Learn more
 

Import Real-Time LinkedIn Ads Data in ColdFusion to Build Applications


Use CData ODBC drivers to import and use LinkedIn Ads data in ColdFusion.

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 ODBC Driver for LinkedIn Ads, you can link your ColdFusion web and mobile applications to operational LinkedIn Ads data. This allows for your applications to be more robust and complete. This article details how to use the ODBC driver to create a table populated with LinkedIn Ads data from within a ColdFusion markup file.

To follow along with this tutorial, you need to install the CData ODBC Driver for LinkedIn Ads and Adobe ColdFusion.

Configuring the Connection

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 process. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

LinkedIn Ads uses the OAuth authentication standard. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with LinkedIn using the browser. See the OAuth section in the Help documentation for a guide.

Adding a Data Source and Creating a Table

After creating a DSN, follow the steps below to add a new data source, test our connection to it, create a ColdFusion markup file, and, finally, import LinkedIn Ads LinkedIn Ads data and display it in a table in ColdFusion:

  1. From the ColdFusion administrator interface, choose Data & Services.
  2. Here, click "Add New Data Source". The data source name can be any name, provided it conforms to the ColdFusion variable naming conventions. For our ODBC driver, choose "ODBC Socket", then click the "Add" button.
  3. From the ODBC DSN Dropdown menu select CData LinkedIn Ads Sys. Under the Advanced Settings section, leave the Connection String blank. Note that any properties specified in this input field will override the ones specified in the DSN Configuration.
  4. Now, test the connection by pressing the check mark to the left of the CDataLinkedIn AdsODBC data source you just created. When the data source reports an "OK" status, it is ready for use.
  5. 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="LinkedIn AdsQuery" dataSource="CDataLinkedIn AdsODBC"> 
          SELECT * FROM Analytics 
        </cfquery>
    And a CFTable can be used to quickly output the table in HTML: 
                
          <cftable  
          query = "LinkedIn AdsQuery" 
          border = "1" 
          colHeaders 
          colSpacing = "2" 
          headerLines = "2" 
          HTMLTable 
          maxRows = "500" 
          startRow = "1"> 

          <cfcol header="<b>VisibilityCode</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="VisibilityCode"/> 

          <cfcol header="<b>Comment</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="Comment"/> 

          ...

        </cftable>
    Full code, including the HTML portion is available below: 
                
        <html> 
        <head><title>CData Software | LinkedIn Ads Analytics Table Demo </title></head> 
        <body> 
        <cfoutput>#ucase("LinkedIn Ads Analytics Table Demo")#</cfoutput> 
        <cfquery name="LinkedIn AdsQuery" dataSource="CDataLinkedIn AdsODBC"> 

          SELECT * FROM Analytics 

        </cfquery> 
        <cftable  
          query = "LinkedIn AdsQuery" 
          border = "1" 
          colHeaders 
          colSpacing = "2" 
          headerLines = "2" 
          HTMLTable 
          maxRows = "500" 
          startRow = "1"> 
          <cfcol header="<b>VisibilityCode</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="VisibilityCode"/> 

          <cfcol header="<b>Comment</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="Comment"/> 

          ...

        </cftable> 
        </body> 

        </html>
  6. Finally, run the code in a browser. It produces a table populated with LinkedIn Ads data!

As a note, the CData ODBC 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 ODBC Driver for LinkedIn Ads and start building LinkedIn Ads-connected applications with Adobe ColdFusion. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the LinkedIn Ads ODBC Driver to get started:

 Download Now

Learn more:

LinkedIn Ads Icon LinkedIn Ads ODBC Driver

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

Access LinkedIn Ads data like you would a database - read, write, and update LinkedIn Ads Analytics, Campaings, Conversion, Forms, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.

In this article

Related articles