Bridge Cvent Connectivity with Apache NiFi

Apache NiFi supports powerful and scalable directed graphs of data routing, transformation, and system mediation logic. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Cvent, NiFi can work with live Cvent data. This article describes how to connect to and query Cvent data from an Apache NiFi Flow.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Cvent data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Cvent, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Cvent 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 Cvent data using native data types.

Connecting to Cvent Data in Apache NiFi

1. Download the CData JDBC Driver for Cvent installer, unzip the package, run the .exe file to install the driver.

2. Copy the CData JDBC Driver JAR file (and license file if it exists), cdata.jdbc.cvent.jar (and cdata.jdbc.cvent.lic), to the Apache NiFi lib subfolder, for example, C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\lib.

   On Windows, the default location for the CData JDBC Driver is C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Cvent.

3. Start Apache NiFi by running the run-nifi.bat file in bin subfolder, for example, C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\bin.

   (OR)

   Use the command prompt to navigate to the particular directory and run the run-nifi.bat file for example:

   cd C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\bin
   .\run-nifi.bat
   

4. Navigate to the Apache NiFi UI in your web browser: It should be https://localhost:8443/nifi.

   Note: If users are utilizing an older version of Apache NiFi, they should access it via http://localhost:8080/nifi. In earlier versions, HTTP was the protocol employed. However, in the most recent version, HTTPS is the standard. By default, HTTP operates on port 8080, while HTTPS uses port 8443.

5. When accessing Apache NiFi via a URL, it prompts you to enter a username and password for login.

   To retrieve login credentials, users should consult the 'App.log' file located within the log directory of their NiFi installation. This file typically contains the necessary details for accessing the NiFi interface.

6. Click the (Configuration) button from the Operate sidebar under the "NiFi Flow" process group.
7. In the NiFi Flow Configuration page, navigate to the "Controller Services" tab.
8. Click the button to create a new controller service.
9. In the Add Controller Service page, select "DBCPConnectionPool", and then click Add.
10. In the Configure Controller Service page, navigate to the "Properties" tab.
11. Click the gear button to configure the new DBCPConnection Pool.

12. Fill in the properties:

    Property	Value
    Database Connection URL	jdbc:cvent:OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH
    Database Driver Class Name	cdata.jdbc.cvent.CventDriver
    Database Driver Location(s)	Path to your Apache NiFi's lib folder where the JAR files are present.

    Built-in Connection String Designer

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

    java -jar cdata.jdbc.cvent.jar

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

    Before you can authenticate to Cvent, you must create a workspace and an OAuth application.

    Creating a Workspace

    To create a workspace:

    1. Sign into Cvent and navigate to App Switcher (the blue button in the upper right corner of the page) >> Admin.
    2. In the Admin menu, navigate to Integrations >> REST API.
    3. A new tab launches for Developer Management. Click on Manage API Access in the new tab.
    4. Create a Workspace and name it. Select the scopes you would like your developers to have access to. Scopes control what data domains the developer can access.
       • Choose All to allow developers to choose any scope, and any future scopes added to the REST API.
       • Choose Custom to limit the scopes developers can choose for their OAuth apps to selected scopes. To access all tables exposed by the driver, you need to set the following scopes:

         event/attendees:read	event/attendees:write	event/contacts:read
         event/contacts:write	event/custom-fields:read	event/custom-fields:write
         event/events:read	event/events:write	event/sessions:delete
         event/sessions:read	event/sessions:write	event/speakers:delete
         event/speakers:read	event/speakers:write	budget/budget-items:read
         budget/budget-items:write	exhibitor/exhibitors:read	exhibitor/exhibitors:write
         survey/surveys:read	survey/surveys:write

    Creating an OAuth Application

    After you have set up a Workspace and invited them, developers can sign up and create a custom OAuth app. See the Creating a Custom OAuth Application section in the Help documentation for more information.

    Connecting to Cvent

    After creating an OAuth application, set the following connection properties to connect to Cvent:

    • InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. Used to automatically get and refresh the OAuthAccessToken.
    • OAuthClientId: The Client ID associated with the OAuth application. You can find this on the Applications page in the Cvent Developer Portal.
    • OAuthClientSecret: The Client secret associated with the OAuth application. You can find this on the Applications page in the Cvent Developer Portal.
13. To establish a connection and execute a select query, simply drag and drop the processor (indicated by the yellow highlight) into the workspace.
14. Select the 'ExecuteSQL' processor and click the 'Add' button to make it visible in the workspace.
15. Click on the added processor (ExecuteSQL)to open the connection page.
16. Click on the Verify Properties button and verify to test the connection.
17. Ensure that all the verification results are successful, and then click on APPLY.
18. Activate the connection by clicking the small button at the right corner of the screen.

Your Cvent data is now available for use in Apache NiFi. For example, you can use the DBCPConnection Pool as the source for a QueryDatabaseTable processor (shown below).

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