Build Pipelines with Live Dynamics 365 Business Central Data in Google Cloud Data Fusion (via CData Connect Cloud)

Google Cloud Data Fusion simplifies building and managing data pipelines by offering a visual interface to connect, transform, and move data across various sources and destinations, streamlining data integration processes. When combined with CData Connect Cloud, it provides access to Dynamics 365 Business Central data for building and managing ELT/ETL data pipelines. This article explains how to use CData Connect Cloud to create a live connection to Dynamics 365 Business Central and how to connect and access live Dynamics 365 Business Central data from the Cloud Data Fusion platform.

Configure Dynamics 365 Business Central Connectivity for Cloud Data Fusion

Connectivity to Dynamics 365 Business Central from Cloud Data Fusion is made possible through CData Connect Cloud. To work with Dynamics 365 Business Central data from Cloud Data Fusion, we start by creating and configuring a Dynamics 365 Business Central connection.

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

2. Select "Dynamics 365 Business Central" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Dynamics 365 Business Central.

   To authenticate to Dynamics 365 Business Central, you must select an AuthScheme and provide the required properties.To authenticate with an Access Key, set AuthScheme to "AccessKey" and provide the User and AccessKey properties.

   To obtain the User and AccessKey values, navigate to the Users page in Dynamics 365 Business Central and then click on Edit. The User Name and Web Service Access Key values are what you will enter as the User and AccessKey connection string properties. Note that the User Name is not your email address. It is a shortened user name.

   Additionally, specify OrganizationUrl. If you have multiple companies in your organization, you must also specify the Company to indicate which company you would like to connect to. Company does not need to be specified if you have only one company.

   If you wish to authenticate through other methods, refer to the Help documentation.

   
4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Dynamics 365 Business Central Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect Cloud 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 Cloud. 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 Cloud 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 Dynamics 365 Business Central data from Cloud Data Fusion.

Connecting to Dynamics 365 Business Central from Cloud Data Fusion

Follow these steps to establish a connection from Cloud Data Fusion to Dynamics 365 Business Central through the CData Connect Cloud JDBC driver:

1. Download and install the CData Connect Cloud JDBC driver:
   1. Open the Integrations page of CData Connect Cloud.
   2. Search for and select JDBC.
   3. Download and run the setup file.
   4. When the installation is complete, copy the JAR file(cdata.jdbc.connect.jar) from the installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\CData\JDBC Driver for CData Connect\lib).
2. Log into Cloud Data Fusion.
3. Click the green "+" button at the top right to add an entity.
4. Under Driver, click Upload.
5. Now, upload the CData Connect Cloud JDBC driver (JAR file).
6. Enter the driver settings:
   • Name: Enter the name of the driver
   • Class name: Enter "cdata.jdbc.connect.ConnectDriver"
   • Version: Enter the driver version
   • Description (optional): Enter a description for the driver
7. Click on Finish.
8. Enter source configuration settings:
   • Label: Helps to identify the connection
   • JDBC driver name: Enter the JDBC driver name to identify the driver configured in Step 6.
   • Connection string: Enter the JDBC connection string, for example:

     jdbc:connect:AuthScheme=Basic;user=username;password=PAT;

   • User: Enter your CData Connect Cloud username, displayed in the top-right corner of the CData Connect Cloud interface. For example, "[email protected]"
   • Password: Enter the PAT you generated on the Settings page.
9. Click Validate in the top right corner.
10. If the connection is successful, you can manage the pipeline by editing it through the UI.
11. Run the pipepline created.

Troubleshooting

Please be aware that there is a known issue in Cloud Data Fusion where "int" types from source data are automatically cast as "long".

Live Access to Dynamics 365 Business Central Data from Cloud Applications

Now you have a direct connection to live Dynamics 365 Business Central data from from Google Cloud Data Fusion. You can create more connections to ensure a smooth movement of data across various sources and destinations, thereby streamlining data integration processes - all without replicating Dynamics 365 Business Central data.

To get real-time data access to 100+ SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources (including Dynamics 365 Business Central) directly from your cloud applications, explore the CData Connect Cloud.