Build Dashboards with Salesforce Data Cloud Data in Dundas BI



Create dynamic dashboards and perform analytics based on Salesforce Data Cloud data in Dundas BI.

The CData ODBC Driver for Salesforce Data Cloud enables access to live data from Salesforce Data Cloud under the ODBC standard, allowing you work with Salesforce Data Cloud data in a wide variety of BI, reporting, and ETL tools and directly, using familiar SQL queries. This article shows how to connect to Salesforce Data Cloud data as a generic ODBC Data Provider and create charts, reports, and dashboards based on Salesforce Data Cloud data in Dundas BI.

Connect to Salesforce Data Cloud Data

  1. If you have not already done so, provide values for the required connection properties in the data source name (DSN). You can configure the DSN using the built-in Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator. This is also the last step of the driver installation. See the "Getting Started" chapter in the Help documentation for a guide to using the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure a DSN.

    Salesforce Data Cloud supports authentication via the OAuth standard.

    OAuth

    Set AuthScheme to OAuth.

    Desktop Applications

    CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies authentication at the desktop.

    You can also authenticate from the desktop via a custom OAuth application, which you configure and register at the Salesforce Data Cloud console. For further information, see Creating a Custom OAuth App in the Help documentation.

    Before you connect, set these properties:

    • InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
    • OAuthClientId (custom applications only): The Client ID assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
    • OAuthClientSecret (custom applications only): The Client Secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

    When you connect, the driver opens Salesforce Data Cloud's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.

    The driver then completes the OAuth process as follows:

    • Extracts the access token from the callback URL.
    • Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
    • Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation so that they persist across connections.
    • For other OAuth methods, including Web Applications and Headless Machines, refer to the Help documentation.

      When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

    • Open the Dundas BI interface, open the menu, and click New Data Connector.
    • Configure the Dundas BI Data Connector:
      • Name the Data Connector.
      • Select "ODBC generic" as the Data Provider.
      • Check the "Use System DSN" checkbox.
      • Select the appropriate System DSN.

Add Salesforce Data Cloud Data to a Dashboard

You are now ready to create a dashboard with Salesforce Data Cloud data.

  1. Navigate to the Home page.
  2. Click Explore Data.
  3. Expand the appropriate Data Connector.
  4. Drag the relevant data from the Connector to the panel.
    • You can select an entire "table" to add, but you may need to remove Measures/Rows from the Metric Set to build an appropriate visualization. Alternatively, you can select only the fields you wish to include in the visualization.
    • With the fields selected, you can add any filters or conditions on the Measures and Rows, further customizing the visualization.
  5. Click Re-visualize from the menu bar and select the appropriate visualization for the data.
  6. Click Add To New Dashboard to add the visualization to a new dashboard.
  7. Configure the dashboard, creating dynamic visualizations of Salesforce Data Cloud data.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Salesforce Data Cloud ODBC Driver to get started:

 Download Now

Learn more:

Salesforce Data Cloud Icon Salesforce Data Cloud ODBC Driver

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

Access Salesforce Data Cloud data like you would a database - read, write, and update Salesforce Data Cloud 0, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.