Use the CData ODBC Driver for Webflow in MicroStrategy Desktop

MicroStrategy is an analytics and mobility platform that enables data-driven innovation. When paired with the CData ODBC Driver for Webflow, you gain database-like access to live Webflow data from MicroStrategy, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. In this article, we walk through adding Webflow as a data source in MicroStrategy Desktop and creating a simple visualization of Webflow data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Webflow data in MicroStrategy due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from MicroStrategy to Webflow, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Webflow and utilizes the embedded SQL Engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can visualize and analyze Webflow data using native MicroStrategy data types.

Connect to Webflow as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to Webflow follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments.

Authentication

Webflow uses OAuth 2.0 authentication to ensure secure access to sites, CMS collections, e-commerce data, and other resources. This authentication method allows you to securely connect to your Webflow workspace and manage resources with proper authorization.

OAuth 2.0 Setup and Configuration

Step 1: Create a Webflow OAuth Application

To set up OAuth authentication:

1. Visit the Webflow Developer Portal
2. Navigate to "Apps & Integrations" in your Webflow account
3. Click "Register an App" to create a new OAuth application
4. Configure the application name, description, and redirect URI (CallbackURL)
5. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret for use in your connection

Required Connection Properties

• AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth (required)
• OAuthClientId: Client ID from your Webflow OAuth application (required)
• OAuthClientSecret: Client secret from your Webflow OAuth application (required)
• CallbackURL: Redirect URI specified in your OAuth application (required)
• InitiateOAuth: Set to GETANDREFRESH for automatic token management (recommended)

Required OAuth Scopes

The Webflow API Profile requires the following OAuth scopes:

• sites:read - Read access to site information and configuration
• pages:read - Read access to site pages
• cms:read - Read access to CMS collections and items
• forms:read - Read access to forms and form submissions
• assets:read - Read access to media assets and folders
• ecommerce:read - Read access to products, orders, and inventory
• authorized_user:read - Read access to the authorized user

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Windows

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.

Linux

If you are installing the CData ODBC Driver for Webflow in a Linux environment, the driver installation predefines a system DSN. You can modify the DSN by editing the system data sources file (/etc/odbc.ini) and defining the required connection properties.

/etc/odbc.ini

[CData API Sys]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for Webflow
Description = My Description
Profile = C:\profiles\Webflow.apip
AuthScheme = OAuth
InitiateOAuth = GETANDREFRESH
OAuthClientId = your_client_id
OAuthClientSecret = your_client_secret
CallbackUrl = your_callback_url

For specific information on using these configuration files, please refer to the help documentation (installed and found online).

Connect to and Visualize Webflow Data using MicroStrategy Desktop

In addition to connecting Webflow in MicroStrategy enterprise products, you can connect to Webflow in MicroStrategy Desktop. Follow the steps below to add Webflow data as a dataset and create visualizations and reports of Webflow data.

1. Open MicroStrategy Desktop and create a new dossier.
2. In the datasets panel, click New Data, select Databases, and select Type a Query as the Import Option.
3. Add a new data source and choose DSN data sources.
4. Choose the DSN you previously configured (likely CData API Sys) and select Generic DBMS in the Version menu.
5. Set the User and Password properties for the DSN (or use placeholder values) and name the data source.

6. Select the new database instance to view the tables. You may need to manually click the search icon in the Available Tables section to see the tables.
7. Create a SQL query for the Webflow data (see below) and click Execute SQL to test the query.

   SELECT * FROM Sites
   

   NOTE: Since we create a live connection, we can execute a SELECT * query and utilize the filtering and aggregation features native to the MicroStrategy products.
8. Click Finish and choose to connect live.
9. Choose a visualization, choose fields to display (data types are discovered automatically through dynamic metadata discovery) and apply any filters to create a new visualization of Webflow data. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to Webflow, while any unsupported operations (which can include SQL functions and JOIN operations) will be managed client-side by the CData SQL Engine embedded in the driver.
10. Once you are finished configuring the dossier, click File -> Save.

Using the CData ODBC Driver for Webflow in MicroStrategy Desktop, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on Webflow data. Read our other articles on connecting to Webflow in MicroStrategy and connecting to Webflow in MicroStrategy Web for more examples.