You can use the CData API Server and the ADO.NET Provider for Zoho CRM (or any of 200+ other ADO.NET Providers) to create data visualizations based on Zoho CRM data in SAP Lumira. The API Server enables connectivity to live data: dashboards and reports can be refreshed on demand. This article shows how to create a chart that is always up to date.
Set Up the API Server
Follow the steps below to begin producing secure Zoho CRM OData services:
Deploy
The API Server runs on your own server. On Windows, you can deploy using the stand-alone server or IIS. On a Java servlet container, drop in the API Server WAR file. See the help documentation for more information and how-tos.
The API Server is also easy to deploy on Microsoft Azure, Amazon EC2, and Heroku.
Connect to Zoho CRM
After you deploy the API Server and the ADO.NET Provider for Zoho CRM, provide authentication values and other connection properties needed to connect to Zoho CRM by clicking Settings -> Connection and adding a new connection in the API Server administration console.
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.
When you configure the connection, 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.
You can then choose the Zoho CRM entities you want to allow the API Server access to by clicking Settings -> Resources.
Authorize API Server Users
After determining the OData services you want to produce, authorize users by clicking Settings -> Users. The API Server uses authtoken-based authentication and supports the major authentication schemes. Access can also be restricted based on IP address; by default, only connections to the local machine are allowed. You can authenticate as well as encrypt connections with SSL.
Connect to Zoho CRM from SAP Lumira
Follow the steps below to retrieve Zoho CRM data into SAP Lumira. You can execute an SQL query or use the UI.
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In SAP Lumira, click File -> New -> Query with SQL. The Add New Dataset dialog is displayed.
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Expand the Generic section and click the Generic OData 2.0 Connector option.
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In the Service Root URI box, enter the OData endpoint of the API Server. This URL will resemble the following:
https://your-server:8032/api.rsc
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In the User Name and Password boxes, enter the username and authtoken of an API user. These credentials will be used in HTTP Basic authentication.
Select entities in the tree or enter an SQL query. This article imports Zoho CRM Accounts entities.
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When you click Connect, SAP Lumira will generate the corresponding OData request and load the results into memory. You can then use any of the data processing tools available in SAP Lumira, such as filters, aggregates, and summary functions.
Create Data Visualizations
After you have imported the data, you can create data visualizations in the Visualize room. Follow the steps below to create a basic chart.
In the Measures and Dimensions pane, drag measures and dimensions onto the x-axis and y-axis fields in the Visualization Tools pane. SAP Lumira automatically detects dimensions and measures from the metadata service of the API Server.
By default, the SUM function is applied to all measures. Click the gear icon next to a measure to change the default summary.
- In the Visualization Tools pane, select the chart type.
- In the Chart Canvas pane, apply filters, sort by measures, add rankings, and update the chart with the current Zoho CRM data.
