How to load Bullhorn CRM data into Elasticsearch via Logstash

Elasticsearch is a popular distributed full-text search engine. By centrally storing data, you can perform ultra-fast searches, fine-tuning relevance, and powerful analytics with ease. Elasticsearch has a pipeline tool for loading data called "Logstash". You can use CData JDBC Drivers to easily import data from any data source into Elasticsearch for search and analysis.

This article explains how to use the CData JDBC Driver for Bullhorn CRM to load data from Bullhorn CRM into Elasticsearch via Logstash.

Using CData JDBC Driver for Bullhorn CRM with Elasticsearch Logstash

• Install the CData JDBC Driver for Bullhorn CRM on the machine where Logstash is running.
• The JDBC Driver will be installed at the following path (the year part, e.g. 20XX, will vary depending on the product version you are using). You will use this path later. Place this .jar file (and the .lic file if it's a licensed version) in Logstash.
  C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for BullhornCRM 20XX\lib\cdata.jdbc.bullhorncrm.jar
  
• Next, install the JDBC Input Plugin, which connects Logstash to the CData JDBC driver. The JDBC Plugin comes by default with the latest version of Logstash, but depending on the version, you may need to add it.
  https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/5.4/plugins-inputs-jdbc.html
• Move the CData JDBC Driver’s .jar file and .lic file to Logstash's "/logstash-core/lib/jars/".

Sending Bullhorn CRM data to Elasticsearch with Logstash

Now, let's create a configuration file for Logstash to transfer Bullhorn CRM data to Elasticsearch.

• Write the process to retrieve Bullhorn CRM data in the logstash.conf file, which defines data processing in Logstash. The input will be JDBC, and the output will be Elasticsearch. The data loading job is set to run at 30-second intervals.
• Set the CData JDBC Driver's .jar file as the JDBC driver library, configure the class name, and set the connection properties to Bullhorn CRM in the form of a JDBC URL. The JDBC URL allows detailed configuration, so please refer to the product documentation for more specifics.

Begin by providing your Bullhorn CRM account credentials in the following:

• DataCenterCode: Set this to the data center code which responds to your data center. Refer to the list of data-center-specific Bullhorn API URLs: https://bullhorn.github.io/Data-Center-URLs/

If you are uncertain about your data center code, codes like CLS2, CLS21, etc. are cluster IDs that are contained in a user's browser URL (address bar) once they are logged in.

Example: https://cls21.bullhornstaffing.com/BullhornSTAFFING/MainFrame.jsp?#no-ba... indicates that the logged in user is on CLS21.

Authenticating with OAuth

Bullhorn CRM uses the OAuth 2.0 authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, create and configure a custom OAuth app. See the Help documentation for more information.

Executing data movement with Logstash

Now let's run Logstash using the created "logstash.conf" file.

A log indicating success will appear. This means the Bullhorn CRM data has been loaded into Elasticsearch.

For example, let's view the data transferred to Elasticsearch in Kibana.

    GET bullhorncrm_table/_search
    {
        "query": {
            "match_all": {}
        }
    }

We have confirmed that the data is stored in Elasticsearch.

By using the CData JDBC Driver for Bullhorn CRM with Logstash, it functions as a Bullhorn CRM connector, making it easy to load data into Elasticsearch. Please try the 30-day free trial.