Connect to BambooHR Data from HeidiSQL

HeidiSQL is an open-source database administration tool that natively supports MariaDB, MySQL, SQL Server, and PostgreSQL. When paired with CData Connect AI, HediSQL reach extends to include access to live BambooHR data. This article demonstrates how to connect to BambooHR using Connect AI and query BambooHR data in HeidiSQL.

CData Connect AI provides a pure SQL Server interface for BambooHR, allowing you to query data from BambooHR without replicating the data to a natively supported database. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect AI pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc.) directly to BambooHR, leveraging server-side processing to return the requested BambooHR data quickly.

Configure BambooHR Connectivity for HeidiSQL

Connectivity to BambooHR from HeidiSQL is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with BambooHR data from HeidiSQL, we start by creating and configuring a BambooHR connection.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection

2. Select "BambooHR" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to BambooHR.

   To connect to BambooHR, generate an API key by logging in and navigating to your user menu (lower-left) > API Keys > Add API Key. Copy the key immediately (it is shown only once). Then set the following:

   • Domain: The subdomain of your BambooHR account URL. For example, if your URL is acmeinc.bamboohr.com, set this to acmeinc.
   • API Key: The API key generated from your BambooHR account.
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add BambooHR Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create.
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to BambooHR data from HeidiSQL.

Connect to BambooHR from HeidiSQL using Connect AI

To establish a connection from HeidiSQL to the CData Connect AI Virtual SQL Server API, follow these steps.

Create a new HeidiSQL Session

1. In the Session Manager, select New in the bottom-left
2. Give the new session a descriptive name, e.g. Connect-Cloud-BambooHR

Configure a SQL Server Connection to Connect AI

1. In the session settings, set the Network type to Microsoft SQL Server (TCP/IP)
2. The Library DLL should automatically update to MSOLEDBSQL
3. Set the Hostname/IP to tds.cdata.com
4. Set the User to your CData Connect AI username. This is displayed in the top-right corner of the CData Connect AI interface. For example, [email protected]
5. Set the Password to your PAT created in Connect AI in the previous section.
6. Set the Port to 14333

Query BambooHR from HeidiSQL

1. In the database listing on the left, find your connection to BambooHR configured earlier.
2. Expand this connection to view individual tables or data objects present within BambooHR.
3. Write custom SQL queries targeting these tables, treating the data source like any SQL Server database, or visually explore each tabular data set by selecting the relevant tables

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