Using the CData ODBC Driver for Zendesk in PyCharm

Connect to Zendesk as an ODBC data source in PyCharm using the CData ODBC Driver for Zendesk.

The CData ODBC Drivers can be used in any environment that supports loading an ODBC Driver. In this tutorial we will explore using the CData ODBC Driver for Zendesk from within PyCharm. Included are steps for adding the CData ODBC Driver as a data source, as well as basic PyCharm code to query the data source and display results.

To begin, this tutorial will assume that you have already installed the CData ODBC Driver for Zendesk as well as PyCharm.

Add Pyodbc to the Project

Follow the steps below to add the pyodbc module to your project.

Click File -> Settings to open the project settings window.
Click Project Interpreter from the Project: YourProjectName menu.
To add pyodbc, click the + button and enter pyodbc.
Click Install Package to install pyodbc.

Connect to Zendesk

You can now connect with an ODBC connection string or a DSN. See the Getting Started section in the CData driver documentation for a guide to creating a DSN on your OS.

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.

Below is the syntax for a DSN:


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

Execute SQL to Zendesk

Instantiate a Cursor and use the execute method of the Cursor class to execute any SQL statement.


import pyodbc

cnxn = pyodbc.connect('DRIVER={CData ODBC Driver for Zendesk};URL = https://subdomain.zendesk.com;User = [email protected];Password = test123;')
cursor = cnxn.cursor()
cursor.execute("SELECT Id, Subject FROM Tickets WHERE Industry = 'Floppy Disks'")
rows = cursor.fetchall()
for row in rows:
  print(row.Id, row.Subject)

After connecting to Zendesk in PyCharm using the CData ODBC Driver, you will be able to build Python apps with access to Zendesk data as if it were a standard database. If you have any questions, comments, or feedback regarding this tutorial, please contact us at [email protected].

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Zendesk ODBC Driver to get started:

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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.