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Load Zendesk Data to a Database Using Embulk
Use CData JDBC drivers with the open source ETL/ELT tool Embulk to load Zendesk data to a database.
Embulk is an open source bulk data loader. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Zendesk, Embulk easily loads data from Zendesk to any supported destination. In this article, we explain how to use the CData JDBC Driver for Zendesk in Embulk to load Zendesk data to a MySQL dtabase.
With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Zendesk data. When you issue complex SQL queries 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 client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).
Configure a JDBC Connection to Zendesk Data
Before creating a bulk load job in Embulk, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Zendesk\lib).
Embulk supports JDBC connectivity, so you can easily connect to Zendesk and execute SQL queries. Before creating a bulk load job, create a JDBC URL for authenticating with Zendesk.
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.
Built-in Connection String Designer
For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Zendesk JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.
java -jar cdata.jdbc.zendesk.jar
Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.
Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Zendesk:
jdbc:zendesk:URL=https://subdomain.zendesk.com;User=my@email.com;Password=test123;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH
Load Zendesk Data in Embulk
After installing the CData JDBC Driver and creating a JDBC connection string, install the required Embulk plugins.
Install Embulk Input & Output Plugins
- Install the JDBC Input Plugin in Embulk.
https://github.com/embulk/embulk-input-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-input-jdbc - In this article, we use MySQL as the destination database. You can also choose SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or Google BigQuery as the destination using the output Plugins.
https://github.com/embulk/embulk-output-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-output-mysqlembulk gem install embulk-output-mysql
embulk gem install embulk-input-jdbc
With the input and output plugins installed, we are ready to load Zendesk data into MySQL using Embulk.
Create a Job to Load Zendesk Data
Start by creating a config file in Embulk, using a name like zendesk-mysql.yml.
- For the input plugin options, use the CData JDBC Driver for Zendesk, including the path to the driver JAR file, the driver class (e.g. cdata.jdbc.zendesk.ZendeskDriver), and the JDBC URL from above
- For the output plugin options, use the values and credentials for the MySQL database
Sample Config File (zendesk-mysql.yml)
in:
type: jdbc
driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.zendesk.jar
driver_class: cdata.jdbc.zendesk.ZendeskDriver
url: jdbc:zendesk:URL=https://subdomain.zendesk.com;User=my@email.com;Password=test123;InitiateOAuth=REFRESH
table: "Tickets"
out:
type: mysql
host: localhost
database: DatabaseName
user: UserId
password: UserPassword
table: "Tickets"
mode: insert
After creating the file, run the Embulk job.
embulk run zendesk-mysql.yml
After running the the Embulk job, find the Salesforce data in the MySQL table.
Load Filtered Zendesk Data
In addition to loading data directly from a table, you can use a custom SQL query to have more granular control of the data loaded. You can also perform increment loads by setting a last updated column in a SQL WHERE clause in the query field.
in:
type: jdbc
driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.zendesk.jar
driver_class: cdata.jdbc.zendesk.ZendeskDriver
url: jdbc:zendesk:URL=https://subdomain.zendesk.com;User=my@email.com;Password=test123;InitiateOAuth=REFRESH
query: "SELECT Id, Subject FROM Tickets WHERE [RecordId] = 1"
out:
type: mysql
host: localhost
database: DatabaseName
user: UserId
password: UserPassword
table: "Tickets"
mode: insert
More Information & Free Trial
By using CData JDBC Driver for Zendesk as a connector, Embulk can integrate Zendesk data into your data load jobs. And with drivers for more than 200+ other enterprise sources, you can integrate any enterprise SaaS, big data, or NoSQL source as well. Download a 30-day free trial and get started today.
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Zendesk JDBC Driver
Rapidly create and deploy powerful Java applications that integrate with Zendesk including Tickets, Groups, Users, Schedules, and more!
