Use the CData ODBC Driver for Basecamp in SAS JMP



You can use the CData ODBC Driver to integrate Basecamp data into the statistical analysis tools available in SAS JMP. This article shows how to use Basecamp data in the Graph Builder and Query Builder.

You can use the CData ODBC Driver for Basecamp to integrate live data into your statistical analysis with SAS JMP. The driver proxies your queries directly to the Basecamp API, ensuring that your analysis reflects any changes to the data. The CData ODBC Driver supports the standard SQL used by JMP in the background as you design reports.

The Basecamp API supports bidirectional access. This article shows how to access Basecamp data into a report and create data visualization. It also shows how to use SQL to query and manipulate Basecamp data from the JMP Query Builder.

Access Basecamp Data as an ODBC Data Source

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.

Basecamp uses basic or OAuth 2.0 authentication. To use basic authentication you will need the user and password that you use for logging in to Basecamp. To authenticate to Basecamp via OAuth 2.0, you will need to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties by registering an app with Basecamp.

See the Getting Started section in the help documentation for a connection guide.

Additionally, you will need to specify the AccountId connection property. This can be copied from the URL after you log in.

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Import Basecamp Data with the Query Builder

After you have created the Basecamp DSN, you can use SQL to invoke the capabilities of the Basecamp API. Follow the steps below to execute some supported queries in the Query Builder:

  1. In SAS JMP, click File -> Database -> Query Builder. The Select Database Connection dialog is displayed.
  2. Click New Connection.
  3. On the Machine Data Source tab, select the DSN. In the next step, the Select Tables for Query dialog is displayed.
  4. In the Available Tables section, select a table and click Primary.
  5. As you drag Available Columns to the Included Columns tab, the underlying SQL query is updated.
  6. Click Run Query to display the data.
  7. To refresh the results with the current data, right-click Update from Database and click Run Script.

Manipulate Basecamp Data

You can execute data manipulation queries from JSL scripts such as the one below. To execute a script, click New Script in the toolbar. To connect, specify the DSN. You can then use the standard SQL syntax:

Open Database( "DSN=CData Basecamp Source;", "INSERT INTO Projects (Drafts) VALUES ('True');");

Visualize Basecamp Data

After importing, you can use the Graph Builder to create graphs visually. To open the Graph Builder, click the Graph Builder button in the toolbar.

  1. Drag a dimension column onto the x axis. For example, Name.
  2. Drag a measure column onto the y axis. For example, DocumentsCount.
  3. Select a chart type. For example, a bar chart.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Basecamp ODBC Driver to get started:

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Learn more:

Basecamp Icon Basecamp ODBC Driver

The Basecamp ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live Basecamp data, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Basecamp like you would a database - read, write, and update Projects, People, Documents, Messages, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.