Use the CData ODBC Driver for Zendesk in MicroStrategy



Connect to Zendesk data in MicroStrategy Developer using the CData ODBC Driver for Zendesk.

MicroStrategy is an analytics and mobility platform that enables data-driven innovation. When you pair MicroStrategy with the CData ODBC Driver for Zendesk, you gain database-like access to live Zendesk data from MicroStrategy, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. In this article, we walk through creating a database instance for Zendesk in MicroStrategy Developer and creating a Warehouse Catalog based on Zendesk data.

The CData ODBC driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Zendesk data in MicroStrategy due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from MicroStrategy to Zendesk, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Zendesk 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 Zendesk data using native MicroStrategy data types.

Connect to Zendesk as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to Zendesk follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments (the ODBC Driver for Zendesk must be installed on the machine hosting the connected MicroStrategy Intelligence Server).

Connecting to Zendesk

To connect, set the URL and provide authentication. The URL is your Zendesk Support URL: https://{subdomain}.zendesk.com.

Authenticating to Zendesk

You can authenticate using the Basic or OAuth methods.

Using Basic Authentication

To use Basic authentication, specify your email address and password or your email address and an API token. Set User to your email address and follow the steps below to provide the Password or ApiToken.

  • Enable password access in the Zendesk Support admin interface at Admin > Channels > API.
  • Manage API tokens in the Zendesk Support Admin interface at Admin > Channels > API. More than one token can be active at the same time. Deleting a token deactivates it permanently.

Using OAuth Authentication

See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for an authentication guide.

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 Zendesk 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 Zendesk Sys] Driver = CData ODBC Driver for Zendesk Description = My Description URL = https://subdomain.zendesk.com User = [email protected] Password = test123

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

Create a Zendesk Database Instance in MicroStrategy Developer

You can connect to Zendesk in MicroStrategy Developer by adding a database instance based on the CData ODBC Driver for Zendesk.*

  1. Open MicroStrategy Developer and select a Project Source.
  2. Navigate to Administration -> Configuration Managers -> Database Instances and right-click to add a new instance.
  3. Name the instance, select Generic DBMS as the database connection type, and create a new database connection.
  4. In the database connection wizard, name the connection and create a new Database Login name, using filler values for the user and password.
  5. Select the DSN that you configured earlier as the ODBC data source (i.e., CData Zendesk Sys).
  6. Select the newly created database connection.
  7. In the Project Source, right-click the project and open the Project configuration.
  8. Navigate to Database Instances and select the newly created database instance.
  9. Close MicroStrategy Developer and restart the connected MicroStrategy Intelligence Server to complete the database instance creation.

With the database instance configured, you will now be able to connect to Zendesk data from the Warehouse Catalog and Data Import.

Connect to Zendesk Data from the Warehouse Catalog

Once you have created a database instance based on the ODBC Driver for Zendesk, you can connect to data from the Warehouse Catalog.

  1. Select your project and click Schema -> Warehouse Catalog.
  2. In the Read Settings for the Catalog, click Settings and set the queries to retrieve the schema:
    • To retrieve the list of tables, use the following query:
      SELECT 
        CatalogName NAME_SPACE,
        TableName TAB_NAME 
      FROM 
        SYS_TABLES
              
    • To retrieve the list of columns for selected tables, use the following query:
      SELECT DISTINCT 
        CatalogName NAME_SPACE, 
        TableName TAB_NAME, 
        ColumnName COL_NAME, 
        DataTypeName DATA_TYPE, 
        Length DATA_LEN, 
        NumericPrecision DATA_PREC, 
        NumericScale DATA_SCALE 
      FROM 
        SYS_TABLECOLUMNS 
      WHERE 
        TableName IN (#TABLE_LIST#) 
      ORDER BY
        1,2,3
              
  3. Select tables to be used in the project.

If you are interested in connecting to Zendesk from other MicroStrategy products, you can read about connecting from MicroStrategy Web and connecting from MicroStrategy Desktop.


Note: connecting using a ODBC driver requires a 3- or 4-tier architecture.

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Learn more:

Zendesk Icon Zendesk ODBC Driver

The Zendesk ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live Zendesk project management data, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Zendesk like you would a database - read, write, and update Tickets, Groups, Users, Schedules, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.