Access QuickBooks Data in Mule Applications Using the CData JDBC Driver

The CData JDBC Driver for QuickBooks connects QuickBooks data to Mule applications enabling read , write, update, and delete functionality with familiar SQL queries. The JDBC Driver allows users to easily create Mule applications to backup, transform, report, and analyze QuickBooks data.

This article demonstrates how to use the CData JDBC Driver for QuickBooks inside of a Mule project to create a Web interface for QuickBooks data. The application created allows you to request QuickBooks data using an HTTP request and have the results returned as JSON. The exact same procedure outlined below can be used with any CData JDBC Driver to create a Web interface for the 200+ available data sources.

Getting Started

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1. Create a new Mule Project in Anypoint Studio.
2. Add an HTTP Connector to the Message Flow.
3. Configure the address for the HTTP Connector.
4. Add a Database Select Connector to the same flow, after the HTTP Connector.
5. Create a new Connection (or edit an existing one) and configure the properties.
   • Set Connection to "Generic Connection"
   • Select the CData JDBC Driver JAR file in the Required Libraries section (e.g. cdata.jdbc.quickbooks.jar).
   • Set the URL to the connection string for QuickBooks

     When you are connecting to a local QuickBooks instance, you do not need to set any connection properties.

     Requests are made to QuickBooks through the Remote Connector. The Remote Connector runs on the same machine as QuickBooks and accepts connections through a lightweight, embedded Web server. The server supports SSL/TLS, enabling users to connect securely from remote machines.

     The first time you connect, you will need to authorize the Remote Connector with QuickBooks. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide.

     Built-in Connection String Designer

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

     java -jar cdata.jdbc.quickbooks.jar

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

   • Set the Driver class name to cdata.jdbc.quickbooks.QuickBooksDriver.
   • Click Test Connection.
6. Set the SQL Query Text to a SQL query to request QuickBooks data. For example: SELECT Name, CustomerBalance FROM Customers
7. Add a Transform Message Component to the flow.
8. Set the Output script to the following to convert the payload to JSON:

   %dw 2.0
   output application/json
   ---
   payload
           

9. To view your QuickBooks data, navigate to the address you configured for the HTTP Connector (localhost:8081 by default): http://localhost:8081. The QuickBooks data is available as JSON in your Web browser and any other tools capable of consuming JSON endpoints.

At this point, you have a simple Web interface for working with QuickBooks data (as JSON data) in custom apps and a wide variety of BI, reporting, and ETL tools. Download a free, 30 day trial of the JDBC Driver for QuickBooks and see the CData difference in your Mule Applications today.