Connect to QuickBooks Data in RapidMiner

This article shows how you can easily integrate the CData JDBC driver for QuickBooks into your processes in RapidMiner. This article uses the CData JDBC Driver for QuickBooks to transfer QuickBooks data to a process in RapidMiner.

Connect to QuickBooks in RapidMiner as a JDBC Data Source

You can follow the procedure below to establish a JDBC connection to QuickBooks:

1. Add a new database driver for QuickBooks: Click Connections -> Manage Database Drivers.
2. In the resulting wizard, click the Add button and enter a name for the connection.
3. Enter the prefix for the JDBC URL: jdbc:quickbooks:
4. Enter the path to the cdata.jdbc.quickbooks.jar file, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
5. Enter the driver class: cdata.jdbc.quickbooks.QuickBooksDriver
6. Create a new QuickBooks connection: Click Connections -> Manage Database Connections.
7. Enter a name for your connection.
8. For Database System, select the QuickBooks driver you configured previously.
9. Enter your connection string in the Host box.

   When you are connecting to a local QuickBooks instance, you do not need to set any connection properties.

   Requests are made to QuickBooks through the Remote Connector. The Remote Connector runs on the same machine as QuickBooks and accepts connections through a lightweight, embedded Web server. The server supports SSL/TLS, enabling users to connect securely from remote machines.

   The first time you connect, you will need to authorize the Remote Connector with QuickBooks. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

   For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the QuickBooks JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.quickbooks.jar

   Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

   A typical connection string is below:

   URL=http://remotehost:8166;User=admin;Password=admin123;
10. Enter your username and password if necessary.

You can now use your QuickBooks connection with the various RapidMiner operators in your process. To retrieve QuickBooks data, drag the Retrieve operator from the Operators view. With the Retrieve operator selected, you can then define which table to retrieve in the Parameters view by clicking the folder icon next to the "repository entry." In the resulting Repository Browser, you can expand your connection node to select the desired example set.

Finally, wire the output to the Retrieve process to a result, and run the process to see the QuickBooks data.