Connect and Query Live Act CRM Data in Databricks with CData Connect Cloud

Databricks is a leading AI cloud-native platform that unifies data engineering, machine learning, and analytics at scale. Its powerful data lakehouse architecture combines the performance of data warehouses with the flexibility of data lakes. Integrating Databricks with CData Connect Cloud gives organizations live, real-time access to Act CRM data without the need for complex ETL pipelines or data duplication—streamlining operations and reducing time-to-insights.

In this article, we'll walk through how to configure a secure, live connection from Databricks to Act CRM using CData Connect Cloud. Once configured, you'll be able to access Act CRM data directly from Databricks notebooks using standard SQL—enabling unified, real-time analytics across your data ecosystem.

Overview

Here is an overview of the simple steps:

1. Step 1 — Connect and Configure: In CData Connect Cloud, create a connection to your Act CRM source, configure user permissions, and generate a Personal Access Token (PAT).
2. Step 2 — Query from Databricks: Install the CData JDBC driver in Databricks, configure your notebook with the connection details, and run SQL queries to access live Act CRM data.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

1. An active Act CRM account.
2. A CData Connect Cloud account. You can log in or sign up for a free trial here.
3. A Databricks account. Sign up or log in here.

Step 1: Connect and Configure a Act CRM Connection in CData Connect Cloud

1.1 Add a Connection to Act CRM

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

1. Log into Connect Cloud, click Sources on the left, and then click Add Connection in the top-right.

2. Select "Act CRM" from the Add Connection panel.

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Act CRM.

   The User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid Act! user credentials. In addition to the authentication values, see the following:

   • Connecting to Act! Premium

     In addition to the authentication values, the URL to Act! is also required; for example https://eup1-iis-04.eu.hosted.act.com/.

     Additionally, you must specify the ActDatabase you will connect to. This is found by going to the About Act! Premium menu of your account, at the top right of the page, in the ? menu. Use the Database Name in the window that appears.

   • Connecting to Act! Premium Cloud

     To connect to your Act! Premium Cloud account, you also need to specify the ActCloudName property. This property is found in the URL address of the Cloud account; for example https://eup1-iis-04.eu.hosted.act.com/ActCloudName/.

   Note that retrieving ActCRM metadata can be expensive. It is advised that you set the CacheMetadata property to store the metadata locally.

   
4. Click Save & Test in the top-right.
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab on the Act CRM Connection page and update the user-based permissions based on your preferences.

1.2 Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT)

When connecting to Connect Cloud through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect Cloud. PAT functions as an alternative to your login credentials for secure, token-based authentication. It is a best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect Cloud app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create.
4. Note: The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

Step 2: Connect and Query Act CRM Data in Databricks

Follow these steps to establish a connection from Databricks to Act CRM. You'll install the CData JDBC Driver for Connect Cloud, add the JAR file to your cluster, configure your notebooks, and run SQL queries to access live Act CRM data data.

2.1 Install the CData JDBC Driver for Connect Cloud

1. In CData Connect Cloud, click the Integrations page on the left. Search for JDBC or Databricks, click Download, and select the installer for your operating system.
2. Once downloaded, run the installer and follow the instructions:
   • For Windows: Run the setup file and follow the installation wizard.
   • For Mac/Linux: Unpack the archive and move the folder to /opt or /Applications. Make sure you have execute permissions.
3. After installation, locate the JAR file in the installation directory:
   • Windows:

     C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Connect Cloud\lib\cdata.jdbc.connect.jar

   • Mac/Linux:

     /Applications/CData/CData JDBC Driver for Connect Cloud/lib/cdata.jdbc.connect.jar

2.2 Install the JAR File on Databricks

1. Log in to Databricks. In the navigation pane, click Compute on the left. Start or create a compute cluster.
2. Click on the running cluster, go to the Libraries tab, and click Install New at the top right.
3. In the Install Library dialog, select DBFS, and drag and drop the cdata.jdbc.connect.jar file. Click Install.

2.3 Query Act CRM Data in a Databricks Notebook

Notebook Script 1 — Define JDBC Connection:

1. Paste the following script into the notebook cell:

driver = "cdata.jdbc.connect.ConnectDriver"
url = "jdbc:connect:AuthScheme=Basic;User=your_username;Password=your_pat;URL=https://cloud.cdata.com/api/;DefaultCatalog=Your_Connection_Name;"

2. Replace:
   • your_username - With your CData Connect Cloud username
   • your_pat - With your CData Connect Cloud Personal Access Token (PAT)
   • Your_Connection_Name - With the name of your Connect Cloud data source, from the Sources page
3. Run the script.

Notebook Script 2 — Load DataFrame from Act CRM data:

1. Add a new cell for this second script. From the menu on the right side of your notebook, click Add cell below.
2. Paste the following script into the new cell:

remote_table = spark.read.format("jdbc") \
  .option("driver", "cdata.jdbc.connect.ConnectDriver") \
  .option("url", "jdbc:connect:AuthScheme=Basic;User=your_username;Password=your_pat;URL=https://cloud.cdata.com/api/;DefaultCatalog=Your_Connection_Name;") \
  .option("dbtable", "YOUR_SCHEMA.YOUR_TABLE") \
  .load()

3. Replace:
   • your_username - With your CData Connect Cloud username
   • your_pat - With your CData Connect Cloud Personal Access Token (PAT)
   • Your_Connection_Name - With the name of your Connect Cloud data source, from the Sources page
   • YOUR_SCHEMA.YOUR_TABLE - With your schema and table, for example, ActCRM.Activities
4. Run the script.

Notebook Script 3 — Preview Columns:

1. Similarly, add a new cell for this third script.
2. Paste the following script into the new cell:

display(remote_table.select("ColumnName1", "ColumnName2"))

3. Replace ColumnName1 and ColumnName2 with the actual columns from your Act CRM structure (e.g. ActivityDisplayName, Subject, etc.).
4. Run the script.

You can now explore, join, and analyze live Act CRM data directly within Databricks notebooks—without needing to know the complexities of the back-end API and without replicating Act CRM data.

Try CData Connect Cloud Free for 14 Days

Ready to simplify real-time access to Act CRM data? Start your free 14-day trial of CData Connect Cloud today and experience seamless, live connectivity from Databricks to Act CRM.

Low code, zero infrastructure, zero replication — just seamless, secure access to your most critical data and insights.