How to use SQLAlchemy ORM to access Vault CRM Data in Python

The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems effectively. With the CData Python Connector for Vault CRM and the SQLAlchemy toolkit, you can build Vault CRM-connected Python applications and scripts. This article shows how to use SQLAlchemy to connect to Vault CRM data to query, update, delete, and insert Vault CRM data.

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

Connecting to Vault CRM Data

Connecting to Vault CRM 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.

You are ready to connect after specifying the following connection properties:

• Url: The host you see in the URL after you login to your account. For example: https://my-veeva-domain.veevavault.com
• User: The username you use to login to your account.
• Password: The password you use to login to your account.

Follow the procedure below to install SQLAlchemy and start accessing Vault CRM 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 Vault CRM Data in Python

You can now connect with a connection string. Use the create_engine function to create an Engine for working with Vault CRM 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("vaultcrm:///?User=myuser&Password=mypassword&Server=localhost&Database=mydatabase")

Declare a Mapping Class for Vault CRM 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 NorthwindProducts 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 NorthwindProducts(base):
	__tablename__ = "NorthwindProducts"
	ProductId = Column(String,primary_key=True)
	ProductName = Column(String)
	...

Query Vault CRM 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("vaultcrm:///?User=myuser&Password=mypassword&Server=localhost&Database=mydatabase")
factory = sessionmaker(bind=engine)
session = factory()
for instance in session.query(NorthwindProducts).filter_by(CategoryId="5"):
	print("ProductId: ", instance.ProductId)
	print("ProductName: ", instance.ProductName)
	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

NorthwindProducts_table = NorthwindProducts.metadata.tables["NorthwindProducts"]
for instance in session.execute(NorthwindProducts_table.select().where(NorthwindProducts_table.c.CategoryId == "5")):
	print("ProductId: ", instance.ProductId)
	print("ProductName: ", instance.ProductName)
	print("---------")

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

Insert Vault CRM Data

To insert Vault CRM data, define an instance of the mapped class and add it to the active session. Call the commit function on the session to push all added instances to Vault CRM.

new_rec = NorthwindProducts(ProductId="placeholder", CategoryId="5")
session.add(new_rec)
session.commit()

Update Vault CRM Data

To update Vault CRM data, fetch the desired record(s) with a filter query. Then, modify the values of the fields and call the commit function on the session to push the modified record to Vault CRM.

updated_rec = session.query(NorthwindProducts).filter_by(SOME_ID_COLUMN="SOME_ID_VALUE").first()
updated_rec.CategoryId = "5"
session.commit()

Delete Vault CRM Data

To delete Vault CRM data, fetch the desired record(s) with a filter query. Then delete the record with the active session and call the commit function on the session to perform the delete operation on the provided records (rows).

deleted_rec = session.query(NorthwindProducts).filter_by(SOME_ID_COLUMN="SOME_ID_VALUE").first()
session.delete(deleted_rec)
session.commit()

Free Trial & More Information

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