Use the CData JDBC Driver for Bitbucket in MicroStrategy Desktop

MicroStrategy is an analytics and mobility platform that enables data-driven innovation. When you pair MicroStrategy with the CData JDBC Driver for Bitbucket, you gain database-like access to live Bitbucket data from MicroStrategy, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. In this article, we walk through adding Bitbucket as a data source in MicroStrategy Desktop and creating a simple visualization of Bitbucket data.

The CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Bitbucket data in MicroStrategy due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from MicroStrategy to Bitbucket, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Bitbucket and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can use native MicroStrategy data types to visualize and analyze Bitbucket data.

Connect to and Visualize Bitbucket Data using MicroStrategy Desktop

In addition to connecting to Bitbucket in MicroStrategy enterprise products, you can connect to Bitbucket in MicroStrategy Desktop. Follow the steps below to add Bitbucket data as a dataset using JDBC and create visualizations and reports of Bitbucket data.

1. Open MicroStrategy Desktop and create a new dossier.
2. In the datasets panel, click New Data, select Databases, and choose Select a Table as the Import Option.
3. Add a new data source and choose the DSN-less data sources option.
4. Choose Generic in the Database menu and Generic DBMS in the Version menu.
5. Click the link to show the connection string and opt to edit the connection string. In the Driver menu, select MicroStrategy Cassandra ODBC Driver. (MicroStrategy requires a certified driver to interface through JDBC; the actual driver will not be used.)
6. Set the connection string as follows and click OK:
   • Add the JDBC keyword to the connection string.
   • Set MSTR_JDBC_JAR_FOLDER to the path of the JAR file for the JDBC driver. (C:\Program Files\CData JDBC Driver for Bitbucket\lib\ on Windows.)
   • Set DRIVER to cdata.jdbc.bitbucket.BitbucketDriver, the driver class.
   • Set URL to the JDBC URL for the Bitbucket driver, setting the necessary connection properties.

     For most queries, you must set the Workspace. The only exception to this is the Workspaces table, which does not require this property to be set, as querying it provides a list of workspace slugs that can be used to set Workspace. To query this table, you must set Schema to 'Information' and execute the query SELECT * FROM Workspaces>.

     Setting Schema to 'Information' displays general information. To connect to Bitbucket, set these parameters:

     • Schema: To show general information about a workspace, such as its users, repositories, and projects, set this to Information. Otherwise, set this to the schema of the repository or project you are querying. To get a full set of available schemas, query the sys_schemas table.
     • Workspace: Required if you are not querying the Workspaces table. This property is not required for querying the Workspaces table, as that query only returns a list of workspace slugs that can be used to set Workspace.

     Authenticating to Bitbucket

     Bitbucket supports OAuth authentication only. To enable this authentication from all OAuth flows, you must create a custom OAuth application, and set AuthScheme to OAuth.

     Be sure to review the Help documentation for the required connection properties for you specific authentication needs (desktop applications, web applications, and headless machines).

     Creating a custom OAuth application

     From your Bitbucket account:

     1. Go to Settings (the gear icon) and select Workspace Settings.
     2. In the Apps and Features section, select OAuth Consumers.
     3. Click Add Consumer.
     4. Enter a name and description for your custom application.
     5. Set the callback URL:
        • For desktop applications and headless machines, use http://localhost:33333 or another port number of your choice. The URI you set here becomes the CallbackURL property.
        • For web applications, set the callback URL to a trusted redirect URL. This URL is the web location the user returns to with the token that verifies that your application has been granted access.
     6. If you plan to use client credentials to authenticate, you must select This is a private consumer. In the driver, you must set AuthScheme to client.
     7. Select which permissions to give your OAuth application. These determine what data you can read and write with it.
     8. To save the new custom application, click Save.
     9. After the application has been saved, you can select it to view its settings. The application's Key and Secret are displayed. Record these for future use. You will use the Key to set the OAuthClientId and the Secret to set the OAuthClientSecret.

     Built-in Connection String Designer

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

     java -jar cdata.jdbc.bitbucket.jar

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

     When you configure the JDBC URL, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

   A typical connection string follows:

   JDBC;MSTR_JDBC_JAR_FOLDER=PATH\TO\JAR\;DRIVER=cdata.jdbc.bitbucket.BitbucketDriver;URL={jdbc:bitbucket:Workspace=myworkspaceslug;Schema=Information};
7. Right-click on the new data source, and choose Edit catalog options.
8. Edit the SQL Statement to SELECT * FROM SYS_SCHEMAS to read the metadata from the JDBC Driver.
9. Select the new data source to view the available tables. You may need to manually click the search icon in the Available Tables section to see the tables.
10. Drag tables into the pane to import them. Note: Since we create a live connection, we can import whole tables and utilize the filtering and aggregation features native to the MicroStrategy products.
11. Click Finish and choose the option to connect Live. Live connections are possible and effective, thanks to the high-performance data processing native to CData JDBC Drivers.
12. Choose a visualization, choose fields to display, and apply any filters to create a new visualization of Bitbucket data. Data types are discovered automatically through dynamic metadata discovery. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to Bitbucket, while any unsupported operations (which can include SQL functions and JOIN operations) will be managed client-side by the CData SQL engine embedded in the driver.
13. Once you are finished configuring the dossier, click File -> Save.

Using the CData JDBC Driver for Bitbucket in MicroStrategy Desktop, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on Bitbucket data. Read our other articles for connecting to Bitbucket data in MicroStrategy Developer and connecting to Bitbucket data in MicroStrategy Web for more examples.