Connect to Halo Service Desk Data from PowerBuilder via ODBC

The CData ODBC Driver for Halo Service Desk can be used from any platform or development technology that supports ODBC, including PowerBuilder. This article shows how to connect to Halo Service Desk data and execute queries from the Database Painter and controls such as the DataWindow.

Connect to Halo Service Desk as an ODBC Data Source

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the HaloServiceDesk Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\HaloServiceDesk.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for HaloServiceDesk (see below).

HaloServiceDesk API Profile Settings

HaloServiceDesk uses API key authentication. You can find or create API keys in HaloServiceDesk under Administration > Integrations > Halo API.

Set the following connection properties to connect:

• AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
• APIKey: Set this to the API key from your HaloServiceDesk account.
• Domain: Set this to the hostname of your HaloServiceDesk instance (e.g. yourcompany.haloservicedesk.com).

Create a Profile for the ODBC Driver for Halo Service Desk

Follow the steps below to use the Database Painter tool to create a database profile based on an ODBC DSN (data source name) for Halo Service Desk. In the Database Painter, you can use wizards and the UI to work with Halo Service Desk data.

1. In PowerBuilder, click Tools -> Database Painter.
2. In the Objects window in the Database Painter, right-click the ODBC node and click New Profile.
3. On the Connection tab, enter a name for the profile and select the Halo Service Desk DSN in the Data Source menu.
4. To view and modify a table, right-click a table and then click Edit Data -> Grid.

Using Halo Service Desk Data with PowerBuilder Controls

You can use standard PowerBuilder objects to connect to ODBC data sources and execute queries. The following example shows how to retrieve Halo Service Desk data into a DataWindow. You can add the following code to the open method:

SQLCA.DBMS = "ODBC"
SQLCA.DBParm = "ConnectString='DSN=CData API Source'"
CONNECT USING SQLCA;
dw_assets.SetTransObject(SQLCA);
dw_assets.Retrieve();