Query SuiteCRM Data as a SQL Server Database in Node.js

You can use CData Connect AI to query SuiteCRM data through a SQL Server interface. Follow the procedure below to create a virtual database for SuiteCRM in Connect AI and start querying using Node.js.

CData Connect AI provides a pure MySQL, cloud-to-cloud interface for SuiteCRM, allowing you to easily query live SuiteCRM data in Node.js — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. As you query data in Node.js, CData Connect AI pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to SuiteCRM, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return SuiteCRM data.

Configure SuiteCRM Connectivity for NodeJS

Connectivity to SuiteCRM from NodeJS is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with SuiteCRM data from NodeJS, 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 Node.js.

Query SuiteCRM from Node.js

The following example shows how to define a connection and execute queries to SuiteCRM with the SQL Server module. You will need the following information:

• server: tds.cdata.com
• port: 14333
• user: a Connect AI user (e.g. [email protected])
• password: the PAT for the above user
• database: The connection you configured for SuiteCRM (SuiteCRM1)

Connect to SuiteCRM data and start executing queries with the code below:

var sql = require('mssql')
var config = {
	server: 'tds.cdata.com',
	port: 14333, 
	user: '[email protected]', //update me
	password: 'CONNECT_USER_PAT', //update me	
	options: {
		encrypt: true,
		database: 'SuiteCRM1'
	}
}

sql.connect(config, err => { 
    if(err){
        throw err ;
    }
    new sql.Request().query('SELECT * FROM Accounts', (err, result) => {
        console.dir(result)
    })
        
});

sql.on('error', err => {
    console.log("SQL Error: " ,err);
})