Build Procore-Connected Web Apps with Axios and CData Connect AI

Axios is a JavaScript library that allows developers to make HTTP requests to servers from a web browser or Node.js. When paired with CData Connect AI, you get access to live Procore data for your web apps. This article shows how to connect to Procore and build web apps in Axios with access to live Procore data.

Connect to Procore from Axios

To work with Procore in Axios, we need to connect to Procore from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the Procore data.

Connect to Procore from Connect AI

CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection

2. Select "Procore" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Procore.

   To connect to Procore, register an application in the Procore Developer Portal under My Apps. Add an OAuth component to the Sandbox manifest, set the Redirect URI to https://oauth.cdata.com/oauth/, then promote the manifest to Production to receive usable credentials. Then set the following:

   • OAuth Client Id: The Client ID from your Procore application.
   • OAuth Client Secret: The Client Secret from your Procore application.

   Click Sign In to complete OAuth authentication.

   For service account access, add a Data Connection component to your app instead. Enter the OAuth Client Id and Client Secret — no browser sign-in is required.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Procore Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create.
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

Configure Procore Endpoints for Axios

After connecting to Procore, create a workspace for your desired table(s).

1. Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
3. Select the Procore connection (e.g. API1) and click Next.
4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to Procore data from Axios.

Connect to Procore Data in Axios Workflows

To establish a connection from Axios to CData Connect AI using the OData protocol, follow these steps.

1. Create a project directory for your web app. For example: ~/connect_cloud/
2. Open a terminal, navigate the the project directory and initialize a node project using the command:

   npm init -y

3. Install the Axios dependency in the project using the following command:

   npm install axios

4. In your project directory, create a file called server.js that contains the following code. Provide your CData Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected]) and PAT (the PAT you created in the prerequisites). You must also provide a query for your data, such as SELECT * FROM API1.SCHEMA.Companies.

   server.js code

         const axios = require('axios')
   
         const user = '[email protected]'
         const pat = '***********************************';
   
         //Your API endpoint
         const url = 'https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}';
   
         //Your data to be sent in the POST request
         const data = {
         "query":"SELECT * FROM {workspace_name}.SCHEMA.Companies"
         };
   
         axios.post(url, data, {
         auth: {
         username: user,
         password: pat
         }
         })
         .then(response => {
         const rows = response.data.results[0].rows;
         const schema = response.data.results[0].schema;
   
         //Create an array of column names
         const columnNames = schema.map(col => col.columnName);
   
         //Loop through each row and log the column name with its value
         rows.forEach(row => {
         const rowObject = {};
         row.forEach((value, index) => {
         const columnName = columnNames[index];
         rowObject[columnName] = value;
         });
         console.log(rowObject);
         })
         })
         .catch(error => {
         console.error('Error:', error);
         });
       

5. In the terminal, execute the following command to run the server:

   node server.js

   The query results will appear:

       { ID: 1, VALUE: -2 }
       { ID: 2, VALUE: 1 }
       { ID: 11, VALUE: null }
       { ID: 3, VALUE: 2 }
       { ID: 4, VALUE: 5 }
       ...

Simplified Access to Procore Data from Cloud Applications

At this point, you have a direct connection to live Procore data from Axios. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in cloud applications like Axios, refer to our Connect AI page.