How to integrate Metabase with ServiceDesk Plus Data

Metabase is an open source data visualization tool that allows users to create interactive dashboards. When paired with CData Connect AI, users can easily create visualizations and dashboards linked to live ServiceDesk Plus data. This article describes how to connect to ServiceDesk Plus and build a simple visualization using ServiceDesk Plus data.

CData Connect provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for ServiceDesk Plus, allowing you to easily integrate with live ServiceDesk Plus data in Metabase — without replicating the data. Connect looks exactly like a SQL Server database to Metabase and uses optimized data processing out of the box to push all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to ServiceDesk Plus, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return ServiceDesk Plus data.

Configure ServiceDesk Plus Connectivity for Metabase

Connectivity to ServiceDesk Plus from Metabase is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with ServiceDesk Plus data from Metabase, we start by creating and configuring a ServiceDesk Plus connection.

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

2. Select "ServiceDesk Plus" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to ServiceDesk Plus.

   Using OAuth Authentication

   ServiceDeskPlus uses Zoho OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication. To set up OAuth access:

   1. Register your application in the Zoho Developer Console at https://api-console.zoho.com
   2. Configure your redirect URI to match your application setup
   3. Note your Client ID and Client Secret from the application settings

   After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth.
   • OAuthClientId: Set this to your Zoho application Client ID.
   • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to your Zoho application Client Secret.
   • Scope: Set this to the required ServiceDeskPlus permissions (default includes read access to requests, problems, assets, and projects).
   • Domain: Set this to your ServiceDeskPlus domain
   • Portal: Set this to your ServiceDeskPlus portal

   Example Connection String

   Profile=C:\profiles\ServiceDeskPlus.apip;ProfileSettings="Portal=itdesk;Domain=.in;Scope=SDPOnDemand.requests.READ SDPOnDemand.problems.READ SDPOnDemand.assets.READ SDPOnDemand.projects.READ";AuthScheme=OAuth;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;
   

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add ServiceDesk Plus 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.

With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to ServiceDesk Plus data from Metabase.

Connect to CData Connect AI from Metabase

After creating the connection in Connect AI, navigate to your Metabase instance. Use the SQL Server interface to connect to Connect AI.

1. Navigate to the administration screen (Settings -> Admin) and click "Add Database" from the "Databases" tab
2. Configure the connection to Connect AI and click "Save"
   • Database type: Select "SQL Server"
   • Name: Name the connection (e.g. "ServiceDesk Plus (Connect AI)")
   • Host: tds.cdata.com
   • Port: 14333
   • Database name: The name of the connection you just created (e.g. API1)
   • Username: A Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected])
   • Password: The PAT previously created
   • Click to Use a secure connection (SSL)
   

Execute ServiceDesk Plus Data with Metabase

Once you configure the connection to Connect AI, you can query ServiceDesk Plus and build visualizations.

1. Use the "Write SQL" tool to retrieve the ServiceDesk Plus data
2. Write a SQL query based on the ServiceDesk Plus connection in CData Connect AI, e.g.
   
   

   SELECT ,  FROM AnnouncementComments WHERE AnnouncementId = '12345'

   
3. Navigate to the "Visualization" screen, choose a visualization, and configure the visualization

More Information & Free Trial

At this point, you have built a simple visualization from ServiceDesk Plus data in Metabase. You can continue to work with live ServiceDesk Plus data in Metabase just like you would any SQL Server database. For more information on creating a live connection to ServiceDesk Plus (and more than 100 other data sources), visit the Connect AI page. Sign up for a free trial and start working with live ServiceDesk Plus data in Metabase today.