Build Automated Redshift-Connected Workflows in Zapier

Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your apps and services. When paired with CData Connect Cloud, you get access to live Redshift data for your workflows. This article shows how to connect to Redshift and build workflows with live Redshift data in Zapier.

Connect to Redshift from Zapier

To work with Redshift in Zapier, we need to connect to Redshift from Connect Cloud, provide user access to the connection, and create OData endpoints for the Redshift data.

(Optional) Add a New Connect Cloud User

As needed, create Users to connect to Redshift through Connect Cloud.

1. Navigate to the Users page and click Invite Users
2. Enter the new user's email address and click Send to invite the user
3. You can review and edit users from the Users page

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.

Connect to Redshift from Connect Cloud

CData Connect Cloud uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

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

   To connect to Redshift, set the following:

   • Server: Set this to the host name or IP address of the cluster hosting the Database you want to connect to.
   • Port: Set this to the port of the cluster.
   • Database: Set this to the name of the database. Or, leave this blank to use the default database of the authenticated user.
   • User: Set this to the username you want to use to authenticate to the Server.
   • Password: Set this to the password you want to use to authenticate to the Server.

   You can obtain the Server and Port values in the AWS Management Console:

   1. Open the Amazon Redshift console (http://console.aws.amazon.com/redshift).
   2. On the Clusters page, click the name of the cluster.
   3. On the Configuration tab for the cluster, copy the cluster URL from the connection strings displayed.
4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Redshift Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Configure Redshift Endpoints for Zapier

After connecting to Redshift, create a workspace and virtual dataset for your desired table(s).

1. Navigate to the Virtual Datasets page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
3. Select the Redshift connection (e.g. Redshift1) and click Next.
4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to Redshift data from Zapier.

Connect to Redshift Data in Zapier Workflows

To establish a connection from Zapier to CData Connect Cloud using the OData protocol, follow these steps.

1. Log into Zapier.
2. Click Create Zap.
3. In the dialog that appears, search for "Webhooks by Zapier", and click the option underneath.
4. Under Event, select Retrieve Poll.
5. Fill in the connection details:
   • URL: Enter the OData URL (e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}).
   • Key: Enter "value.name."
   • Authentication details: Fill in the Basic Auth or Headers. The basic option requires a user (your Connect Cloud username, e.g. [email protected]) and password (the PAT you've previously created) separated by a pipe symbol: |. The headers option requires a request type header with encoded credentials.
6. Click Test. If the connection is set up properly, sample records will appear.

Simplified Access to Redshift Data from Cloud Applications

At this point, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live Redshift data from Zapier. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in cloud applications like Zapier, refer to our Connect Cloud page.