Process & Analyze Zoho CRM Data in Azure Databricks

Databricks is a cloud-based service that provides data processing capabilities through Apache Spark. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver, customers can use Databricks to perform data engineering and data science on live Zoho CRM data. This article walks through hosting the CData JDBC Driver in Azure, as well as connecting to and processing live Zoho CRM data in Databricks.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Zoho CRM data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Zoho CRM, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Zoho CRM and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying allows you to work with and analyze Zoho CRM data using native data types.

Install the CData JDBC Driver in Azure

To work with live Zoho CRM data in Databricks, install the driver on your Azure cluster.

1. Navigate to your Databricks administration screen and select the target cluster.
2. On the Libraries tab, click "Install New."
3. Select "Upload" as the Library Source and "Jar" as the Library Type.
4. Upload the JDBC JAR file (cdata.jdbc.zohocrm.jar) from the installation location (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Zoho CRM\lib).

Connect to Zoho CRM from Databricks

With the JAR file installed, we are ready to work with live Zoho CRM data in Databricks. Start by creating a new notebook in your workspace. Name the notebook, select Python as the language (though Scala is available as well), and choose the cluster where you installed the JDBC driver. When the notebook launches, we can configure the connection, query Zoho CRM, and create a basic report.

Configure the Connection to Zoho CRM

Connect to Zoho CRM by referencing the class for the JDBC Driver and constructing a connection string to use in the JDBC URL. Additionally, you will need to set the RTK property in the JDBC URL (unless you are using a Beta driver). You can view the licensing file included in the installation for information on how to set this property.

driver = "cdata.jdbc.zohocrm.ZohoCRMDriver"
url = "jdbc:zohocrm:RTK=5246...;AuthToken=2ad3b3e719f6bed7368e5e7e26e4f988;"

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Zoho CRM JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

You will need to obtain an AuthToken to authenticate to Zoho CRM. You can generate an AuthToken on the Zoho CRM website or by calling the GetAuthToken stored procedure. Note that when you generate an AuthToken from Zoho CRM, you can only generate an AuthToken for your user account. You can generate AuthTokens for other user accounts by calling GetAuthToken.

See the "Getting Started" chapter in the help documentation for a guide.

Load Zoho CRM Data

Once the connection is configured, you can load Zoho CRM data as a dataframe using the CData JDBC Driver and the connection information.

remote_table = spark.read.format ( "jdbc" ) \
	.option ( "driver" , driver) \
	.option ( "url" , url) \
	.option ( "dbtable" , "Accounts") \
	.load ()

Display Zoho CRM Data

Check the loaded Zoho CRM data by calling the display function.

display (remote_table.select ("Account_Name"))

Analyze Zoho CRM Data in Azure Databricks

If you want to process data with Databricks SparkSQL, register the loaded data as a Temp View.

remote_table.createOrReplaceTempView ( "SAMPLE_VIEW" )

The SparkSQL below retrieves the Zoho CRM data for analysis.

% sql

SELECT Account_Name, Annual_Revenue FROM Accounts

The data from Zoho CRM is only available in the target notebook. If you want to use it with other users, save it as a table.

remote_table.write.format ( "parquet" ) .saveAsTable ( "SAMPLE_TABLE" )

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Zoho CRM and start working with your live Zoho CRM data in Apache NiFi. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.