Connect to Act-On Data in HULFT Integrate

HULFT Integrate is a modern data integration platform that provides a drag-and-drop user interface to create cooperation flows, data conversion, and processing so that complex data connections are easier than ever to execute. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Act-On, HULFT Integrate can work with live Act-On data. This article walks through connecting to Act-On and moving the data into a CSV file.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Act-On data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Act-On, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Act-On and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying allows you to work with and analyze Act-On data using native data types.

Enable Access to Act-On

To enable access to Act-On data from HULFT Integrate projects:

1. Copy the CData JDBC Driver JAR file (and license file if it exists), cdata.jdbc.acton.jar (and cdata.jdbc.acton.lic), to the jdbc_adapter subfolder for the Integrate Server
2. Restart the HULFT Integrate Server and launch HULFT Integrate Studio

Build a Project with Access to Act-On Data

Once you copy the JAR files, you can create a project with access to Act-On data. Start by opening Integrate Studio and creating a new project.

1. Name the project
2. Ensure the "Create script" checkbox is checked
3. Click Next
4. Name the script (e.g.: ActOntoCSV)

Once you create the project, add components to the script to copy Act-On data to a CSV file.

Configure an Execute Select SQL Component

Drag an "Execute Select SQL" component from the Tool Palette (Database -> JDBC) into the Script workspace.

1. In the "Required settings" tab for the Destination, click "Add" to create a new connection for Act-On. Set the following properties:
   • Name: Act-On Connection Settings
   • Driver class name: cdata.jdbc.acton.ActOnDriver
   • URL: jdbc:acton:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH
     
     

     Built-in Connection String Designer

     For assistance constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Act-On JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the JAR file from the command-line.

     java -jar cdata.jdbc.acton.jar

     Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

     ActOn uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, you will need to create an app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties.

     See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for more information.

2. Write your SQL statement. For example:

   SELECT Id, Name FROM Images

3. Click "Extraction test" to ensure the connection and query are configured properly
4. Click "Execute SQL statement and set output schema"
5. Click "Finish"

Configure a Write CSV File Component

Drag a "Write CSV File" component from the Tool Palette (File -> CSV) onto the workspace.

1. Set a file to write the query results to (e.g. Images.csv)
2. Set "Input data" to the "Select SQL" component
3. Add columns for each field selected in the SQL query
4. In the "Write settings" tab, check the checkbox to "Insert column names into first row"
5. Click "Finish"

Map Act-On Fields to the CSV Columns

Map each column from the "Select" component to the corresponding column for the "CSV" component.

Finish the Script

Drag the "Start" component onto the "Select" component and the "CSV" component onto the "End" component. Build the script and run the script to move Act-On data into a CSV file.

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Act-On and start working with your live Act-On data in HULFT Integrate. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.