Act-On Connection Details

Introduction

Connector Version

This documentation is based on version 23.0.8936 of the connector.

Get Started

Act-On Version Support

The connector leverages V1 of the Act-On API to enable bidirectional access to Act-On data.

Establish a Connection

Authenticate to Act-On

Act-On uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, you will need to create an app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties.

Desktop Applications

An embedded OAuth application is provided that simplifies OAuth desktop Authentication. Alternatively, you can create a custom application. See Creating a Custom OAuth App for information on creating custom applications and reasons for doing so.

For authentication, the only difference between the two methods is that you must set two additional connection properties when using custom OAuth applications.

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
• OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set to the Client ID in your application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set to the Client Secret in your application settings.

When you connect, the connector opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The connector 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 that persist across connections.

Web Applications

When connecting via a web application, you need to register a custom OAuth application with Act-On. See Creating a Custom OAuth App for more information. You can then use the driver to get and manage the OAuth token values.

First, get an OAuthAccessToken by setting the following connection properties:

• OAuthClientId: Set to the client ID in your application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: Set to the client secret in your application settings.

Then call stored procedures to complete the OAuth exchange:

1. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Set the CallbackURL input to the callback URL you specified in your application settings. If necessary, set the Scope parameter to request custom permissions. The stored procedure returns the URL of the OAuth endpoint.
2. Open the URL, log in, and authorize the application. You are redirected back to the callback URL.
3. Call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB. Set the Verifier input to the "code" parameter in the query string of the callback URL. If necessary, set the Scope parameter to request custom permissions.

After you have obtained the access and refresh tokens, you can connect to data and refresh the OAuth access token either automatically or manually.

Automatic Refresh of the OAuth Access Token

To have the driver automatically refresh the OAuth access token, set the following on the first data connection:

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
• OAuthClientId: Set this to the client ID in your application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client secret in your application settings.
• OAuthAccessToken: Set this to the access token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
• OAuthRefreshToken: Set this to the refresh token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location where the connector saves the OAuth token values, which persist across connections.

On subsequent data connections, the values for OAuthAccessToken and OAuthRefreshToken are taken from OAuthSettingsLocation.

Manual Refresh of the OAuth Access Token

The only value needed to manually refresh the OAuth access token when connecting to data is the OAuth refresh token.

Use the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure to manually refresh the OAuthAccessToken after the ExpiresIn parameter value returned by GetOAuthAccessToken has elapsed, then set the following connection properties:

• OAuthClientId: Set this to the client ID in your application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client secret in your application settings.

Then call RefreshOAuthAccessToken with OAuthRefreshToken set to the OAuth refresh token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken. After the new tokens have been retrieved, open a new connection by setting the OAuthAccessToken property to the value returned by RefreshOAuthAccessToken.

Finally, store the OAuth refresh token so that you can use it to manually refresh the OAuth access token after it has expired.

Headless Machines

To configure the driver to use OAuth with a user account on a headless machine, you need to authenticate on another device that has an internet browser.

1. Choose one of two options:
   • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value as described in "Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code" below.
   • Option 2: Install the connector on a machine with a browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow, as described in "Transfer OAuth Settings" below.
2. Then configure the connector to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL.

Follow the steps below to authenticate from the machine with an internet browser and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

1. Choose one of these options:

   • If you are using the Embedded OAuth Application click Act-On OAuth endpoint to open the endpoint in your browser.

   • If you are using a Custom OAuthd Application, create the Authorization URL by setting the following properties:

     • InitiateOAuth: Set to OFF.
     • OAuthClientId: Set to the client ID assigned when you registered your application.
     • OAuthClientSecret: Set to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.

     Then call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the appropriate CallbackURL. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser. 2. Log in and grant permissions to the connector. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code. 3. Save the value of the verifier code. Later you will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property.

Next, you need to exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens. Set the following properties:

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values.

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
• OAuthVerifier: Set this to the verifier code.
• OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client ID in your custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret in the custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified location.

