Build DB2-Connected Web Apps with Axios and CData Connect AI

Axios is a JavaScript library that allows developers to make HTTP requests to servers from a web browser or Node.js. When paired with CData Connect AI, you get access to live DB2 data for your web apps. This article shows how to connect to DB2 and build web apps in Axios with access to live DB2 data.

Connect to DB2 from Axios

To work with DB2 in Axios, we need to connect to DB2 from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the DB2 data.

Connect to DB2 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 "DB2" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to DB2.

   Set the following properties to connect to DB2:

   • Server: Set this to the name of the server running DB2.
   • Port: Set this to the port the DB2 server is listening on.
   • Database: Set this to the name of the DB2 database.
   • User: Set this to the username of a user allowed to access the database.
   • Password: Set this to the password of a user allowed to access the database.

   You will also need to install the corresponding DB2 driver:

   • Windows: Install the IBM Data Server Provider for .NET.

     On Windows, installing the IBM Data Server Provider is sufficient, as the installation registers it in the machine.config.

   • Java: Install the IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC.

     In the Java version, place the IBM Data Server Driver JAR in the www\WEB-INF\lib\ folder for this application.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add DB2 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.

Configure DB2 Endpoints for Axios

After connecting to DB2, 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 DB2 connection (e.g. DB21) 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 DB2 data from Axios.

Connect to DB2 Data in Axios Workflows

To establish a connection from Axios to CData Connect AI using the OData protocol, follow these steps.

1. Create a project directory for your web app. For example: ~/connect_cloud/
2. Open a terminal, navigate the the project directory and initialize a node project using the command:

   npm init -y

3. Install the Axios dependency in the project using the following command:

   npm install axios

4. In your project directory, create a file called server.js that contains the following code. Provide your CData Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected]) and PAT (the PAT you created in the prerequisites). You must also provide a query for your data, such as SELECT * FROM DB21.SCHEMA.Orders.

   server.js code

         const axios = require('axios')
   
         const user = '[email protected]'
         const pat = '***********************************';
   
         //Your API endpoint
         const url = 'https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}';
   
         //Your data to be sent in the POST request
         const data = {
         "query":"SELECT * FROM {workspace_name}.SCHEMA.Orders"
         };
   
         axios.post(url, data, {
         auth: {
         username: user,
         password: pat
         }
         })
         .then(response => {
         const rows = response.data.results[0].rows;
         const schema = response.data.results[0].schema;
   
         //Create an array of column names
         const columnNames = schema.map(col => col.columnName);
   
         //Loop through each row and log the column name with its value
         rows.forEach(row => {
         const rowObject = {};
         row.forEach((value, index) => {
         const columnName = columnNames[index];
         rowObject[columnName] = value;
         });
         console.log(rowObject);
         })
         })
         .catch(error => {
         console.error('Error:', error);
         });
       

5. In the terminal, execute the following command to run the server:

   node server.js

   The query results will appear:

       { ID: 1, VALUE: -2 }
       { ID: 2, VALUE: 1 }
       { ID: 11, VALUE: null }
       { ID: 3, VALUE: 2 }
       { ID: 4, VALUE: 5 }
       ...

Simplified Access to DB2 Data from Cloud Applications

At this point, you have a direct connection to live DB2 data from Axios. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in cloud applications like Axios, refer to our Connect AI page.