Create Data Visualizations Based On SuiteCRM Data in Mode

Mode is a collaborative data platform that combines SQL, R, Python, and visual analytics in one place. When paired with CData Connect AI, you get instant, cloud-to-cloud access to SuiteCRM data for use in data visualizations. This article shows how to connect to SuiteCRM in Connect AI, connect to SuiteCRM data in Mode, and create a simple visualization using that data.

CData Connect AI provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for SuiteCRM, allowing you to build data visualizations from live SuiteCRM data in Mode — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. In order to create visualizations, users write SQL queries to gather data. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect AI pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc.) directly to SuiteCRM, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return the requested SuiteCRM data.

Configure SuiteCRM Connectivity for Mode

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

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

2. Select "SuiteCRM" from the Add Connection panel

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

   The User and Password properties must be set to valid SuiteCRM user credentials. Additionally, specify the URL to the SuiteCRM application, for example http://suite.crm.com.

   Note that retrieving SuiteCRM metadata can be expensive. It is advised that you store the metadata locally as described in the Caching Metadata section of the data provider help documentation.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add SuiteCRM 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 SuiteCRM data from Mode.

Connect to SuiteCRM in Mode

The steps below outline connecting to CData Connect AI from Mode to create a new SuiteCRM data source.

1. Log-in to Mode
2. In the top-left corner of the screen, click the down-arrow next to your name and select Connect a Database...
3. On the next screen, select Microsoft SQL Server.
4. Enter the Microsoft SQL Server credentials:
   • Display Name: the name for the connection.
   • Host/Port: enter tds.cdata.com in the Host field and 14333 in the Port field.
   • Database name: enter the Connection Name of the CData Connect AI data source you want to connect to (for example, SuiteCRM1).
   • Username: enter your CData Connect AI username. This is displayed in the top-right corner of the CData Connect AI interface. For example, [email protected]
   • Password: enter the PAT you generated on the Settings page
   Leave the rest of the connection settings at their default values unless you need to modify them.
5. At the bottom of the page, click Connect to ensure that you can connect to CData Connect AI.
6. Upon success, the following screen appears.

Your connection is now available for use in Mode. To connect to additional data sources from your CData Connect AI account, repeat the setup steps above, changing the value for Database for each data source.

Creating A Mode Visualization

To create a visualization in Mode, follow these steps:

1. On the current screen, click New Report. The SQL query text editor appears. Enter the following query:

   
   			SELECT * FROM [SuiteCRM].[Accounts];
   		

   Click Run. The app now shows the query result:
2. Running the query activates the New Chart tab. Click this tab and select Pie Chart.
3. Now, drop a dimension in the Color section and a measure in the Angle section.

   We have now created a visualization of SuiteCRM data in Mode using CData Connect AI!

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