Use SQLAlchemy ORMs to Access Zoho Books Data in Python

The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems effectively. With the CData Python Connector for Zoho Books and the SQLAlchemy toolkit, you can build Zoho Books-connected Python applications and scripts. This article shows how to use SQLAlchemy to connect to Zoho Books data to query Zoho Books data.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData Python Connector offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Zoho Books data in Python. When you issue complex SQL queries from Zoho Books, the CData Connector pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Zoho Books and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).

Connecting to Zoho Books Data

Connecting to Zoho Books data looks just like connecting to any relational data source. Create a connection string using the required connection properties. For this article, you will pass the connection string as a parameter to the create_engine function.

Zoho Books uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, create an app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties. See the OAuth section of the Getting Started guide in the Help documentation for an authentication guide.

Follow the procedure below to install SQLAlchemy and start accessing Zoho Books through Python objects.

Install Required Modules

Use the pip utility to install the SQLAlchemy toolkit:

pip install sqlalchemy

Be sure to import the module with the following:

import sqlalchemy

Model Zoho Books Data in Python

You can now connect with a connection string. Use the create_engine function to create an Engine for working with Zoho Books data.

engine = create_engine("zohobooks///?OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId&OAuthClientSecret=myOAuthClientSecret&CallbackURL=https://localhost:33333&OrganizationId=MyOrganizationId&InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH&OAuthSettingsLocation=/PATH/TO/OAuthSettings.txt")

Declare a Mapping Class for Zoho Books Data

After establishing the connection, declare a mapping class for the table you wish to model in the ORM (in this article, we will model the INVOICES table). Use the sqlalchemy.ext.declarative.declarative_base function and create a new class with some or all of the fields (columns) defined.

base = declarative_base()
class INVOICES(base):
	__tablename__ = "INVOICES"
	InvoiceId = Column(String,primary_key=True)
	InvoiceNumber = Column(String)
	...

Query Zoho Books Data

With the mapping class prepared, you can use a session object to query the data source. After binding the Engine to the session, provide the mapping class to the session query method.

Using the query Method

engine = create_engine("zohobooks///?OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId&OAuthClientSecret=myOAuthClientSecret&CallbackURL=https://localhost:33333&OrganizationId=MyOrganizationId&InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH&OAuthSettingsLocation=/PATH/TO/OAuthSettings.txt")
factory = sessionmaker(bind=engine)
session = factory()
for instance in session.query(INVOICES).filter_by(CustomerName="NewTech Industries"):
	print("InvoiceId: ", instance.InvoiceId)
	print("InvoiceNumber: ", instance.InvoiceNumber)
	print("---------")

Alternatively, you can use the execute method with the appropriate table object. The code below works with an active session.

Using the execute Method

INVOICES_table = INVOICES.metadata.tables["INVOICES"]
for instance in session.execute(INVOICES_table.select().where(INVOICES_table.c.CustomerName == "NewTech Industries")):
	print("InvoiceId: ", instance.InvoiceId)
	print("InvoiceNumber: ", instance.InvoiceNumber)
	print("---------")

For examples of more complex querying, including JOINs, aggregations, limits, and more, refer to the Help documentation for the extension.

Free Trial & More Information

Download a free, 30-day trial of the Zoho Books Python Connector to start building Python apps and scripts with connectivity to Zoho Books data. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.