Access Adobe Target Data from MySQL in HeidiSQL



Use CData ODBC Driver and SQL Gateway to connect and query live Adobe Target data from HeidiSQL.

HeidiSQL is an open-source database administration tool that natively supports MariaDB, MySQL, SQL Server, and PostgreSQL. When paired with the CData ODBC Driver for Adobe Target and SQL Gateway, HediSQL's reach extends to include access to live Adobe Target data. This article demonstrates how to connect to on-premise Adobe Target and query Adobe Target data in HeidiSQL.

Connect to Adobe Target Data

If you have not already done so, provide values for the required connection properties in the data source name (DSN). You can use the built-in Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to configure the DSN. This is also the last step of the driver installation. See the "Getting Started" chapter in the help documentation for a guide to using the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure a DSN.

To connect to Adobe Target, you must provide the Tenant property along with OAuth connection properties mentioned below. Note that while other connection properties can influence processing behavior, they do not affect the ability to connect.

To determine your Tenant name:

  1. Log in to Adobe Experience. The URL will look similar to: "https://experience.adobe.com/#/@mycompanyname/preferences/general-section".
  2. Extract the value after the "/#/@". In this example, it is "mycompanyname".
  3. Set the Tenant connection property to that value.

User Accounts (OAuth)

You must set AuthScheme to OAuthClient for all user account flows.

Note: Adobe authentication via OAuth requires updating your token every two weeks.

All Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies OAuth authentication. Alternatively, you can create a custom OAuth application. Review Creating a Custom OAuth App in the Help documentation for more information.

Obtaining the OAuth Access Token

Set the following properties to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set to GETANDREFRESH to automatically perform the OAuth exchange and refresh the OAuthAccessToken as needed.
  • OAuthClientId : Set to the client Id assigned when you registered your app.
  • OAuthClientSecret : Set to the client secret assigned when you registered your app.
  • CallbackURL : Set to the redirect URI defined when you registered your app. For example: https://localhost:3333

With these settings, the provider obtains an access token from Adobe Target, which it uses to request data. The OAuth values are stored in the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation, ensuring they persist across connections.

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Configure the SQL Gateway

See the SQL Gateway Overview to set up connectivity to Adobe Target data as a virtual MySQL database. You will configure a MySQL remoting service that listens for MySQL requests from clients. The service can be configured in the SQL Gateway UI.

Creating a MySQL Remoting Service in SQL Gateway (Salesforce is shown)

To connect to the SQL Gateway from HeidiSQL, you will need to run the SQL Gateway on a web-facing machine. After configuring the SQL Gateway, make note of the following information:

  • The IP address or domain name of the machine hosting the SQL Gateway
  • The data source name (likely CData AdobeTarget Sys) of the MySQL service
  • The port number of the MySQL service
  • The credentials of a SQL Gateway user with access to the service

Configure Remote Access

If your ODBC Driver and the remoting service are installed on-premise (and not accessible from HeidiSQL), you can use the reverse SSH tunneling feature to enable remote access. For detailed instructions, read our Knowledge Base article: SQL Gateway SSH Tunneling Capabilities.

Connect to Adobe Target in HeidiSQL

Once you have a MySQL Service configured for the CData ODBC Driver for Adobe Target, you are ready to connect to the data in HeidiSQL. Start by creating a new connection Session in HeidiSQL, then choose the MySQL library type.

Configure the data set using the values for the MySQL service for Adobe Target you configured in SQL Gateway (be sure to use the DSN for the database name). Validate your connection and click Open.



Query Adobe Target from HeidiSQL

  1. In the database listing on the left, find your connection to Adobe Target configured earlier.
  2. In the database listing on the left, expand the appropriate connection and to view individual tables or data objects present within Adobe Target.
  3. Write custom SQL queries targeting these tables, treating the data source like any SQL Server database, or visually explore each tabular data set by selecting the relevant tables

With the CData ODBC Driver for Adobe Target and SQL Gateway, you are able to easily query data from Adobe Target data in HeidiSQL. If you have any questions, such as needing to access your on-premises data from HeidiSQL, let our Support Team know.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Adobe Target ODBC Driver to get started:

 Download Now

Learn more:

Adobe Target Icon Adobe Target ODBC Driver

The Adobe Target ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from live Adobe Target, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Read, write, and update online sheets through a standard ODBC interface.