Import Real-Time SAP SuccessFactors LMS Data via ODBC in ColdFusion to Build Applications

Dibyendu Datta
Dibyendu Datta
Lead Technology Evangelist
Use CData ODBC drivers to import and use SAP SuccessFactors LMS data in ColdFusion.

Adobe ColdFusion is a web and mobile application development platform. It uses its own scripting language, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), to create data-driven websites as well as generate remote services, such as REST. When ColdFusion is paired with the CData ODBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors LMS, you can link your ColdFusion web and mobile applications to operational SAP SuccessFactors LMS data. This allows for your applications to be more robust and complete. This article details how to use the ODBC driver to create a table populated with SAP SuccessFactors LMS data from within a ColdFusion markup file.

To follow along with this tutorial, you need to install the CData ODBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors LMS and Adobe ColdFusion.

Configuring the Connection

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 process. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

SAP SuccessFactors LMS uses OAuth authentication. Before connecting, you must configure an OAuth application tied to your SAP SuccessFactors LMS account.

To establish a connection, set the following properties:

  • User: Your SAP SuccessFactors LMS username.
  • CompanyId: Your SAP SuccessFactors company identifier.
  • Url: The SAP SuccessFactors API URL (e.g., https://api4.successfactors.com).
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

See the Getting Started chapter of the help documentation for a guide to creating a custom OAuth app and using OAuth.

Adding a Data Source and Creating a Table

After creating a DSN, follow the steps below to add a new data source, test our connection to it, create a ColdFusion markup file, and, finally, import SAP SuccessFactors LMS Data and display it in a table in ColdFusion:

  1. From the ColdFusion administrator interface, choose Data & Services.
  2. Here, click "Add New Data Source". The data source name can be any name, provided it conforms to the ColdFusion variable naming conventions. For our ODBC driver, choose "ODBC Socket", then click the "Add" button.
  3. From the ODBC DSN Dropdown menu select CData SAP SuccessFactors LMS Sys. Under the Advanced Settings section, leave the Connection String blank. Note that any properties specified in this input field will override the ones specified in the DSN Configuration.
  4. Now, test the connection by pressing the check mark to the left of the CDataSAP SuccessFactors LMSODBC data source you just created. When the data source reports an "OK" status, it is ready for use.
  5. Next, create a new ColdFusion Markup file (.cfm) and place it in the wwwroot directory ("C:\ColdFusion2021\cfusion\wwwroot") for ColdFusion.

    The following code queries the data source: 

                
        <cfquery name="SAP SuccessFactors LMSQuery" dataSource="CDataSAP SuccessFactors LMSODBC"> 
          SELECT * FROM Items 
        </cfquery>
    And a CFTable can be used to quickly output the table in HTML: 
                
          <cftable  
          query = "SAP SuccessFactors LMSQuery" 
          border = "1" 
          colHeaders 
          colSpacing = "2" 
          headerLines = "2" 
          HTMLTable 
          maxRows = "500" 
          startRow = "1"> 

          <cfcol header="<b>ItemID</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="ItemID"/> 

          <cfcol header="<b>ItemTitle</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="ItemTitle"/> 

          ...

        </cftable>
    Full code, including the HTML portion is available below: 
                
        <html> 
        <head><title>CData Software | SAP SuccessFactors LMS Items Table Demo </title></head> 
        <body> 
        <cfoutput>#ucase("SAP SuccessFactors LMS Items Table Demo")#</cfoutput> 
        <cfquery name="SAP SuccessFactors LMSQuery" dataSource="CDataSAP SuccessFactors LMSODBC"> 

          SELECT * FROM Items 

        </cfquery> 
        <cftable  
          query = "SAP SuccessFactors LMSQuery" 
          border = "1" 
          colHeaders 
          colSpacing = "2" 
          headerLines = "2" 
          HTMLTable 
          maxRows = "500" 
          startRow = "1"> 
          <cfcol header="<b>ItemID</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="ItemID"/> 

          <cfcol header="<b>ItemTitle</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="ItemTitle"/> 

          ...

        </cftable> 
        </body> 

        </html>
  6. Finally, run the code in a browser. It produces a table populated with SAP SuccessFactors LMS data!

As a note, the CData ODBC Drivers also support parameterized queries using the cfqueryparam element. For example: 

SELECT * FROM Account WHERE name =

Get Started Today

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData ODBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors LMS and start building SAP SuccessFactors LMS-connected applications with Adobe ColdFusion. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the SAP SuccessFactors LMS ODBC Driver to get started:

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Learn more:

SAP SuccessFactors LMS Icon SAP SuccessFactors LMS ODBC Driver

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

Access SAP SuccessFactors LMS data like you would a database - read, write, and update SAP SuccessFactors LMS 0, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.

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