Bridge PingOne 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 PingOne, NiFi can work with live PingOne data. This article describes how to connect to and query PingOne data from an Apache NiFi Flow.

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

Connecting to PingOne Data in Apache NiFi

1. Download the CData JDBC Driver for PingOne installer, unzip the package, run the .exe file to install the driver.

2. Copy the CData JDBC Driver JAR file (and license file if it exists), cdata.jdbc.pingone.jar (and cdata.jdbc.pingone.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 PingOne.

3. Start Apache NiFi by running the run-nifi.bat file in bin subfolder, for example, C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\bin.

   (OR)

   Use the command prompt to navigate to the particular directory and run the run-nifi.bat file 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: It should be https://localhost:8443/nifi.

   Note: If users are utilizing an older version of Apache NiFi, they should access it via http://localhost:8080/nifi. In earlier versions, HTTP was the protocol employed. However, in the most recent version, HTTPS is the standard. By default, HTTP operates on port 8080, while HTTPS uses port 8443.

5. When accessing Apache NiFi via a URL, it prompts you to enter a username and password for login.

   To retrieve login credentials, users should consult the 'App.log' file located within the log directory of their NiFi installation. This file typically contains the necessary details for accessing the NiFi interface.

6. Right-click on the Nifi Flow's workspace and click "Controller Services"
7. Click the button to create a new controller service.
8. In the Controller Services section, location the newly created "DBCPConnection Pool" and click the menu () >> Edit to configure the new connection.

9. Fill in the properties:

   • Database Connection URL: jdbc:pingone:AuthScheme=OAuth;WorkerAppEnvironmentId=eebc33a8-xxxx-4f3a-yyyy-d3e5262fd49e;Region=NA;OAuthClientId=client_id;OAuthClientSecret=client_secret;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH
   • Database Driver Class Name: cdata.jdbc.pingone.PingOneDriver
   • Database Driver Location(s): Path to your Apache NiFi's lib folder where the JAR files are present.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

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

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.pingone.jar

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

   To connect to PingOne, configure these properties:

   • Region: The region where the data for your PingOne organization is being hosted.
   • AuthScheme: The type of authentication to use when connecting to PingOne.
   • Either WorkerAppEnvironmentId (required when using the default PingOne domain) or AuthorizationServerURL, configured as described below.

   Configuring WorkerAppEnvironmentId

   WorkerAppEnvironmentId is the ID of the PingOne environment in which your Worker application resides. This parameter is used only when the environment is using the default PingOne domain (auth.pingone). It is configured after you have created the custom OAuth application you will use to authenticate to PingOne, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth Application in the Help documentation.

   First, find the value for this property:

   1. From the home page of your PingOne organization, move to the navigation sidebar and click Environments.
   2. Find the environment in which you have created your custom OAuth/Worker application (usually Administrators), and click Manage Environment. The environment's home page displays.
   3. In the environment's home page navigation sidebar, click Applications.
   4. Find your OAuth or Worker application details in the list.
   5. Copy the value in the Environment ID field. It should look similar to:
      WorkerAppEnvironmentId='11e96fc7-aa4d-4a60-8196-9acf91424eca'

   Now set WorkerAppEnvironmentId to the value of the Environment ID field.

   Configuring AuthorizationServerURL

   AuthorizationServerURL is the base URL of the PingOne authorization server for the environment where your application is located. This property is only used when you have set up a custom domain for the environment, as described in the PingOne platform API documentation. See Custom Domains.

   Authenticating to PingOne with OAuth

   PingOne supports both OAuth and OAuthClient authentication. In addition to performing the configuration steps described above, there are two more steps to complete to support OAuth or OAuthCliet authentication:

   • Create and configure a custom OAuth application, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth Application in the Help documentation.
   • To ensure that the driver can access the entities in Data Model, confirm that you have configured the correct roles for the admin user/worker application you will be using, as described in Administrator Roles in the Help documentation.
   • Set the appropriate properties for the authscheme and authflow of your choice, as described in the following subsections.

   OAuth (Authorization Code grant)

   Set AuthScheme to OAuth.

   Desktop Applications

   Get and Refresh the OAuth Access Token

   After setting the following, you are ready to connect:

   • InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. To avoid the need to repeat the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken each time you connect, use InitiateOAuth.
   • OAuthClientId: The Client ID you obtained when you created your custom OAuth application.
   • OAuthClientSecret: The Client Secret you obtained when you created your custom OAuth application.
   • CallbackURL: The redirect URI you defined when you registered your custom OAuth application. For example: https://localhost:3333

   When you connect, the driver opens PingOne's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The driver then completes the OAuth process:

   1. The driver obtains an access token from PingOne and uses it to request data.
   2. The OAuth values are saved in the location specified in OAuthSettingsLocation, to be persisted across connections.

   The driver refreshes the access token automatically when it expires.

   For other OAuth methods, including Web Applications, Headless Machines, or Client Credentials Grant, refer to the Help documentation.

10. In the Controller Services section, locate the newly created DBCPConnection Pool and click the menu () >> Enable to enable the new connection.
11. In the "Enable Controller Service" window, set Scope to "Service and referencing components"
12. To establish a connection and execute a select query, simply drag and drop the processor (indicated by the yellow highlight) into the workspace.
13. Select the 'ExecuteSQL' processor and click the 'Add' button to make it visible in the workspace.
14. Double-click on the added processor (ExecuteSQL)to open the connection page.
15. In the Properties section, fill in the required information. Make sure to set the Database Connection Pooling Service to match the DBCPConnectionPool that you have created, and set your desired SQL query that you want to get executed in the SQL select query section.
16. Go to Relationships and make sure to select an option on how the component should proceed in case of success and failure of the execution process.
17. You can enable the ExecuteSQL component by either selecting it and clicking Enable on the Operation section, or by right-clicking it and selecting Enable.

Your PingOne data is now available for use in Apache NiFi. For example, you can use the DBCPConnection Pool as the source for a QueryDatabaseTable processor (shown below).

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