How to connect to Postmark Data with Squirrel SQL client

The CData JDBC Driver for Postmark enables you to execute queries to Postmark data in tools like Squirrel SQL Client. In this article, you will create a JDBC data source for Postmark data and execute queries.

Add the JDBC Driver for Postmark

Follow the steps below to add the driver JAR.

1. In Squirrel SQL, click Windows -> View Drivers.
2. Click the plus icon to open the Add Driver wizard.
3. In the Name box, enter a user-friendly name for the driver; for example, CData JDBC Driver for Postmark.
4. In the Example URL box, enter jdbc:api:
5. In the Extra Class Path tab, click Add.
6. In the file explorer dialog that opens, select the JAR file for the driver, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
7. Click List Drivers to populate the Class Name menu with the class name for the driver, cdata.jdbc.api.APIDriver.

Define Connection Properties

Follow the steps below to save connection properties in the driver alias.

1. Click Windows -> View Aliases.
2. In the pane that lists the aliases, click the plus icon.

3. In the Add Alias wizard that opens, the following fields are required for the JDBC driver:

   • Name: Enter a name for the alias; for example, CData Postmark Source.
   • Driver: Select the CData JDBC Driver for Postmark.
   • URL: Enter jdbc:api:
   
4. If you want to define any additional properties, click Properties.
5. In the Driver properties tab of the dialog that appears, select the Use driver properties checkbox.
6. In the Specify column, select the checkboxes for the required connection properties.

   Using API Key Authentication

   Postmark uses server API tokens to authenticate requests. Each Postmark server has its own API token, which controls access to messages, bounces, templates, and statistics associated with that server.

   To obtain your Server API Token, log in to your Postmark account and navigate to the server you want to connect to. Go to API Tokens under the server settings and copy the token labeled Server API token.

   After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
   • APIKey: Set this to your Postmark Server API Token. This value is sent as the X-Postmark-Server-Token header on every request.

   Example connection string:

   Profile=C:\profiles\Postmark.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings="APIKey=your-server-api-token"
   

   Connecting to Postmark

   Once the authentication is configured, you can connect to Postmark and query data from any of the available tables such as OutboundMessages, Bounces, and Templates.

   Below is a typical connection string:

   jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Postmark.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings="APIKey=your-server-api-token"
   

   
7. In the dialog that appears after you click OK, click connect to test the connection.

Discover Schemas and Query Postmark Data

After the metadata has loaded, a new tab for the Postmark data source is displayed. On the Objects subtab, you can discover schema information, such as the available tables and views.

To view table data, select the table on the Objects tab. The table data is then loaded in a grid on the Content tab.

To execute an SQL query, enter the query on the SQL tab and then click Run SQL (the runner icon). For example:

SELECT ,  FROM Bounces WHERE  = ''