Easily Integrate Jira Service Management Data in Lazarus Pascal IDE



Learn how to easily integrate live Jira Service Management data in Lazarus Pascal IDE using the CData ODBC Driver for real-time insights.

Lazarus Pascal IDE is a powerful, free, open-source development environment for building cross-platform applications. With the CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management, you can seamlessly integrate and query live Jira Service Management data, bringing real-time insights within your Lazarus Pascal IDE applications to enhance reporting, dashboards, and workflows.

This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough, from setting up the connection to leveraging live Jira Service Management in Lazarus Pascal IDE. Whether you're building reports, dashboards, or complex workflows, you'll gain the tools to unlock real-time insights and functionality within your applications.

Overview

Here is an overview of the steps:

  1. Configure the DSN for Jira Service Management data in the CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management with the necessary connection properties.
  2. Set up the ODBC connection in Lazarus by configuring the TSQLConnector, TSQLQuery, TDataSource, and TDBGrid components with the required details.
  3. Test the connection to Jira Service Management data by writing sample code on the Main form.
  4. Compile and run the application to verify the successful integration and display of live Jira Service Management data.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

  • Lazarus IDE (version 3.4 recommended). Download from here.
  • CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management. Download and try the latest version from here.


Configure the Jira Service Management DSN Using the CData ODBC Driver

To start, configure the DSN (Data Source Name) for Jira Service Management data in your system using the CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management. Download and install a 30-day free trial with all the features from here.

Once installed, launch the ODBC Data Source Administrator:

  • On Windows: Search for ODBC Data Source Administrator in the Start menu and open the application.
  • On Mac: Open Applications, go to Utilities, and select ODBC Manager.
  • On Linux: Use the command line to launch ODBC Data Source Administrator or use unixODBC if installed.

Once launched, double-click on the CData Jira Service Management data Source and enter the required values to establish a connection:

You can establish a connection to any Jira Service Desk Cloud account or Server instance.

Connecting with a Cloud Account

To connect to a Cloud account, you'll first need to retrieve an APIToken. To generate one, log in to your Atlassian account and navigate to API tokens > Create API token. The generated token will be displayed.

Supply the following to connect to data:

  • User: Set this to the username of the authenticating user.
  • APIToken: Set this to the API token found previously.

Connecting with a Service Account

To authenticate with a service account, you will need to supply the following connection properties:

  • User: Set this to the username of the authenticating user.
  • Password: Set this to the password of the authenticating user.
  • URL: Set this to the URL associated with your JIRA Service Desk endpoint. For example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.

Note: Password has been deprecated for connecting to a Cloud Account and is now used only to connect to a Server Instance.

Accessing Custom Fields

By default, the connector only surfaces system fields. To access the custom fields for Issues, set IncludeCustomFields.

Create a New GUI Project

  1. Launch the Lazarus IDE.
  2. Navigate to File > New > Application to create a new GUI project with a Main form.

Add Required Connection Components to the Form

  1. Go to View > Component > Palette and check the Keep open at the bottom-left to keep the Components window persistently open.
  2. Search for the following components and add them to the Main form Form1 by clicking on Use at the bottom right.
    1. TSQLConnector
    2. TSQLTransaction
    3. TSQLQuery
    4. TDataSource
    5. TDBGrid


Configure the TSQLConnector Component

The TSQLConnector component in Lazarus Pascal IDE facilitates connections between your application and various databases or database APIs. Here's how to configure it:

  1. Select the TSQLConnector component on the Main form.
  2. Open the Object Inspector if it's not already open by going to View > Object Inspector
  3. In the Object Inspector on the left, set the following properties under the Properties section:
    Property Value
    Connected True
    Driver ODBC
    DatabaseName Your DSN name (e.g., CData Jira Service Management Source)
    UserName Your database username
    Password Your database password
    HostName Jira Service Management URL or localhost for local databases
    LoginPrompt False
    Transaction Select your TSQLTransaction component

If your credentials require a security token, follow these steps:

