Integrate with live GitLab Data in Jitterbit

Jitterbit is an enterprise iPaaS (integration platform as a service) that lets you streamline your data workflows. When paired with CData Connect AI, Jitterbit gets access to live GitLab data. This article demonstrates how to connect to GitLab using Connect AI and integrate with live GitLab data in Jitterbit.

CData Connect AI provides a pure OData interface for GitLab, allowing you to query data from GitLab without replicating the data to a natively supported database. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect AI pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc.) directly to GitLab, leveraging server-side processing to return the requested GitLab data quickly.

Configure GitLab Connectivity for Jitterbit

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

Connect to GitLab 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 "GitLab" from the Add Connection panel

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

   To connect to GitLab, use either OAuth or a personal access token:

   Using OAuth

   Register an OAuth application in GitLab under Edit Profile > Applications (or group Settings > Applications). Set the Redirect URI to https://oauth.cdata.com/oauth/. Note the Application ID (OAuth Client Id) and Secret (shown once). Then set:

   • OAuth Client Id: The Application ID from your GitLab OAuth application.
   • OAuth Client Secret: The Secret from your GitLab OAuth application.

   Click Sign In to complete OAuth authentication.

   Using a Personal Access Token

   In GitLab, navigate to Edit Profile > Access Tokens > Add new token. Select the required scopes (such as api, read_api, read_user, read_repository) and set an expiration date. Copy the token immediately (shown only once). Then set:

   • API Key: The personal access token from your GitLab account.
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add GitLab 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 GitLab Endpoints for Jitterbit

After connecting to GitLab, 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 GitLab connection (e.g. API1) 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 GitLab data from Jitterbit.

Connect to GitLab from Jitterbit using Connect AI

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

1. Log into Jitterbit.
2. Create a project in Cloud Studio and provide a workspace environment for it.
3. click Sources and enter OData in the search bar.
4. Select the OData connector.
5. Enter the OData connection properties.
• Connection Name: enter a connection name.
• OData Metadata URL: enter https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}.
• Authentication: select Basic Auth.
• User Name: enter your CData Connect AI username. This is displayed in the top-right corner of the CData Connect AI interface. For example, [email protected].
• Password: enter the PAT you generated on the Settings page.

6. Click Test to test the connection, and then click Save Changes.
7. Choose the operation you want to perform and drag it to the workflow in your project.
8. Double-click the query operation to see all the tables and derived views available in your OData endpoint.
9. Select a table and configure the query.

You can now transform and integrate live GitLab data in Jitterbit.

Get CData Connect AI

To get live data access to hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from Jitterbit, try CData Connect AI today!