Use CData Connect AI to Access NetSuite SuiteAnalytics Data in Microsoft Power Pivot

Dibyendu Datta
Dibyendu Datta
Lead Technology Evangelist
Use CData Connect AI to connect to live NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data in the Power Pivot business intelligence tool.

This article will explain how to use CData Connect AI to present NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data as OData services and then consume the data in Microsoft Excel's Power Pivot business intelligence tool. Follow the steps below to retrieve NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data in Power Pivot.

Connect to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics from Power Pivot

To work with NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data from Power Pivot, 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. Adding a Connection
  3. Select "NetSuite SuiteAnalytics" from the Add Connection panel
  4. Selecting a data source
  5. 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.

    Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
  6. Click Save & Test
  7. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add NetSuite SuiteAnalytics Connection page and update the User-based permissions. Updating 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. Creating a new PAT
  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 Power Pivot

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). The Workspaces page. Adding a new Workspace.
  2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
  3. Select the NetSuite SuiteAnalytics connection (e.g. SuiteAnalytics1) and click Next. Selecting an Asset (Salesforce is shown).
  4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm. Selecting Tables (Salesforce is shown).
  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 Power Pivot.

Import NetSuite SuiteAnalytics Tables in Power Pivot

Follow the steps below to import tables that can be refreshed on demand:

  1. In Excel, click Data -> Get Data -> From Other Sources -> From OData Feed Starting the OData connection.
  2. Fill out the OData feed URL (e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}) The URL of the OData endpoint for Connect AI.
  3. On the next screen, select Basic and configure the username and password. Password will be your PAT. Authenticating with Connect AI
  4. Select the tables that you would like to import into Excel Selecting tables (Salesforce is shown.)

  5. After selecting your table(s) and clicking Load, you should see the data appear in an Excel spreadsheet Loading tables (Salesforce is shown.)

  6. Now, click the Power Pivot tab on the ribbon, and then select Add to Data Model. Loading data into Power Pivot (Salesforce is shown.) This can now work with your NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data in Power Pivot.

    The Pivot Table that is consuming OData feeds from Connect AI. (Salesforce is shown.)

Free Trial & More Information

If you are interested in connecting to your NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data (or data from any of our other supported data sources) from Power Pivot, sign up for a free trial of CData Connect AI today! For more information on Connect AI and to see what other data sources we support, refer to our CData Connect AI page.

Ready to get started?

Learn more about CData Connect AI or sign up for free trial access:

Free Trial