Bridge Microsoft Planner Connectivity with Apache NiFi

Apache NiFi supports powerful and scalable directed graphs of data routing, transformation, and system mediation logic. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Microsoft Planner, NiFi can work with live Microsoft Planner data. This article describes how to connect to and query Microsoft Planner data from an Apache NiFi Flow.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Microsoft Planner data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Microsoft Planner, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Microsoft Planner 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 Microsoft Planner data using native data types.

Connecting to Microsoft Planner Data in Apache NiFi

1. Download the CData JDBC Driver for Microsoft Planner installer, unzip the package, and run the JAR file to install the driver.

2. Copy the CData JDBC Driver JAR file (and license file if it exists), cdata.jdbc.microsoftplanner.jar (and cdata.jdbc.microsoftplanner.lic), to the Apache NiFi lib subfolder, for example, C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\lib.

   On Windows, the default location for the CData JDBC Driver is C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Microsoft Planner.

3. Start Apache NiFi. For example:

   cd C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\bin
   run-nifi.bat
   

4. Navigate to the Apache NiFi UI in your web browser: typically http://localhost:8080/nifi
5. Click the (Configuration) button from the Operate sidebar.
6. In the NiFi Flow Configuration page, navigate to the Controller Services tab.
7. Click the button to create a new controller service.
8. In the Add Controller Service page, select DBCPConnection Pool, and then click Add.
9. Click the gear button to configure the new DBCPConnection Pool.

10. In the Configure Controller Service page, navigate to the Properties tab. Fill in the properties:

    Property	Value
    Database Connection URL	jdbc:microsoftplanner:OAuthClientId=MyApplicationId;OAuthClientSecret=MySecretKey;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH
    Database Driver Class Name	cdata.jdbc.microsoftplanner.MicrosoftPlannerDriver

    Built-in Connection String Designer

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

    java -jar cdata.jdbc.microsoftplanner.jar

    Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

    You can connect without setting any connection properties for your user credentials. Below are the minimum connection properties required to connect.

    • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
    • Tenant (optional): Set this if you wish to authenticate to a different tenant than your default. This is required to work with an organization not on your default Tenant.

    When you connect the Driver opens the MS Planner OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the Driver. The Driver then completes the OAuth process.

    1. Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
    2. Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
    3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.
11. Click the button to enable the new DBCPConnection Pool.

Your Microsoft Planner data is now available for use in Apache NiFi. For example, you can use the DBCPConnection Pool as the source for a QueryDatabaseTable processor.

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Microsoft Planner and start working with your live Microsoft Planner data in Apache NiFi. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.