Build Automated Active Directory-Connected Workflows in Zapier

Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your apps and services. When paired with CData Connect Cloud, you get access to live Active Directory data for your workflows. This article shows how to connect to Active Directory and build workflows with live Active Directory data in Zapier.

Connect to Active Directory from Zapier

To work with Active Directory in Zapier, we need to connect to Active Directory from Connect Cloud, provide user access to the connection, and create OData endpoints for the Active Directory data.

(Optional) Add a New Connect Cloud User

As needed, create Users to connect to Active Directory through Connect Cloud.

1. Navigate to the Users page and click Invite Users
2. Enter the new user's email address and click Send to invite the user
3. You can review and edit users from the Users page

Add a Personal Access Token

If you are connecting from a service, application, platform, or framework that does not support OAuth authentication, you can create a Personal Access Token (PAT) to use for authentication. Best practices would dictate that you create a separate PAT for each service, to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on your username at the top right of the Connect Cloud app and click User Profile.
2. On the User Profile page, scroll down to the Personal Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give your PAT a name and click Create.
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

Connect to Active Directory from Connect Cloud

CData Connect Cloud uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

1. Log into Connect Cloud, click Connections and click Add Connection
2. Select "Active Directory" from the Add Connection panel
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Active Directory.

   To establish a connection, set the following properties:

   • Valid User and Password credentials (e.g., Domain\BobF or cn=Bob F,ou=Employees,dc=Domain).
   • Server information, including the IP or host name of the Server, as well as the Port.

   • BaseDN: This will limit the scope of LDAP searches to the height of the distinguished name provided.

     Note: Specifying a narrow BaseDN may greatly increase performance; for example, cn=users,dc=domain will only return results contained within cn=users and its children.

4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Active Directory Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Configure Active Directory Endpoints for Zapier

After connecting to Active Directory, create a workspace and virtual dataset for your desired table(s).

1. Navigate to the Virtual Datasets page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
3. Select the Active Directory connection (e.g. ActiveDirectory1) and click Next.
4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to Active Directory data from Zapier.

Connect to Active Directory Data in Zapier Workflows

To establish a connection from Zapier to CData Connect Cloud using the OData protocol, follow these steps.

1. Log into Zapier.
2. Click Create Zap.
3. In the dialog that appears, search for "Webhooks by Zapier", and click the option underneath.
4. Under Event, select Retrieve Poll.
5. Fill in the connection details:
   • URL: Enter the OData URL (e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}).
   • Key: Enter "value.name."
   • Authentication details: Fill in the Basic Auth or Headers. The basic option requires a user (your Connect Cloud username, e.g. [email protected]) and password (the PAT you've previously created) separated by a pipe symbol: |. The headers option requires a request type header with encoded credentials.
6. Click Test. If the connection is set up properly, sample records will appear.

Simplified Access to Active Directory Data from Cloud Applications

At this point, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live Active Directory data from Zapier. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in cloud applications like Zapier, refer to our Connect Cloud page.