Create Bitbucket-Connected Enterprise Applications in OutSystems

OutSystems is a low-code platform which provides the tools for companies to developer, deploy, and manage omnichannel enterprise applications. When paired with CData Connect AI, you get instant, cloud-to-cloud access to Bitbucket data for business applications. This article shows how to create a virtual database for Bitbucket in Connect AI and build a simple app from Bitbucket data in OutSystems.

The CData Connect AI provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for Bitbucket, allowing you to build reports from live Bitbucket data in OutSystems — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. As you create applications to work with data, OutSystems generates SQL queries to gather data. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect AI pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc.) directly to Bitbucket, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return the requested Bitbucket data.

Configure Bitbucket Connectivity for OutSystems

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

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

2. Select "Bitbucket" from the Add Connection panel

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

   For most queries, you must set the Workspace. The only exception to this is the Workspaces table, which does not require this property to be set, as querying it provides a list of workspace slugs that can be used to set Workspace. To query this table, you must set Schema to 'Information' and execute the query SELECT * FROM Workspaces>.

   Setting Schema to 'Information' displays general information. To connect to Bitbucket, set these parameters:

   • Schema: To show general information about a workspace, such as its users, repositories, and projects, set this to Information. Otherwise, set this to the schema of the repository or project you are querying. To get a full set of available schemas, query the sys_schemas table.
   • Workspace: Required if you are not querying the Workspaces table. This property is not required for querying the Workspaces table, as that query only returns a list of workspace slugs that can be used to set Workspace.

   Authenticating to Bitbucket

   Bitbucket supports OAuth authentication only. To enable this authentication from all OAuth flows, you must create a custom OAuth application, and set AuthScheme to OAuth.

   Be sure to review the Help documentation for the required connection properties for you specific authentication needs (desktop applications, web applications, and headless machines).

   Creating a custom OAuth application

   From your Bitbucket account:

   1. Go to Settings (the gear icon) and select Workspace Settings.
   2. In the Apps and Features section, select OAuth Consumers.
   3. Click Add Consumer.
   4. Enter a name and description for your custom application.
   5. Set the callback URL:
      • For desktop applications and headless machines, use http://localhost:33333 or another port number of your choice. The URI you set here becomes the CallbackURL property.
      • For web applications, set the callback URL to a trusted redirect URL. This URL is the web location the user returns to with the token that verifies that your application has been granted access.
   6. If you plan to use client credentials to authenticate, you must select This is a private consumer. In the driver, you must set AuthScheme to client.
   7. Select which permissions to give your OAuth application. These determine what data you can read and write with it.
   8. To save the new custom application, click Save.
   9. After the application has been saved, you can select it to view its settings. The application's Key and Secret are displayed. Record these for future use. You will use the Key to set the OAuthClientId and the Secret to set the OAuthClientSecret.
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Bitbucket 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 Bitbucket data from OutSystems.

Connect to Bitbucket from OutSystems

The steps below outline connecting to CData Connect AI from OutSystems to create a new Bitbucket database connection.

1. Open OutSystems Service Studio
2. Click the gear icon to open Environment Management in the Service Center
3. Click Administration and select "Database Connections"
4. Click "New Database Connection"
5. Configure the database connection:
   • Name: name the connection (e.g. CData Connect AI Bitbucket)
   • DBMS: SQL Server / Azure SQL
   • Username: a Connect AI user (e.g. [email protected])
   • Password: the PAT for the Connect AI user
   • Server: tds.cdata.com,14333
   • Schema: the name of your Bitbucket connection (e.g. Bitbucket1)
   
6. Click "Test Connection"
7. Click "Create"

Map Bitbucket Tables or Views to Entities in an Extension Module

Once you create the database connection for Bitbucket, you can create an extension that maps the tables or views to OutSystems entities. If you have not already done so, create an Application in Service Studio.

1. Open the Service Studio and open the existing Application
2. Click "Add Module," set the "Module Name" (e.g. bitbucket_db_extension), set "Module Type" to "Extension," and click "Create Module"
3. In Integration Studio, connect to your environment
4. Right-click "Entities" in the extension tree and select "Connect to External Table or View..."
5. Follow the steps in the wizard, selecting the tables and views you wish to work with
6. In the Integration Studio, click "1-Click Publish"
7. In the "1-Click Publish" wizard, click "Configure" when the process completes
   • In the Service Center, associate the logical database name of the extension to the database connection that the extension will use and click "Apply"
8. In your application, click "Manage Dependencies..."
9. Add a dependency to the Extension and select the Entities that you will use in your application

At this point, you can access and work with Bitbucket data just like you would with the standard OutSystems entities.

Get CData Connect AI

With Connect AI and OutSystems, you can easily build Bitbucket-connected applications. Request a free trial of Connect AI and start working with Bitbucket data in OutSystems today.