Build NetSuite SuiteAnalytics-Connected Apps in Mendix

Mendix is a high-productivity app platform that allows you to build and maintain both mobile and web applications at-scale. When paired with CData Connect AI, Mendix provides instant, cloud-to-cloud access to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data for applications. This article demonstrates how to connect to a CData Connect AI data source from within Mendix.

CData Connect AI provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for NetSuite SuiteAnalytics, allowing you to import data from live NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data in Mendix — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. As you build web and mobile applications from within Mendix, CData Connect AI pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc.) directly to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics, leveraging server-side processing to return the requested NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data quickly.

Configure NetSuite SuiteAnalytics Connectivity for Mendix

To work with NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data from Mendix, we need to connect to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data.

Connect to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics 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 "NetSuite SuiteAnalytics" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics.

   Prerequisites

   Before you can connect to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics, you must set up SuiteAnalytics Connect in your NetSuite account:

   1. Enable the Connect Service feature.

      1. Ensure that your Account Administrator has enabled your Account and Role with the Connect Service feature.

      2. Navigate to Setup > Company > Enable Features.

      3. Click the Analytics tab and check the SuiteAnalytics Connect box.

   2. Add the SuiteAnalytics Connect permission to an existing Role, and note the Role ID for later.

   3. Find the Settings portlet on your home page and click Set Up SuiteAnalytics Connect, then click Your Configuration to view your service host and account ID. These settings map directly to the Server and Account Id properties.

   Add the NetSuite SuiteAnalytics Connection

   1. Open the Sources page of the Connect Cloud dashboard.

   2. Click Add Connection and select NetSuite SuiteAnalytics from the list of connectors.

   3. Enter a Connection Name of your choice.

   Authenticate to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics

   Set the following required properties:

   • Server: The Service Host value you found when setting up SuiteAnalytics Connect.

   • Account Id: The Account ID value you found when setting up SuiteAnalytics Connect.

   • Role Id: The internal ID of the login role you granted the SuiteAnalytics Connect permission.

   Next, choose one of the supported authentication methods:

   Basic authentication

   • User: The username you use to authenticate to your NetSuite account.

   • Password: The password associated with that account.

   Token-based authentication

   • Consumer Key and Consumer Secret: Generated when you create your integration record in NetSuite.

   • Token Key and Token Secret: The access token and secret generated for that integration.

   After you enter your credentials, click Save & Test to validate the connection.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add NetSuite SuiteAnalytics 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 NetSuite SuiteAnalytics Endpoints for Mendix

After connecting to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics, 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 NetSuite SuiteAnalytics connection (e.g. SuiteAnalytics1) 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 NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data from Mendix.

Build a NetSuite SuiteAnalytics-Connected App

Downloading the OData Metadata File

When creating a connection in Mendix, the connection flow requires a Data Source Contract File. Follow these steps to download the OData metadata file for CData Connect AI using curl, a command line tool:

1. Open a command-line window for your operating system. On Windows, open the start menu, type cmd, and press the Enter key to open a command prompt. On macOS and Linux, open a Terminal window.
2. To check if curl is installed on your system, type curl -help and press the enter key. If it is not installed, install it from the curl website.
3. Issue the following curl command, replacing USER with your CData Connect AI username and PAT with the PAT you generated above:

   curl -u USER:PAT https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}/$metadata -o metadata.xml

4. Locate the metadata.xml file that the curl command created and move it to an accessible location.

Connecting to CData Connect AI in Mendix

Follow these steps to establish a connection from Mendix to CData Connect AI:

1. Login to Mendix and open the Data Hub page.

2. In the Register a Data Source section, select OData.

3. Upload the metadata.xml file from the steps above and click Next.

4. Enter your desired values for Data Source Name and Data Source Version. In the Data Source Relative Path field, enter /api/odata/{workspace_name} and click Next.

5. On the Application information page, click Register a new application.

6. Enter a name in Application Name and select a technical owner (by default, this is the user who is currently logged in).

7. Click Next. In the Environment Name field, enter a desired name (for example, CData Connect AI). In the Environment Location field, enter https://cloud.cdata.com and select the appropriate Environment Type (e.g. Production), depending on what is needed.

8. Click Done! to create your connection.

You can now use your connection in Mendix Studio Pro to easily create applications with access to live NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data.

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