Build Sage 200-Connected Apps in Bubble

Bubble is a no-code platform that simplifies the process of developing and launching apps and businesses. When coupled with CData Connect Cloud, you gain effortless no-code access to Sage 200 data for streamlined app development. This article guides you through the integration process from Bubble to Sage 200 using CData Connect Cloud.

CData Connect Cloud provides a pure cloud-to-cloud OData interface for Sage 200 data that allows you to integrate from Bubble to Sage 200 data in real time.

Connect to Sage 200 from Bubble

To work with Sage 200 data from Bubble, we need to connect to Sage 200 from Connect Cloud, provide user access to the connection, and create OData endpoints for the Sage 200 data.

(Optional) Add a New Connect Cloud User

As needed, create Users to connect to Sage 200 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 Sage 200 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 "Sage 200" from the Add Connection panel
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Sage 200.
   • Schema: Determines which Sage 200 edition you are connecting to. Specify either StandardUK or ProfessionalUK.
   • Subscription Key: Provides access to the APIs that are used to establish a connection. You will first need to log into the Sage 200 API website and subscribe to the API edition that matches your account. You can do so here: https://developer.columbus.sage.com/docs/services/api/uk. Afterwards, the subscription key may be found in your profile after logging into Sage 200.
4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Sage 200 Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add Sage 200 OData Endpoints in Connect Cloud

After connecting to Sage 200, create OData Endpoints for the desired table(s).

1. Navigate to the OData page and click Add to create new OData endpoints
2. Select the Sage 200 connection (e.g. Sage2001) and click Next
3. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm

With the connection and OData endpoints configured, you are ready to connect to Sage 200 data from Bubble.

Build a Sage 200-Connected App

With OData endpoints added to Connect Cloud, you can build an app in Bubble with live access to Sage 200 data.

Configure the Bubble API Connector

To start, Configure the API Connector for accessing CData Connect Cloud from Bubble.

1. In your app, click the Plugins tab and click Add plugins
2. Search for "API Connector" and click Install
3. After installation, click the "Add another API" button and configure the API:
   • Name the API
   • Set Authentication to "HTTP Basic Auth"
   • Set Username to a Connect Cloud user (e.g. user@mydomain.com)
   • Set Password to the PAT for the above user
   • Expand the API Call, select the "GET" command and set the URL to an OData endpoint you previously configured (e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/service/Banks)
4. Click the "Initialize call" button to adjust data types in the response (as needed)
5. After making any necessary changes, click "Save"

Configure the App UI

With the API Connector configure, you are ready to retrieve Sage 200 data in your Bubble app. In this article, we request the data with a UI component that can display an Excel-like table.

1. On the Plugin tab, install the "Excel-like HandsonTable"
2. On the Design tab, add an "Excel Table" to the workspace
3. In the Excel Table, in Data source, select "Get data from an external API"
4. Set Type of content to "API Call value"
5. Set Data source to "CData Connect Cloud - API Call's value" (or equivalent)
6. Click "Preview" to ensure the data was retrieved from Sage 200.

At this point, you can develop applications with live access to Sage 200 data without needing to know the complexities of the back-end API.

Live Access to Sage 200 Data from Cloud Applications

Now you have a direct connection to live Sage 200 data from Bubble. You can create more Sage 200-connected apps — all without writing any code or replicating Sage 200 data.

To get live data access to 100+ SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, see the CData Connect Cloud.