Build Apps with Live Certinia data in Adalo using CData Connect AI

Adalo is a no-code platform used to build custom mobile and web applications without needing programming skills. It allows users to design interfaces, manage databases, and integrate functionality through simple drag-and-drop tools, making app development accessible and efficient. When combined with CData Connect AI, it provides access to Certinia data to build custom applications and more.

This article explains how to use CData Connect AI to create a live connection to Certinia and how to connect and access live Certinia data from the Adalo platform.

Configure Certinia connectivity for Adalo in CData Connect AI

To work with Certinia data in Adalo, we need to connect to Certinia from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create OData endpoints for the Certinia data.

Connect to Certinia from Connect AI

CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

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

2. Select "Certinia" from the Add Connection panel

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

   There are several authentication methods available for connecting to Certinia: login credentials, SSO, and OAuth.

   Authenticating with a Login and Token

   Set the User and Password to your login credentials. Additionally, set the SecurityToken. By default, the SecurityToken is required, but you can make it optional by allowing a range of trusted IP addresses.

   To disable the security token:

   1. Log in to Certinia and enter "Network Access" in the Quick Find box in the setup section.
   2. Add your IP address to the list of trusted IP addresses.

   To obtain the security token:

   1. Open the personal information page on certinia.com.
   2. Click the link to reset your security token. The token will be emailed to you.
   3. Specify the security token in the SecurityToken connection property or append it to the Password.

   Authenticating with OAuth

   If you do not have access to the user name and password or do not want to require them, use the OAuth user consent flow. See the OAuth section in the Help for an authentication guide.

   Connecting to Certinia Sandbox Accounts

   Set UseSandbox to true (false by default) to use a Certinia sandbox account. Ensure that you specify a sandbox user name in User.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Certinia Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, Workspaces, 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.

Configure Certinia Endpoints for Adalo

After connecting to Certinia, create a workspace for your desired table(s).

1. Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
3. Select the Certinia connection (e.g. Certinia1) and click Next.
4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to Certinia data from Adalo.

Build a custom app with Adalo

After configuring CData Connect AI, you can begin developing the Adalo app using Certinia data.

1. Click on CREATE NEW APP.
2. Select Desktop Web App and click on Next.
3. You can choose any template, but for testing purposes, we've chosen a Blank template.
4. Finally, add an app name and choose a color scheme, and your app is ready to go!

Registering external collections

Adalo uses a data structure called Collection to manage app data and offers a feature called External Collections with APIs, which lets you seamlessly integrate Collection with external APIs. Use this feature to connect to Connect AI.

1. After creating an app, you first need to register a Collection, which is a definition for handling data within the Adalo app. There are two types of Collections: Database Collections, which are like Adalo's own internal database, and External Collections, which allow access to external APIs. In this case, we will access an external API, registering it as an External Collection.
2. On the External Collections registration screen, click on ADD COLLECTION to enter the collection name (any name of your choice), and provide the API base URL endpoint (OData endpoint registered on Connect AI). Make sure to add "/(table)" to the OData URL to access the specific endpoint. (Refer to the image given for reference)
3. In order to authenticate, you need a base64 authorization header comprising your username and PAT, joined by a colon. For example, [email protected]:MY_PAT. You can use a scripting tool, web tool, or other application to create this header.

   Using Postman to generate the Authorization header

   1. Open the Postman application. Enter the OData URL mentioned in the previous step for a GET request on Postman. Click on the Authorization tab and select Auth Type as "Basic Auth". Enter the Username and Password as follows and click on Send:
      • Username: Connect AI Username
      • Password: PAT generated on Connect AI
      
   2. Go to the Headers tab and copy/save the value of the Authorization key.
4. Back in Adalo, click on ADD ITEM and select Header.
5. Enter the details in the Header section as follows:
   • Name: "Authorization"
   • Value: Authorization key value copied in the previous step
   
6. Select Done and click on Next.
7. Select Get All and enter "value" in the Results Key section. Click on Done and Next.
8. Now, to test the API setup, click on RUN TEST. If you finally see the message and response shown below, the creation of External Collections is complete.

Creating a list screen

After configuring CData Connect AI, you can now begin developing the app on Adalo using Certinia data.

1. First, click the + button in the upper right corner of the Adalo screen to display the list screen, then drag and drop "Simple List" onto the screen.
2. Once the layout is complete as shown below, link the External Collections definition you created earlier to What is this a list of?
3. Click on "Add Magic Text" button (as shown) to add the "Title" and "Subtitle" to the data items you want to obtain.
4. Now, click on View App in the top right corner of the screen and select Staging Preview.
5. You can now view the Certinia data in the app created on Adalo.

Live connections to Certinia data from cloud applications

Adalo now allows you to connect to live Certinia data directly, allowing you to create more connections and apps without duplicating Certinia data.

To get real-time data access to over 100 SaaS, big data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, visit CData Connect AI.