Analyze SparkPost Data in Infragistics Reveal

Reveal, an offering from Infragistics, serves as a data visualization tool that seamlessly integrates with CData Connect AI. Together, they empower users to deliver dynamic dashboards using real-time data from a diverse range of data sources, including SparkPost data. In this article, we will guide you through the process of connecting to SparkPost via Connect AI and subsequently linking Connect AI with Infragistics Reveal to construct a straightforward dashboard.

Connect to SparkPost from Infragistics Reveal

To work with live SparkPost data in Infragistics Reveal, we need to connect to SparkPost from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the SparkPost data.

Connect to SparkPost from 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 "SparkPost" from the Add Connection panel

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

   Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the SparkPost Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\SparkPost.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for SparkPost (see below).

   SparkPost API Profile Settings

   Generate an API key by navigating to Configuration > API Keys > Create API Key in your SparkPost account.

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

Configure SparkPost Endpoints for Infragistics Reveal

After connecting to SparkPost, create a workspace for your desired table(s).

1. Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
3. Select the SparkPost connection (e.g. API1) and click Next.
4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to SparkPost data from Infragistics Reveal.

Create a Dashboard in Reveal

With Connect AI configured, we can visualize SparkPost data in Reveal.

1. Log into Reveal and click Dashboards -> New
2. Click Data Sources -> OData Feed
3. Specify the Connect AI OData API endpoint URL (found on the OData page): https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
4. Select Generic Credentials and
   • Set Username to a Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected])
   • Set Password to the PAT for the user
   
5. Select the entity you wish to visualize
6. Select fields and choose a chart type

More Information & Free Trial

At this point, you have created a simple dashboard from live SparkPost data. For more information on creating OData feeds from SparkPost (and more than 100 other sources), visit the Connect AI page. Sign up for a free trial and start working live SparkPost data in tools that consume OData APIs.