Connect to Copper Data in JRuby

JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for Copper makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Copper data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to Copper data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Configure a JDBC Connection to Copper Data

Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Copper\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to Copper and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.

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

Copper API Profile Settings

In Copper CRM, go to Settings > Integrations > API Keys and click Generate API Key. Provide both the API key and the email address associated with your account.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar

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

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Copper:

jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Copper.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key;UserEmail=your_email';

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Copper Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: APISelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for Copper 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.api.jar'

url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Copper.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key;UserEmail=your_email';"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Id, Name FROM Account")
while (rs.next) do
  puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Copper data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

jruby -S APISelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to Copper allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Copper data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!