PowerShell Scripting to Replicate Google Contacts Data to MySQL



Write a simple PowerShell script to replicate Google Contacts data to a MySQL database.

The CData Cmdlets for Google Contacts offer live access to Google Contacts data from within PowerShell. Using PowerShell scripts, you can easily automate regular tasks like data replication. This article will walk through using the CData Cmdlets for Google Contacts and the CData Cmdlets for MySQL in PowerShell to replicate Google Contacts data to a MySQL database.

After obtaining the needed connection properties, accessing Google Contacts data in PowerShell and preparing for replication consists of four basic steps.

You can connect to Google APIs on behalf of individual users or on behalf of a domain. Google uses the OAuth authentication standard. See the "Getting Started" section of the help documentation for a guide.

Collecting Google Contacts Data

  1. Install the module:

    Install-Module GoogleContactsCmdlets
  2. Connect to Google Contacts:

    $googlecontacts = Connect-GoogleContacts
  3. Retrieve the data from a specific resource:

    $data = Select-GoogleContacts -Connection $googlecontacts -Table "Friends"

    You can also use the Invoke-GoogleContacts cmdlet to execute pure SQL-92 statements:

    $data = Invoke-GoogleContacts -Connection $googlecontacts -Query 'SELECT * FROM Friends WHERE SearchTerms = @SearchTerms' -Params @{'@SearchTerms'='Durham'}
  4. Save a list of the column names from the returned data.

    $columns = ($data | Get-Member -MemberType NoteProperty | Select-Object -Property Name).Name

Inserting Google Contacts Data into the MySQL Database

With the data and column names collected, you are ready to replicate the data into a MySQL database.

  1. Install the module:

    Install-Module MySQLCmdlets
  2. Connect to MySQL, using the server address and port of the MySQL server, valid user credentials, and a specific database with the table in which the data will be replicated:

    $mysql = Connect-MySQL -User $User -Password $Password -Database $Database -Server $Server -Port $Port
  3. Loop through the Google Contacts data, store the values, and use the Add-MySQL cmdlet to insert the data into the MySQL database, one row at a time. In this example, the table will need to have the same name as the Google Contacts resource (Friends) and to exist in the database.

    $data | % { $row = $_ $values = @() $columns | % { $col = $_ $values += $row.$($col) } Add-MySQL -Connection $mysql -Table "Friends" -Columns $columns -Values $values }

You have now replicated your Google Contacts data to a MySQL database. This gives you freedom to work with Google Contacts data in the same way that you work with other MySQL tables, whether that is performing analytics, building reports, or other business functions.

Notes

  • Once you have connected to Google Contacts and MySQL in PowerShell, you can pipe command results to perform the replication in a single line:

    Select-GoogleContacts -Connection $googlecontacts -Table "Friends" | % { $row = $_ $values = @() $columns | % { $col = $_ $values += $row.$($col) } Add-MySQL -Connection $mysql -Table "Friends" -Columns $columns -Values $values }
  • If you wish to replicate the Google Contacts data to another database using another PowerShell module, you will want to exclude the Columns, Connection, and Table columns from the data returned by the Select-GoogleContacts cmdlet since those columns are used to help pipe data from one CData cmdlet to another:

    $columns = ($data | Get-Member -MemberType NoteProperty | Select-Object -Property Name).Name | ? {$_ -NotIn @('Columns','Connection','Table')}

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Google Contacts Cmdlets to get started:

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Learn more:

Google Contacts Icon Google Contacts Cmdlets

An easy-to-use set of PowerShell Cmdlets offering real-time access to Google Contacts data. The Cmdlets allow users to easily read, write, update, and delete live data - just like working with SQL server.