Connect to Reckon Data in Ruby



Connect to Reckon data in Ruby with ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc.

The CData ODBC Driver for Reckon makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Reckon data in Ruby. This article shows how to create a simple Ruby app that connects to Reckon data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Create an ODBC Connection to Reckon Data

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

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

Requests to Reckon are made through the Remote Connector. The Remote Connector runs on the same machine as Reckon 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 to your company file, you will need to authorize the Remote Connector with Reckon. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide.

Installing Ruby and Necessary Gems

If you do not have Ruby installed, refer to the Ruby installation page. With Ruby installed, you will need to install the ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc gems:

gem install dbi gem install dbd-odbc gem install ruby-odbc

Create a Ruby App with Connectivity to Reckon Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: ReckonSelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

#connect to the DSN require 'DBI' cnxn = DBI.connect('DBI:ODBC:CData Reckon Source','','') #execute a SELECT query and store the result set resultSet = cnxn.execute("SELECT Name, CustomerBalance FROM Customers") #display the names of the columns resultSet.column_names.each do |name| print name, "\t" end puts #display the results while row = resultSet.fetch do (0..resultSet.column_names.size - 1).each do |n| print row[n], "\t" end puts end resultSet.finish #close the connection cnxn.disconnect if cnxn

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Reckon data with Ruby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

ruby ReckonSelect.rb Writing SQL-92 queries to Reckon allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Reckon data into your own Ruby applications. Download a free trial today!

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Reckon ODBC Driver to get started:

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Reckon Accounting Icon Reckon ODBC Driver

The Reckon ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from Reckon directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Reckon data like you would a database - read, write, and update Customers, Transactions, Invoices, Sales Receipts, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.