Import Real-Time JD Edwards Data via JDBC in ColdFusion to Build Applications

Adobe ColdFusion is a web and mobile application development platform. It uses its own scripting language, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), to create data-driven websites as well as generate remote services, such as REST.

When ColdFusion is paired with the CData JDBC Driver for JD Edwards, you can link your ColdFusion web and mobile applications to operational JD Edwards data. This allows for your applications to be more robust and complete. This article details how to use the JDBC driver to create a table populated with JD Edwards data from within a ColdFusion markup file.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live JD Edwards data. When you issue complex SQL queries to JD Edwards, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to JD Edwards and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying allows you to work with and analyze JD Edwards data using native data types.

Configuring the Connection to JD Edwards

You will need a JDBC connection string to establish a connection between Coldfusion and JD Edwards.

The driver connects to JD Edwards through your Application Interface Services (AIS) Server. Set the following connection properties:

• URL: The base HTTPS URL of your AIS Server (e.g., https://jde-ais.example.com:8300).
• User: Your JD Edwards username.
• Password: Your JD Edwards password.
• Environment (optional): The JD Edwards environment to use (e.g., PD920 for production or DV920 for development). If not specified, the AIS Server's default environment is used.
• Role (optional): The JD Edwards role for the session. If not specified, the AIS Server's default role is used.
• DeviceName (optional): An identifier for the connecting device or application, used for auditing and logging on the AIS Server.
• Jasserver (optional): The specific Java Application Server (JAS) instance to route requests through, useful in clustered environments.

Choosing Which Data Is Exposed

JD Edwards organizes tables and business views by System Code, and the driver exposes each System Code as its own schema. Use these properties to control which schemas are available:

• DataModel: One or more ERP modules (comma-separated) whose System Codes are exposed as schemas, or All to expose every System Code in the connected instance. Defaults to FinancialManagement.
• SystemCodes: A comma-separated list of additional System Codes to expose alongside those from DataModel (e.g., 42,43).

When you connect, the driver sends your credentials to the AIS Server to obtain a session token and caches it. The driver requests a new token automatically before the session expires.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.jdedwards.jar

Adding a Data Source and Creating a Table

After configuring the connection, follow the steps below to add the CData JDBC Driver to ColdFusion's lib directory, add a new data source, test the connection, create a ColdFusion markup file, and, finally, make a real-time connection with JD Edwards data and display it in a table written in the ColdFusion Markup Language, or CFML:

1. Copy the JDBC Driver for JD Edwards and lic file from "C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for JD Edwards\lib" to "C:\ColdFusion2021\cfusion\wwwroot\WEB-INF\lib".

   
               cdata.jdbc.jdedwards.jar
               cdata.jdbc.jdedwards.lic
           

   Note: If you do not copy the .lic file with the jar, you will see a licensing error that indicates you do not have a valid license installed. This is true for both the trial and full versions.

2. From the ColdFusion administrator interface, choose Data & Services.
3. Here, we can "Add New Data Source". The data source name can be any name, provided it conforms to the ColdFusion variable naming conventions. For our JDBC driver, choose "other", then click the "Add" button.
4. Next, populate the driver properties.
   • JDBC URL will need to be in the format: jdbc:jdedwards:|connectionString|.
   • A typical connection string looks like this:

     jdbc:jdedwards:URL=https://your-jde-environment-app.example.com;User=admin;Password=myPassword;

   • The Driver Class is: cdata.jdbc.jdedwards.JDEdwardsDriver
   • The Driver Name is arbitrary and simply used to recognize the data source in the ColdFusion administration console.
   
5. Now, test the connection by clicking the check mark to the left of the CDataJD EdwardsJDBC data source you just created. When the data source reports an "OK" status, it is ready for use.
6. Next, create a new ColdFusion Markup file (.cfm) and place it in the wwwroot directory ("C:\ColdFusion2021\cfusion\wwwroot") for ColdFusion.

   The following code queries the data source:

               
           <cfquery name="JD EdwardsQuery" dataSource="CDataJD EdwardsJDBC"> 
             SELECT * FROM AccountsPayable.AccountLedger 
           </cfquery> 
       

   And a CFTable can be used to quickly output the table in HTML:

               
             <cftable  
             query = "JD EdwardsQuery" 
             border = "1" 
             colHeaders 
             colSpacing = "2" 
             headerLines = "2" 
             HTMLTable 
             maxRows = "500" 
             startRow = "1"> 
   
             <cfcol header="<b>DocumentNumber</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="DocumentNumber"/> 
   
             <cfcol header="<b>Amount</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="Amount"/> 
   
             ...
   
           </cftable> 
       

   Full code, including the HTML portion is available below:

               
           <html> 
           <head><title>CData Software | JD Edwards AccountsPayable.AccountLedger Table Demo </title></head> 
           <body> 
           <cfoutput>#ucase("JD Edwards AccountsPayable.AccountLedger Table Demo")#</cfoutput> 
           <cfquery name="JD EdwardsQuery" dataSource="CDataJD EdwardsJDBC"> 
   
             SELECT * FROM AccountsPayable.AccountLedger 
   
           </cfquery> 
           <cftable  
             query = "JD EdwardsQuery" 
             border = "1" 
             colHeaders 
             colSpacing = "2" 
             headerLines = "2" 
             HTMLTable 
             maxRows = "500" 
             startRow = "1"> 
             <cfcol header="<b>DocumentNumber</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="DocumentNumber"/> 
   
             <cfcol header="<b>Amount</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="Amount"/> 
   
             ...
   
           </cftable> 
           </body> 
   
           </html>  
       

7. Finally, run the code locally in a browser at the default port of 8500. It produces a table populated with JD Edwards data!

As a note, the CData JDBC Drivers also support parameterized queries using the cfqueryparam element. For example:

SELECT * FROM Account WHERE name =  

Get Started Today

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for JD Edwards and start building JD Edwards-connected applications with Adobe ColdFusion. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.