Build Semantic Layer Views for MailChimp Data in APOS Live Data Gateway

APOS Live Data Gateway (LDG) serves as a data connection and data transformation solution, facilitating live data connectivity and broadening data source possibilities for SAP Analytics Cloud and other SAP solutions. When integrated with CData Connect Cloud, users have the capability to construct semantic layer views for real-time access to MailChimp data, enabling real-time analytics on MailChimp in a manner akin to working with a relational database.

CData Connect Cloud offers a dedicated SQL Server interface for MailChimp, enabling data querying directly from MailChimp without the need to replicate data to a native database. With pre-optimized data processing capabilities, CData Connect Cloud efficiently directs all supported SQL operations, including filters and JOINs, directly to MailChimp. This harnesses server-side processing to swiftly retrieve the requested MailChimp data.

Configure MailChimp Connectivity for APOS Live Data Gateway

Connectivity to MailChimp from APOS Live Data Gateway is made possible through CData Connect Cloud. To work with MailChimp data from APOS Live Data Gateway, we start by creating and configuring a MailChimp connection.

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

   Set the APIKey to the key you generate in your account settings. To obtain the API Key:

   1. Log into Mailchimp.
   2. Navigate to Account > Extras > API Keys.
   3. Note the value of the API Key.
4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add MailChimp Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

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.

Connecting to MailChimp & Creating a Semantic Layer View

After configuring the connection in CData Connect Cloud you are ready to connect to MailChimp in the Live Data Gateway Admin tool and build a semantic layer view in the Live Data Gateway Web UI.

Configuring the Connection to MailChimp

1. Log into your APOS Live Data Gateway Manager
2. If you haven't already, update your APOS LDG license file
   1. Click File -> Configurations
   2. Click on the "..." Menu for the License
   3. Select the license file from the APOS team that includes your CData Connect Cloud license
3. In the APOS Live Data Gateway Manager, click "Add"
4. In the APOS Live Data Gateway On the Connection tab, configure the connection:
   • Set Data Source to "Database"
   • Set Database to "JDBC Generic"
   • Set Connection String to a connection string similar to the following, using the name of the connection you configured earlier, e.g. jdbc:sqlserver://tds.cdata.com:14333;databaseName=MailChimp1
   • Set Driver Class to "com.CData.connect.Driver" (this should be set by default)
5. Click Test Connection
6. Click Save
7. Give your connection a unique prefix (e.g. "mailchimp")
8. Highlight the newly created connection and click File -> "Approve Users For Web UI"
9. Approve the appropriate DB users to create views and click "Save"

At this point, we are ready to build our semantic layer view in the Live Data Gateway Web UI.

Creating a Semantic Layer View

1. In your browser, navigate to the APOS Live Data Gateway Portal
2. Select a Connection (e.g. "mailchimp")
3. Set User Name and Password to your Connect Cloud username and PAT .
4. Click "Login"
5. Once connected, click "Semantic Layer" to create a new semantic layer view
6. Click "New Semantic Layer View"
7. Set the Semantic Layer View Prefix and Semantic Layer View Name
8. Click "Step 2"
9. Select the table(s) and column(s) you wish to include in your view
10. Click "Step 3"
11. Select the Measures from the available table columns
12. Click "Step 5" (we skipped the "Extra Dimensions" step)
13. Add any Variable Prompts
14. Click "Step 6"
15. Define any Table Joins
16. Click "Review"
17. Review you semantic layer view and click "Save"

With the Semantic Layer View created, you are ready to access your MailChimp data through the APOS Live Data Gateway, enabling real-time data connectivity to MailChimp data from SAP Analytics Cloud and other SAP solutions.

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