Connect to Dynamics CRM Data in RapidMiner

This article shows how you can easily integrate the CData JDBC driver for Dynamics CRM into your processes in RapidMiner. This article uses the CData JDBC Driver for Dynamics CRM to transfer Dynamics CRM data to a process in RapidMiner.

Connect to Dynamics CRM in RapidMiner as a JDBC Data Source

You can follow the procedure below to establish a JDBC connection to Dynamics CRM:

1. Add a new database driver for Dynamics CRM: Click Connections -> Manage Database Drivers.
2. In the resulting wizard, click the Add button and enter a name for the connection.
3. Enter the prefix for the JDBC URL: jdbc:dynamicscrm:
4. Enter the path to the cdata.jdbc.dynamicscrm.jar file, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
5. Enter the driver class: cdata.jdbc.dynamicscrm.DynamicsCRMDriver
6. Create a new Dynamics CRM connection: Click Connections -> Manage Database Connections.
7. Enter a name for your connection.
8. For Database System, select the Dynamics CRM driver you configured previously.
9. Enter your connection string in the Host box.

   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.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

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

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.dynamicscrm.jar

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

   A typical connection string is below:

   User=myuseraccount;Password=mypassword;URL=https://myOrg.crm.dynamics.com/;CRM Version=CRM Online;
10. Enter your username and password if necessary.

You can now use your Dynamics CRM connection with the various RapidMiner operators in your process. To retrieve Dynamics CRM data, drag the Retrieve operator from the Operators view. With the Retrieve operator selected, you can then define which table to retrieve in the Parameters view by clicking the folder icon next to the "repository entry." In the resulting Repository Browser, you can expand your connection node to select the desired example set.

Finally, wire the output to the Retrieve process to a result, and run the process to see the Dynamics CRM data.