Connect to Templated Data in Ruby

The CData API Driver for ODBC makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Templated data in Ruby. This article shows how to create a simple Ruby app that connects to Templated data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Create an ODBC Connection to Templated Data

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

To authenticate to Templated, you will need an API key. You can obtain your API key from the Templated Dashboard under the API Key tab (app.templated.io > Dashboard > API Key).

Using API Key Authentication

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

• AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
• APIKey: Set this to your Templated API key.

Example connection string:

Profile=C:\profiles\Templated.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=my_api_key';

Installing Ruby and Necessary Gems

If you do not have Ruby installed, refer to the Ruby installation page. With Ruby installed, you will need to install the ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc gems:

gem install dbi
gem install dbd-odbc
gem install ruby-odbc

Create a Ruby App with Connectivity to Templated Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: APISelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

#connect to the DSN
require 'dbi'
cnxn = DBI.connect('DBI:ODBC:CData API Source','','')

#execute a SELECT query and store the result set
resultSet = cnxn.execute("SELECT ,  FROM Account WHERE  = ''")

#display the names of the columns
resultSet.column_names.each do |name|
  print name, "\t"
end
puts

#display the results
while row = resultSet.fetch do
  (0..resultSet.column_names.size - 1).each do |n|
    print row[n], "\t"
  end
  puts
end
resultSet.finish

#close the connection
cnxn.disconnect if cnxn

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Templated data with Ruby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

ruby APISelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to Templated allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Templated data into your own Ruby applications. Download a free trial today!