  1. Double-click the Main Form in the Lazarus Pascal IDE to open the code editor.
  2. Locate the procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject); section.
  3. Paste the following code below the begin keyword. Replace 'your_security_token' with your actual security token: SQLConnector1.Params.Values ['Password'] := SQLConnector1.Params.Values ['Password'] + 'your_security_token';



Configure the TSQLQuery Component

The TSQLQuery component in Lazarus Pascal IDE receives SQL code for queries and retrieves data from a database, simplifying data manipulation. Configure using the following info:

  1. Select the TSQLQuery component in the Main form.
  2. Set the following properties in the Object Inspector under the Properties section:
    Property Value
    Active True
    DataBase Select the name of your TSQLConnector component
    SQL (Click 3 dots) Your query (e.g., SELECT * FROM Requests)
    Transaction Your TSQLTransaction component




Configure the TDataSource, TDBGrid, TSQLTransaction Components

The TDataSource component in Lazarus Pascal IDE bridges a dataset (e.g., TSQLQuery) with data-aware controls like TDBGrid, allowing data to be displayed and manipulated. The TDBGrid presents the data in a tabular format, while the TSQLTransaction ensures database operations maintain data integrity by executing within a transaction. Here's how to configure all three components:

  1. Select the TDataSource component and set its DataSet property to the name of your TSQLQuery component.
  2. Select the TDBGrid component and set its DataSource property to your TDataSource component.
  3. Select the TSQLTransaction component. Set the following properties:
    1. Active: True
    2. Database: The name of your TSQLConnector component


Add Code to Test the Connection

To successfully test the connection, use the following code:

  1. Double-click on the Main Form to open up the Source Editor.
  2. Add the following code under the begin keyword and before the end. keyword.
procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject); begin // Code for your Security Token SQLConnector1.Params.Values ['Password'] := SQLConnector1.Params.Values ['Password'] + 'your_security_token'; try SQLConnector1.Open; ShowMessage('Connection successful!'); except on E: Exception do ShowMessage('Error: ' + E.Message); end; try SQLQuery1.Open; if SQLQuery1.IsEmpty then ShowMessage('No data found.') else ShowMessage('Data loaded successfully.'); except on E: Exception do ShowMessage('Error: ' + E.Message); end; end; end.

Compile and Run the Application

Save your project. Go to Run > Compile, then Run, or use the shortcut F9 to execute your application.



Next Steps: Play with the Data

Now that your data is successfully imported into Lazarus, here are some ideas to explore its full potential:

  • Enhance Your TDBGrid: Customize your TDBGrid to enable sorting, editing, or highlighting specific rows.
  • Visualize Your Data: Use components like TChart to create graphs and charts for intuitive data representation.
  • Filter and Search: Use components like TDBFilter or implement custom filtering logic to allow users to quickly focus on relevant data. Add a TEdit component for user input and link it to your filtering functionality.
  • Export Your Data: Utilize TSVExport or TFileStream components to save your data in formats like CSV or Excel for sharing or integration into other systems.
  • Perform Calculations: Use TFPCustomDataSet or your dataset's built-in features to calculate totals, averages, or other metrics. Display results in a TLabel or add them to your TDBGrid.
  • Create Forms and Reports: Design interactive forms using TForm and TDBEdit for user interaction. For reports, integrate components like RLReport or FastReport to generate and print professional-quality reports.

Take your data-driven application to the next level with these enhancements!



Simplify Data Connectivity in Lazarus with CData

Unlock the full potential of live Jira Service Management data directly within Lazarus Pascal. Streamline your workflows, enhance productivity, and experience seamless integration like never before.

Start your free trial today and transform the way you connect and work with your data!

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Jira Service Management ODBC Driver to get started:

 Download Now

Learn more:

Jira Service Management Icon Jira Service Management ODBC Driver

The Jira Service Management ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from Jira Service Management, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Jira Service Management data like you would a database - read, write, and update Jira Service Management Customers, Organizations, Requests, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.