How to Build an ETL App for Dynamics CRM Data in Python with CData Connect AI

The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems more effectively. With the CData Connect AI Python SDK and the petl framework, you can build Dynamics CRM-connected applications and pipelines for extracting, transforming, and loading Dynamics CRM data. This article shows how to connect to Connect AI and use petl to extract, transform, and load Dynamics CRM data.

The Connect AI Python SDK (cdata-connect-ai) is a DB-API 2.0 (PEP 249) compliant client, so petl can read directly from the SDK connection with etl.fromdb. There is no driver to install per source: connect with a Personal Access Token and build your pipeline.

Getting Started

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Connect to Dynamics CRM in 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 "Dynamics CRM" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Dynamics CRM.

   The connection string options meet the authentication and connection requirements of different Dynamics CRM instances. To connect to your instance, set the User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, to valid Dynamics CRM user credentials and set the Url to a valid Dynamics CRM server organization root. Additionally, set the CRMVersion property to 'CRM2011+' or 'CRMOnline'. IFD configurations are supported as well; set InternetFacingDeployment to true.

   Additionally, you can provide the security token service (STS) or AD FS endpoint in the STSURL property. This value can be retrieved with the GetSTSUrl stored procedure. Office 365 users can connect to the default STS URL by simply setting CRMVersion.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab and update the user-based permissions.

Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT)

The Python SDK authenticates to Connect AI with your account email and a Personal Access Token (PAT). It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each application to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click 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 PAT is only visible at creation, so copy it and store it securely.

Install Required Modules

Install the SDK and the petl framework using the pip utility:

pip install cdata-connect-ai
pip install petl

Build an ETL App for Dynamics CRM Data in Python

Once the required modules are installed, you are ready to build the ETL app. Code snippets follow, but the full source code is available at the end of the article.

First, import the modules and connect to Connect AI with your account email and PAT:

import petl as etl
import cdata_connect_ai

conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
    username="[email protected]",
    password="<your_pat>",
)

Create a SQL Statement to Query Dynamics CRM

Use SQL to create a statement for querying Dynamics CRM. In this article, we read data from the Account entity. Identifiers are three-part: <Connection>.<Schema>.<Table>, where the connection name defaults to the source name (for example, DynamicsCRM1).

sql = (
    "SELECT FirstName, NumberOfEmployees "
    "FROM [DynamicsCRM1].[DynamicsCRM].[Account] "
    "WHERE FirstName = 'Bob'"
)

Extract, Transform, and Load the Dynamics CRM Data

With a connection and query in hand, use petl to extract, transform, and load the Dynamics CRM data. In this example, we extract Dynamics CRM data, sort the data by the NumberOfEmployees column, and load the data into a CSV file.

table1 = etl.fromdb(conn, sql)

table2 = etl.sort(table1, 'NumberOfEmployees')

etl.tocsv(table2, 'account_data.csv')

Load New Rows Back into Dynamics CRM

When Dynamics CRM supports writes, load rows back with a batch INSERT. The SDK's executemany takes @name placeholders and a list of parameter dictionaries, one per row.

cur = conn.cursor()
cur.executemany(
    "INSERT INTO [DynamicsCRM1].[DynamicsCRM].[Account] (FirstName, NumberOfEmployees) "
    "VALUES (@val1, @val2)",
    [
        {"@val1": "New value 1", "@val2": "New value 1"},
        {"@val1": "New value 2", "@val2": "New value 2"},
    ],
)
print(f"Rows inserted: {cur.rowcount}")

conn.close()

Note: Even for writable sources, a read-only PAT or connection permission will reject write operations.

With the CData Connect AI Python SDK, you can work with Dynamics CRM data just like you would with any database, including direct access to data in ETL packages like petl.

More Information and Free Trial

Now you can pipe live Dynamics CRM data through petl using the CData Connect AI Python SDK. For more information on connecting to Dynamics CRM (and hundreds of other data sources), visit the Connect AI page. Sign up for a free trial and start building data pipelines for live Dynamics CRM data in Python.

Full Source Code

import petl as etl
import cdata_connect_ai

conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
    username="[email protected]",
    password="<your_pat>",
)

sql = (
    "SELECT FirstName, NumberOfEmployees "
    "FROM [DynamicsCRM1].[DynamicsCRM].[Account] "
    "WHERE FirstName = 'Bob'"
)

table1 = etl.fromdb(conn, sql)

table2 = etl.sort(table1, 'NumberOfEmployees')

etl.tocsv(table2, 'account_data.csv')

cur = conn.cursor()
cur.executemany(
    "INSERT INTO [DynamicsCRM1].[DynamicsCRM].[Account] (FirstName, NumberOfEmployees) "
    "VALUES (@val1, @val2)",
    [
        {"@val1": "New value 1", "@val2": "New value 1"},
        {"@val1": "New value 2", "@val2": "New value 2"},
    ],
)
print(f"Rows inserted: {cur.rowcount}")
conn.close()