Connect to Zendesk Data in RapidMiner

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

Connect to Zendesk in RapidMiner as a JDBC Data Source

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

1. Add a new database driver for Zendesk: 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:zendesk:
4. Enter the path to the cdata.jdbc.zendesk.jar file, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
5. Enter the driver class: cdata.jdbc.zendesk.ZendeskDriver
6. Create a new Zendesk connection: Click Connections -> Manage Database Connections.
7. Enter a name for your connection.
8. For Database System, select the Zendesk driver you configured previously.
9. Enter your connection string in the Host box.

   Connecting to Zendesk

   To connect, set the URL and provide authentication. The URL is your Zendesk Support URL: https://{subdomain}.zendesk.com.

   Authenticating to Zendesk

   You can authenticate using the Basic or OAuth methods.

   Using Basic Authentication

   To use Basic authentication, specify your email address and password or your email address and an API token. Set User to your email address and follow the steps below to provide the Password or ApiToken.

   • Enable password access in the Zendesk Support admin interface at Admin > Channels > API.
   • Manage API tokens in the Zendesk Support Admin interface at Admin > Channels > API. More than one token can be active at the same time. Deleting a token deactivates it permanently.

   Using OAuth Authentication

   See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for an authentication guide.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

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

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.zendesk.jar

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

   A typical connection string is below:

   URL=https://subdomain.zendesk.com;User=my@email.com;Password=test123;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH
10. Enter your username and password if necessary.

You can now use your Zendesk connection with the various RapidMiner operators in your process. To retrieve Zendesk 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 Zendesk data.