Connect to Paddle Data in RapidMiner

This article shows how you can easily integrate the CData JDBC driver for Paddle into your processes in RapidMiner. This article uses the CData JDBC Driver for Paddle to transfer Paddle data to a process in RapidMiner.

Connect to Paddle in RapidMiner as a JDBC Data Source

You can follow the procedure below to establish a JDBC connection to Paddle:

1. Add a new database driver for Paddle: Click Connections -> Manage Database Drivers.
2. In the resulting wizard, click the Add button and enter a name for the connection.
3. Enter the prefix for the JDBC URL:

   jdbc:api:
   

4. Enter the path to the cdata.jdbc.api.jar file, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
5. Enter the driver class:

   cdata.jdbc.api.APIDriver
   

   
6. Create a new Paddle connection: Click Connections -> Manage Database Connections.
7. Enter a name for your connection.
8. For Database System, select the Paddle driver you configured previously.
9. Enter your connection string in the Host box.

   Using API Key Authentication

   Paddle uses API key authentication. To obtain an API key:

   1. Sign in to your Paddle account at https://vendors.paddle.com
   2. Navigate to Developer Tools > Authentication
   3. Click "Generate API Key"
   4. Assign the appropriate permissions for the data you wish to access
   5. Copy the generated key (sandbox keys begin with pdl_sdbx_apikey_; production keys begin with pdl_live_apikey_)

   After obtaining your API key, set the following connection properties:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
   Set the following in the ProfileSettings connection property:
   • APIKey: Set this to your Paddle API key.

   Example Connection String

   Profile=C:\profiles\Paddle.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings="APIKey=your_api_key";
   

   Connecting to Paddle

   Once the authentication is configured, you can connect to Paddle and query data from any of the available tables such as Products, Customers, Subscriptions, and Transactions.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

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

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar
   

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

   

   A typical connection string is below:

   Profile=C:\profiles\Paddle.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings="APIKey=your_api_key";
   

10. Enter your username and password if necessary.

You can now use your Paddle connection with the various RapidMiner operators in your process. To retrieve Paddle data, drag the Retrieve operator from the Operators view. With the Retrieve operator selected, you can then define which table to retrieve in the Parameters view by clicking the folder icon next to the "repository entry." In the resulting Repository Browser, you can expand your connection node to select the desired example set.

Finally, wire the output to the Retrieve process to a result, and run the process to see the Paddle data.