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URL: https://www.cdata.com/kb/tech/xero-cloud-data-fusion.rst

⇱ Build Pipelines with Live Xero Data in Google Cloud Data Fusion (via CData Connect AI)

Build Pipelines with Live Xero Data in Google Cloud Data Fusion (via CData Connect AI)

👁 Mohsin Turki
Mohsin Turki
Technical Marketing Engineer
Use CData Connect AI to connect to Xero from Google Cloud Data Fusion, enabling the integration of live Xero data into the building and management of effective data pipelines.

Google Cloud Data Fusion simplifies building and managing data pipelines by offering a visual interface to connect, transform, and move data across various sources and destinations, streamlining data integration processes. When combined with CData Connect AI, it provides access to Xero data for building and managing ELT/ETL data pipelines. This article explains how to use CData Connect AI to create a live connection to Xero and how to connect and access live Xero data from the Cloud Data Fusion platform.

About Xero Data Integration

Accessing and integrating live data from Xero has never been easier with CData. Customers rely on CData connectivity to:

  • Connect to Xero Accounts and both US and Australian Payroll APIs.
  • Read, write, update, and delete Xero objects like Customers, Transactions, Invoices, Sales Receipts and more.
  • Use SQL stored procedures for actions like adding items to a cart, submitting orders, and downloading attachments.
  • Work with accounting, payroll, file, fixed asset, and project data.

Customers regularly integrate their Xero data with preferred tools, like Tableau, Qlik Sense, or Excel, and integrate Xero data into their database or data warehouse.


Getting Started


Configure Xero Connectivity for Cloud Data Fusion

Connectivity to Xero from Cloud Data Fusion is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with Xero data from Cloud Data Fusion, we start by creating and configuring a Xero connection.

  1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
    2. 👁 Adding a Connection
  2. Select "Xero" from the Add Connection panel
    3. 👁 Selecting a data source
  3. Xero uses OAuth to authenticate. Click "Sign in" to authenticate with Xero. 👁 Authenticating with OAuth (Salesforce is shown).
  4. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Xero 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.

  1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
  2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
  3. Give the PAT a name and click Create. 👁 Creating a new PAT
  4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to Xero data from Cloud Data Fusion.

Connecting to Xero from Cloud Data Fusion

Follow these steps to establish a connection from Cloud Data Fusion to Xero through the CData Connect AI JDBC driver:

  1. Download and install the CData Connect AI JDBC driver:
    1. Open the Integrations page of CData Connect AI.
    2. Search for and select JDBC.
    3. Download and run the setup file.
    4. When the installation is complete, copy the JAR file(cdata.jdbc.connect.jar) from the installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\CData\JDBC Driver for CData Connect\lib).
  2. Log into Cloud Data Fusion.
  3. Click the green "+" button at the top right to add an entity.
  4. Under Driver, click Upload. 👁 Upload the driver JAR file
  5. Now, upload the CData Connect AI JDBC driver (JAR file).
  6. Enter the driver settings:
    • Name: Enter the name of the driver
    • Class name: Enter "cdata.jdbc.connect.ConnectDriver"
    • Version: Enter the driver version
    • Description (optional): Enter a description for the driver 👁 Enter the driver settings
  7. Click on Finish.
  8. Enter source configuration settings:
    • Label: Helps to identify the connection
    • JDBC driver name: Enter the JDBC driver name to identify the driver configured in Step 6.
    • Connection string: Enter the JDBC connection string, for example: 
      jdbc:connect:AuthScheme=Basic;user=username;password=PAT;
    • User: Enter your CData Connect AI username, displayed in the top-right corner of the CData Connect AI interface. For example, "[email protected]"
    • Password: Enter the PAT you generated on the Settings page. 👁 Enter the source configuration settings
  9. Click Validate in the top right corner.
  10. If the connection is successful, you can manage the pipeline by editing it through the UI. 👁 Build and manage the pipeline in the UI
  11. Run the pipepline created. 👁 Run the pipeline

Troubleshooting

Please be aware that there is a known issue in Cloud Data Fusion where "int" types from source data are automatically cast as "long".

Live Access to Xero Data from Cloud Applications

Now you have a direct connection to live Xero data from from Google Cloud Data Fusion. You can create more connections to ensure a smooth movement of data across various sources and destinations, thereby streamlining data integration processes - all without replicating Xero data.

To get real-time data access to hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources (including Xero) directly from your cloud applications, explore the CData Connect AI.