Bridge Xero Connectivity with Apache NiFi

Dibyendu Datta
Lead Technology Evangelist

Access and process Xero data in Apache NiFi using the CData JDBC Driver.

Apache NiFi supports powerful and scalable directed graphs of data routing, transformation, and system mediation logic. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Xero, NiFi can work with live Xero data. This article describes how to connect to and query Xero data from an Apache NiFi Flow.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Xero data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Xero, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Xero and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying allows you to work with and analyze Xero data using native data types.

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

Connecting to Xero Data in Apache NiFi

Download the CData JDBC Driver for Xero installer, unzip the package, run the .exe file to install the driver.
Copy the CData JDBC Driver JAR file (and license file if it exists), cdata.jdbc.xero.jar (and cdata.jdbc.xero.lic), to the Apache NiFi lib subfolder, for example, C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\lib.

On Windows, the default location for the CData JDBC Driver is C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Xero.
Start Apache NiFi by running the run-nifi.bat file in bin subfolder, for example, C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\bin.

(OR)

Use the command prompt to navigate to the particular directory and run the run-nifi.bat file for example:
```
cd C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\bin
.\run-nifi.bat
```
Navigate to the Apache NiFi UI in your web browser: It should be https://localhost:8443/nifi.

Note: If users are utilizing an older version of Apache NiFi, they should access it via http://localhost:8080/nifi. In earlier versions, HTTP was the protocol employed. However, in the most recent version, HTTPS is the standard. By default, HTTP operates on port 8080, while HTTPS uses port 8443.
When accessing Apache NiFi via a URL, it prompts you to enter a username and password for login.
👁 Enter Username and Password for login

To retrieve login credentials, users should consult the 'App.log' file located within the log directory of their NiFi installation. This file typically contains the necessary details for accessing the NiFi interface.
👁 Retrieve login credentials from App.log file
Right-click on the Nifi Flow's workspace and click "Controller Services" 👁 Configuring the Process Group
Click the button to create a new controller service. 👁 Creating a new Controller Service
In the Controller Services section, location the newly created "DBCPConnection Pool" and click the menu () >> Edit to configure the new connection. 👁 Configure the new DBCPConnection Pool
Fill in the properties:
- Database Connection URL: jdbc:xero:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;
- Database Driver Class Name: cdata.jdbc.xero.XeroDriver
- Database Driver Location(s): Path to your Apache NiFi's lib folder where the JAR files are present.
Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Xero JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the JAR file from the command-line.
```
java -jar cdata.jdbc.xero.jar
```
Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

To connect, set the Schema connection property in addition to any authentication values. Xero offers authentication for private applications, public applications, and partner applications. Set the XeroAppAuthentication property to PUBLIC, PRIVATE, or PARTNER, depending on the type of application configured. To connect from a private application, you will additionally need to set the OAuthAccessToken, OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, CertificateStoreType, CertificateStore, and CertificateStorePassword.

To connect from a public or partner application, you can use the embedded OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL, or you can register an app to obtain your own OAuth values.

See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide to authenticating to Xero.
👁 Using the built-in connection string designer to generate a JDBC URL (Salesforce is shown.)
In the Controller Services section, locate the newly created DBCPConnection Pool and click the menu () >> Enable to enable the new connection.
In the "Enable Controller Service" window, set Scope to "Service and referencing components" 👁 Setting the scope of the Controller Service
To establish a connection and execute a select query, simply drag and drop the processor (indicated by the yellow highlight) into the workspace. 👁 Establish a connection and execute a select query
Select the 'ExecuteSQL' processor and click the 'Add' button to make it visible in the workspace. 👁 Select 'ExecuteSQL' and 'Add'
Double-click on the added processor (ExecuteSQL)to open the connection page. 👁 Click on ExecuteSQL processor to get redirected to the connection page
In the Properties section, fill in the required information. Make sure to set the Database Connection Pooling Service to match the DBCPConnectionPool that you have created, and set your desired SQL query that you want to get executed in the SQL select query section. 👁 Verify and test connection
Go to Relationships and make sure to select an option on how the component should proceed in case of success and failure of the execution process. 👁 Apply the connection
You can enable the ExecuteSQL component by either selecting it and clicking Enable on the Operation section, or by right-clicking it and selecting Enable. 👁 Click on the lightning button

Your Xero data is now available for use in Apache NiFi. For example, you can use the DBCPConnection Pool as the source for a QueryDatabaseTable processor (shown below).

👁 Configuring a QueryDatabaseTable processor to access Xero data.

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Xero and start working with your live Xero data in Apache NiFi. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Xero Driver to get started:

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Learn more:

👁 Xero Icon
Xero JDBC Driver

Complete read-write access to Xero accounting enables developers to search (Customers, Transactions, Invoices, Sales Receipts, etc.), update items, edit customers, and more, from any Java/J2EE application.

URL: https://www.cdata.com/kb/tech/xero-jdbc-apache-nifi.rst