Query Close Data as a SQL Server Database in Node.js

You can use CData Connect AI to query Close data through a SQL Server interface. Follow the procedure below to create a virtual database for Close in Connect AI and start querying using Node.js.

CData Connect AI provides a pure MySQL, cloud-to-cloud interface for Close, allowing you to easily query live Close data in Node.js — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. As you query data in Node.js, CData Connect AI pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to Close, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return Close data.

Configure Close Connectivity for NodeJS

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

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

2. Select "Close" from the Add Connection panel

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

   Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the Close Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\Close.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for Close (see below).

   Close API Profile Settings

   Locate your API key through Close's Settings menu under Your API Keys and create a new key if needed.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Close 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 Close data from Node.js.

Query Close from Node.js

The following example shows how to define a connection and execute queries to Close with the SQL Server module. You will need the following information:

• server: tds.cdata.com
• port: 14333
• user: a Connect AI user (e.g. [email protected])
• password: the PAT for the above user
• database: The connection you configured for Close (API1)

Connect to Close data and start executing queries with the code below:

var sql = require('mssql')
var config = {
	server: 'tds.cdata.com',
	port: 14333, 
	user: '[email protected]', //update me
	password: 'CONNECT_USER_PAT', //update me	
	options: {
		encrypt: true,
		database: 'API1'
	}
}

sql.connect(config, err => { 
    if(err){
        throw err ;
    }
    new sql.Request().query('SELECT * FROM Activities', (err, result) => {
        console.dir(result)
    })
        
});

sql.on('error', err => {
    console.log("SQL Error: " ,err);
})