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CData Connect Server

Edit and Search External Sybase Objects in Salesforce Connect



Use CData Connect Server to securely provide OData feeds of Sybase data to smart devices and cloud-based applications. Use the CData Connect and Salesforce Connect to create Sybase objects that you can access from apps and the dashboard.

CData Connect Server, enables you to access Sybase data from cloud-based applications like the Salesforce console and mobile applications like the Salesforce1 Mobile App. In this article, you will use CData Connect Server and Salesforce Connect to access external Sybase objects alongside standard Salesforce objects.

Configuring Connect Server

To work with live Sybase data in Salesforce Connect, we need to connect to Sybase from Connect Server, provide user access to the new virtual database, and create OData endpoints for the Sybase data.

Add a Connect Server User

Create a User to connect to Sybase from Reveal through Connect Server.

  1. Click Users -> Add
  2. Configure a User
  3. Click Save Changes and make note of the Authtoken for the new user

Connect to Sybase from Connect Server

CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.

  1. Open Connect Server and click Connections
  2. Select "Sybase" from Available Data Sources
  3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Sybase.

    To connect to Sybase, specify the following connection properties:

    • Server: Set this to the name or network address of the Sybase database instance.
    • Database: Set this to the name of the Sybase database running on the specified Server.

    Optionally, you can also secure your connections with TLS/SSL by setting UseSSL to true.

    Sybase supports several methods for authentication including Password and Kerberos.

    Connect Using Password Authentication

    Set the AuthScheme to Password and set the following connection properties to use Sybase authentication.

    • User: Set this to the username of the authenticating Sybase user.
    • Password: Set this to the username of the authenticating Sybase user.

    Connect using LDAP Authentication

    To connect with LDAP authentication, you will need to configure Sybase server-side to use the LDAP authentication mechanism.

    After configuring Sybase for LDAP, you can connect using the same credentials as Password authentication.

    Connect Using Kerberos Authentication

    To leverage Kerberos authentication, begin by enabling it setting AuthScheme to Kerberos. See the Using Kerberos section in the Help documentation for more information on using Kerberos authentication.

    You can find an example connection string below: Server=MyServer;Port=MyPort;User=SampleUser;Password=SamplePassword;Database=MyDB;Kerberos=true;KerberosKDC=MyKDC;KerberosRealm=MYREALM.COM;KerberosSPN=server-name

  4. Click Save Changes
  5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions (SELECT is all that is required for Reveal).

Add Sybase OData Endpoints in Connect Server

After connecting to Sybase, create OData Endpoints for the desired table(s).

  1. Click OData -> Tables -> Add Tables
  2. Select the Sybase database
  3. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Next
  4. (Optional) Edit the table definition to select specific fields and more
  5. Save the settings

(Optional) Configure Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)

When accessing and connecting to multiple different domains, there is a possibility of violating the limitations of cross-site scripting. In that case, configure the CORS settings in OData -> Settings.

  • Enable cross-origin resource sharing (CORS): ON
  • Allow all domains without '*': ON
  • Access-Control-Allow-Methods: GET, PUT, POST, OPTIONS
  • Access-Control-Allow-Headers: Authorization

Save the changes to the settings.

Connect to Sybase Data as an External Data Source

Follow the steps below to connect to the feed produced by the API Server.

  1. Log into Salesforce and click Setup -> Integrations -> External Data Sources.
  2. Click New External Data Source.
  3. Enter values for the following properties:
    • External Data Source: Enter a label to be used in list views and reports.
    • Name: Enter a unique identifier.
    • Type: Select the option "Salesforce Connect: OData 4.0".
    • URL: Enter the URL to the OData endpoint of the API Server. The format of the OData URL is CONNECT_SERVER_URL/api.rsc/

  4. Select the Writable External Objects option.
  5. Select JSON in the Format menu.

  6. In the Authentication section, set the following properties:
    • Identity Type: If all members of your organization will use the same credentials to access the API Server, select "Named Principal". If the members of your organization will connect with their own credentials, select "Per User".
    • Authentication Protocol: Select Password Authentication to use basic authentication.
    • Certificate: Enter or browse to the certificate to be used to encrypt and authenticate communications from Salesforce to your server.
    • Username: Enter the username for a user known to CData Connect Server.
    • Password: Enter the user's authtoken.

Synchronize Sybase Objects

After you have created the external data source, follow the steps below to create Sybase external objects that reflect any changes in the data source. You will synchronize the definitions for the Sybase external objects with the definitions for Sybase tables.

  1. Click the link for the external data source you created.
  2. Click Validate and Sync.
  3. Select the Sybase tables you want to work with as external objects.

Access Sybase Data as Salesforce Objects

After adding Sybase data as an external data source and syncing Sybase tables as external objects, you can use the external Sybase objects just as you would standard Salesforce objects.

  • Create a new tab with a filter list view:

  • Create reports of external objects:

  • Create, update, and delete Sybase objects from the Salesforce dashboard:

Simplified Access to Sybase Data from Applications

At this point, you have a direct connection to live Sybase data from Salesforce. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in applications like Salesforce, refer to our Connect Server page.