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Connect to Dynamics CRM data in Ruby with ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc.
The CData ODBC Driver for Dynamics CRM makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Dynamics CRM data in Ruby. This article shows how to create a simple Ruby app that connects to Dynamics CRM data, executes a query, and displays the results.
Create an ODBC Connection to Dynamics CRM Data
If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.
The connection string options meet the authentication and connection requirements of different Dynamics CRM instances. To connect to your instance, set the User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, to valid Dynamics CRM user credentials and set the Url to a valid Dynamics CRM server organization root. Additionally, set the CRMVersion property to 'CRM2011+' or 'CRMOnline'. IFD configurations are supported as well; set InternetFacingDeployment to true.
Additionally, you can provide the security token service (STS) or AD FS endpoint in the STSURL property. This value can be retrieved with the GetSTSUrl stored procedure. Office 365 users can connect to the default STS URL by simply setting CRMVersion.
Installing Ruby and Necessary Gems
If you do not have Ruby installed, refer to the Ruby installation page. With Ruby installed, you will need to install the ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc gems:
gem install dbi
gem install dbd-odbc
gem install ruby-odbc
Create a Ruby App with Connectivity to Dynamics CRM Data
Create a new Ruby file (for example: DynamicsCRMSelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:
#connect to the DSN
require 'DBI'
cnxn = DBI.connect('DBI:ODBC:CData DynamicsCRM Source','','')
#execute a SELECT query and store the result set
resultSet = cnxn.execute("SELECT Contact.FirstName, SUM(Account.NumberOfEmployees) FROM Contact, Account GROUP BY Contact.FirstName")
#display the names of the columns
resultSet.column_names.each do |name|
print name, "\t"
end
puts
#display the results
while row = resultSet.fetch do
(0..resultSet.column_names.size - 1).each do |n|
print row[n], "\t"
end
puts
end
resultSet.finish
#close the connection
cnxn.disconnect if cnxn
With the file completed, you are ready to display your Dynamics CRM data with Ruby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:
ruby DynamicsCRMSelect.rb
Writing SQL-92 queries to Dynamics CRM allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Dynamics CRM data into your own Ruby applications. Download a free trial today!