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Connect to Act CRM Data in Ruby
Connect to Act CRM data in Ruby with ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc.
The CData ODBC Driver for Act CRM makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Act CRM data in Ruby. This article shows how to create a simple Ruby app that connects to Act CRM data, executes a query, and displays the results.
Create an ODBC Connection to Act CRM Data
If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.
The User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid Act! user credentials. In addition to the authentication values, see the following:
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Connecting to Act! Premium
In addition to the authentication values, the URL to Act! is also required; for example https://eup1-iis-04.eu.hosted.act.com/.
Additionally, you must specify the ActDatabase you will connect to. This is found by going to the About Act! Premium menu of your account, at the top right of the page, in the ? menu. Use the Database Name in the window that appears.
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Connecting to Act! Premium Cloud
To connect to your Act! Premium Cloud account, you also need to specify the ActCloudName property. This property is found in the URL address of the Cloud account; for example https://eup1-iis-04.eu.hosted.act.com/ActCloudName/.
Note that retrieving ActCRM metadata can be expensive. It is advised that you set the CacheMetadata property to store the metadata locally.
Installing Ruby and Necessary Gems
If you do not have Ruby installed, refer to the Ruby installation page. With Ruby installed, you will need to install the ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc gems:
gem install dbi
gem install dbd-odbc
gem install ruby-odbc
Create a Ruby App with Connectivity to Act CRM Data
Create a new Ruby file (for example: ActCRMSelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:
#connect to the DSN
require 'DBI'
cnxn = DBI.connect('DBI:ODBC:CData ActCRM Source','','')
#execute a SELECT query and store the result set
resultSet = cnxn.execute("SELECT ActivityDisplayName, Subject FROM Activities")
#display the names of the columns
resultSet.column_names.each do |name|
print name, "\t"
end
puts
#display the results
while row = resultSet.fetch do
(0..resultSet.column_names.size - 1).each do |n|
print row[n], "\t"
end
puts
end
resultSet.finish
#close the connection
cnxn.disconnect if cnxn
With the file completed, you are ready to display your Act CRM data with Ruby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:
ruby ActCRMSelect.rb
Writing SQL-92 queries to Act CRM allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Act CRM data into your own Ruby applications. Download a free trial today!
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Act CRM ODBC Driver
The Act CRM ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live Act CRM, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.
Access Act CRM like you would a database - query Companies, Contact, Groups, Opportunities, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.
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