Query Salesforce Data Cloud Data in ColdFusion

The CData JDBC driver for Salesforce Data Cloud seamlessly integrates connectivity to Salesforce Data Cloud data with the rapid development tools in ColdFusion. This article shows how to connect to Salesforce Data Cloud data in ColdFusion and query Salesforce Data Cloud tables.

Create a JDBC Data Source for Salesforce Data Cloud in ColdFusion

The JDBC data source enables you to execute SQL from standard ColdFusion tags like cfquery and CFScript like executeQuery.

1. Copy the driver JAR and .lic file from the installation directory onto the ColdFusion classpath. For example, copy the files into C:\MyColdFusionDirectory\cfusion\wwwroot\WEB-INF\lib. Or, open the Java and JVM page in the ColdFusion Administrator and enter the path to the files in the ColdFusion Class Path box.

   The JAR and license for the driver are located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.

   Restart the server after this step.

2. Add the driver as a data source:

   From the ColdFusion administrator interface, expand the Data & Services node and click Data Sources. In the Add New Data Source section, enter a name for the data source and select Other in the Driver menu.

   

3. Populate the driver properties:

   • JDBC URL: Enter connection properties in the JDBC URL. The JDBC URL begins with jdbc:salesforcedatacloud: and is followed by the connection properties in a semicolon-separated list of name=value pairs.

     Salesforce Data Cloud supports authentication via the OAuth standard.

     OAuth

     Set AuthScheme to OAuth.

     Desktop Applications

     CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies authentication at the desktop.

     You can also authenticate from the desktop via a custom OAuth application, which you configure and register at the Salesforce Data Cloud console. For further information, see Creating a Custom OAuth App in the Help documentation.

     Before you connect, set these properties:

     • InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
     • OAuthClientId (custom applications only): The Client ID assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
     • OAuthClientSecret (custom applications only): The Client Secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

     When you connect, the driver opens Salesforce Data Cloud's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.

     The driver then completes the OAuth process as follows:

     • Extracts the access token from the callback URL.
     • Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
     • Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation so that they persist across connections.

     For other OAuth methods, including Web Applications and Headless Machines, refer to the Help documentation.

     Built-in Connection String Designer

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

     java -jar cdata.jdbc.salesforcedatacloud.jar
     

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

     

     A typical JDBC URL is below:

     jdbc:salesforcedatacloud:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH

   • Driver Class: Enter the driver class. The driver class is cdata.jdbc.salesforcedatacloud.SalesforceDataCloudDriver.
   • Driver Name: Enter a user-defined name for the driver.
   • Username: Enter the username used to authenticate.
   • Password: Enter the password used to authenticate.

You can now test the connection by enabling the CData Salesforce Data Cloud data source in the Actions column. After reporting a status of OK, the Salesforce Data Cloud data source is ready for use.

Execute Queries

The cfquery tag can pass SQL statements to Salesforce Data Cloud. Use the cfqueryparam tag to create parameterized queries and prevent SQL injection through the query string.

Note: To use the cfquery and cfscript, create a .cfm file. Inside the .cfm file, write the code to execute the query (see below). Place the file directly in the root directory of your web server (e.g., wwwroot in Adobe ColdFusion). Restart the service after placing the file for the changes to take effect.

<cfquery name="SalesforceDataCloudQuery" dataSource="CDataSalesforceDataCloud">
  SELECT * FROM Account WHERE EmployeeCount = <cfqueryparam value="#EmployeeCount#" cfsqltype="cf_sql_varchar">
</cfquery>
<cfdump var="#SalesforceDataCloudQuery#">

Below is the equivalent in CFScript:

<cfscript>
result = queryExecute(
  "SELECT * FROM Account WHERE EmployeeCount = ?", 
  [
    { value="250", cfsqltype="cf_sql_varchar" }
  ],
  { datasource="CDataSalesforceDataCloud" }
);

writeDump( var= result );
</cfscript> 

You can then make requests to your .cfm like the following:

http://MyServer:8500/query.cfm?EmployeeCount=250