Model Context Protocol (MCP) finally gives AI models a way to access the business data needed to make them really useful at work. CData MCP Servers have the depth and performance to make sure AI has access to all of the answers.
Try them now for free →
Create Data Visualizations Based On Xero Data in Mode
Use CData Connect Cloud to connect to Xero Data from Mode and build visualizations using live Xero data.
Mode is a collaborative data platform that combines SQL, R, Python, and visual analytics in one place. When paired with CData Connect Cloud, you get instant, cloud-to-cloud access to Xero data for use in data visualizations. This article shows how to connect to Xero in Connect Cloud, connect to Xero data in Mode, and create a simple visualization using that data.
CData Connect Cloud provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for Xero, allowing you to build data visualizations from live Xero data in Mode — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. In order to create visualizations, users write SQL queries to gather data. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect Cloud pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc.) directly to Xero, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return the requested Xero data.
About Xero Data Integration
Accessing and integrating live data from Xero has never been easier with CData. Customers rely on CData connectivity to:
- Connect to Xero Accounts and both US and Australian Payroll APIs.
- Read, write, update, and delete Xero objects like Customers, Transactions, Invoices, Sales Receipts and more.
- Use SQL stored procedures for actions like adding items to a cart, submitting orders, and downloading attachments.
- Work with accounting, payroll, file, fixed asset, and project data.
Customers regularly integrate their Xero data with preferred tools, like Tableau, Qlik Sense, or Excel, and integrate Xero data into their database or data warehouse.
Getting Started
Configure Xero Connectivity for Mode
Connectivity to Xero from Mode is made possible through CData Connect Cloud. To work with Xero data from Mode, we start by creating and configuring a Xero connection.
- Log into Connect Cloud, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
- Select "Xero" from the Add Connection panel
-
Xero uses OAuth to authenticate. Click "Sign in" to authenticate with Xero.
-
Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Xero Connection page and update the User-based permissions.
Add a Personal Access Token
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. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.
- Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect Cloud app to open the settings page.
- On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
-
Give the PAT a name and click Create.
- The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.
With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to Xero data from Mode.
Connect to Xero in Mode
The steps below outline connecting to CData Connect Cloud from Mode to create a new Xero data source.
- Log-in to Mode
- In the top-left corner of the screen, click the down-arrow next to your name and select Connect a Database...
- On the next screen, select Microsoft SQL Server.
- Enter the Microsoft SQL Server credentials:
- Display Name: the name for the connection.
- Host/Port: enter tds.cdata.com in the Host field and 14333 in the Port field.
- Database name: enter the Connection Name of the CData Connect Cloud data source you want to connect to (for example, Xero1).
- Username: enter your CData Connect Cloud username. This is displayed in the top-right corner of the CData Connect Cloud interface. For example, [email protected]
- Password: enter the PAT you generated on the Settings page
- At the bottom of the page, click Connect to ensure that you can connect to CData Connect Cloud.
- Upon success, the following screen appears.
Your connection is now available for use in Mode. To connect to additional data sources from your CData Connect Cloud account, repeat the setup steps above, changing the value for Database for each data source.
Creating A Mode Visualization
To create a visualization in Mode, follow these steps:
- On the current screen, click New Report. The SQL query text editor appears.
Enter the following query:
SELECT * FROM [Xero].[Items];
Click Run. The app now shows the query result:
- Running the query activates the New Chart tab. Click this tab and select Pie Chart.
- Now, drop a dimension in the Color section and a measure in the Angle section.
We have now created a visualization of Xero data in Mode using CData Connect Cloud!
Get CData Connect Cloud
To get live data access to 100+ SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, try CData Connect Cloud today!
