Token
When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.
-
Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
-
On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
-
Give the PAT a name and click Create.
👁 Creating a new PAT
-
The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.
Configure SQL Server Endpoints for Zapier
After connecting to SQL Server, create a workspace for your desired table(s).
-
Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
👁 The Workspaces page.
👁 Adding a new Workspace.
-
Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
-
Select the SQL Server connection (e.g. SQL1) and click Next.
👁 Selecting an Asset (Salesforce is shown).
-
Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
👁 Selecting Tables (Salesforce is shown).
-
Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to SQL Server data from Zapier.
Connect to SQL Server Data in Zapier Workflows
To establish a connection from Zapier to CData Connect AI using the OData protocol, follow these steps.
- Log into Zapier.
- Click Create Zap.
- In the dialog that appears, search for "Webhooks by Zapier", and click the option underneath.
👁 Creating a Webhooks by Zapier Zap.
- Under Event, select Retrieve Poll.
👁 Creating a Retrieve Poll event.
- Fill in the connection details:
- URL: Enter the OData URL (e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}).
- Key: Enter "value.name."
- Authentication details: Fill in the Basic Auth or Headers. The basic option requires a user (your Connect AI username, e.g. [email protected]) and password (the PAT you've previously created) separated by a pipe symbol: |. The headers option requires a request type header with encoded credentials.
👁 Configuring the connection to Connect AI OData or Workspace URLs.
- Click Test. If the connection is set up properly, sample records will appear.
👁 Testing the connection.
Simplified Access to SQL Server Data from Cloud Applications
At this point, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live SQL Server data from Zapier. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in cloud applications like Zapier, refer to our Connect AI page.
