Getting Started with the CData Connect AI Python SDK for ShipStation

The CData Connect AI Python SDK (cdata-connect-ai) is a DB-API 2.0 (PEP 249) compliant client that lets you fetch and act on live ShipStation data with standard Python database code. Because Connect AI provides the connectivity: you install one package, authenticate with a Personal Access Token, and query ShipStation (and every other source connected in Connect AI) using the same familiar connect() / cursor() / fetchall() pattern you already know from libraries like sqlite3 and psycopg2.

This guide walks through connecting ShipStation in Connect AI, generating a Personal Access Token, installing the SDK, and reading (and, where supported, writing) live ShipStation data.

Prerequisites

• An account in CData Connect AI
• Python 3.8 or higher
• An active ShipStation account with valid credentials

Connect to ShipStation in Connect AI

CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

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

2. Select "ShipStation" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to ShipStation.

   Use the BASIC Authentication standard to connect.

   1. Login to your ShipStation account
   2. Click on the settings icon in the upper right corner. A column menu will show up on the left
   3. Click Account -> API Settings
   4. On the API Settings page, note the API Key and API Secret.

   Authenticating to ShipStation

   • APIKey: Set this to the API key from the API settings page.
   • APISecret: Set this to the Secret key from the API settings page.
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab and update the user-based permissions.

Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT)

The Python SDK authenticates to Connect AI with your account email and a Personal Access Token (PAT). It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each application to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click 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 PAT is only visible at creation, so copy it and store it securely.

Install the SDK

Install the SDK from PyPI with pip:

pip install cdata-connect-ai

Connect and Run Your First Query

Connect with your account email and PAT, then query sys_tables to discover every table available across your connected sources. Identifiers in Connect AI are three-part: <Connection>.<Schema>.<Table>, where the connection name defaults to the source name (for example, ShipStation1).

import cdata_connect_ai

conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
    username="[email protected]",
    password="<your_pat>",
)
cur = conn.cursor()

# Discover what's available across your connected sources
cur.execute("SELECT CatalogName, SchemaName, TableName FROM sys_tables LIMIT 25")

for row in cur.fetchall():
    print(row)

Pick any table from the results and query it directly:

cur.execute(
    "SELECT Id, Color "
    "FROM [ShipStation1].[ShipStation].[Tags] "
    "LIMIT 10"
)

for row in cur.fetchall():
    print(row)

ShipStation is a read-only source in Connect AI, so the SDK supports queries but not INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE. Close the connection when you are finished:

conn.close()

That is the entire workflow: one package, a PAT, and standard DB-API calls. Because the SDK returns a normal DB-API connection, it drops straight into the rest of the Python data ecosystem. From here you can load ShipStation data into pandas, build ETL pipelines with petl, or power a Dash web app, all using this same connection.

More Information and Free Trial

Now you can query live ShipStation data from Python through the CData Connect AI Python SDK. For more information on connecting to ShipStation (and hundreds of other data sources), visit the Connect AI page. Sign up for a free trial and start working with live ShipStation data in Python.