After the OAuth settings file is generated, you need to re-set the following properties to connect:

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
• OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client ID assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the connector to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you need to install and create a connection with the driver on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described in "Desktop Applications" above.

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

After you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
• OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client ID assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location of your OAuth settings file. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the connector to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Password Grant Authentication

When there is a trust relationship between the user and the application, the user can use the Password grant type to authenticate

from either a Desktop application or the web. To enable this authscheme, set AuthScheme to OAuthPassword.

Authentication by password grant is similar to OAuth -- in fact, it requires that you have already set up a custom OAuth application, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth App -- but once it's set up it does not require user interaction.

To connect, set these properties:

• InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the access token in the connection string.
• AuthScheme: Set the AuthScheme to OAuthPassword to perform authentication with the password grant type.
• User: The Username of the user specified in your custom OAuth application.
• Password: The Password of the user specified in your custom OAuth application.
• OAuthClientId: The Client ID specified in your custom OAuth application.
• OAuthClientSecret: The Client Secret specified in your custom OAuth application.

Create a Custom OAuth App

When to Create a Custom OAuth App

embeds OAuth Application Credentials with branding that can be used when connecting via either a Desktop Application or from a Headless Machine. Creating a custom OAuth application is, however, required when using a web application.

You may choose to create your own OAuth Application Credentials when you want to

• control branding of the Authentication Dialog
• control the redirect URI that the application redirects the user to after the user authenticates
• customize the permissions that you are requesting from the user

Follow the steps below to create a custom OAuth app and obtain the connection properties in a specific OAuth authentication flow.

Create a Custom OAuth App: Desktop

Sign up to https://developer.act-on.com/provision/. After registering your account on Act-On you will get an email with the following connection properties:

• OAuthClientId
• OAuthClientSecret

The default value for the callback URL is http://localhost:80. If you would like to change it you need to contact the API support for Act-On.

Important Notes

Configuration Files and Their Paths

• All references to adding configuration files and their paths refer to files and locations on the Jitterbit agent where the connector is installed. These paths are to be adjusted as appropriate depending on the agent and the operating system. If multiple agents are used in an agent group, identical files will be required on each agent.

Advanced Features

This section details a selection of advanced features of the Act-On connector.

User Defined Views

The connector allows you to define virtual tables, called user defined views, whose contents are decided by a pre-configured query. These views are useful when you cannot directly control queries being issued to the drivers. See User Defined Views for an overview of creating and configuring custom views.

SSL Configuration

Use SSL Configuration to adjust how connector handles TLS/SSL certificate negotiations. You can choose from various certificate formats; see the SSLServerCert property under "Connection String Options" for more information.

Proxy

To configure the connector using Private Agent proxy settings, select the Use Proxy Settings checkbox on the connection configuration screen.

Query Processing

The connector offloads as much of the SELECT statement processing as possible to Act-On and then processes the rest of the query in memory (client-side).

See Query Processing for more information.

User Defined Views

The Act-On connector allows you to define a virtual table whose contents are decided by a pre-configured query. These are called User Defined Views, which are useful in situations where you cannot directly control the query being issued to the driver, e.g. when using the driver from Jitterbit. The User Defined Views can be used to define predicates that are always applied. If you specify additional predicates in the query to the view, they are combined with the query already defined as part of the view.

There are two ways to create user defined views:

• Create a JSON-formatted configuration file defining the views you want.
• DDL statements.

Define Views Using a Configuration File

User Defined Views are defined in a JSON-formatted configuration file called UserDefinedViews.json. The connector automatically detects the views specified in this file.

You can also have multiple view definitions and control them using the UserDefinedViews connection property. When you use this property, only the specified views are seen by the connector.

This User Defined View configuration file is formatted as follows:

• Each root element defines the name of a view.
• Each root element contains a child element, called query, which contains the custom SQL query for the view.

For example:

{
    "MyView": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM Images WHERE MyColumn = 'value'"
    },
    "MyView2": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE Id IN (1,2,3)"
    }
}

Use the UserDefinedViews connection property to specify the location of your JSON configuration file. For example:

"UserDefinedViews", "C:\Users\yourusername\Desktop\tmp\UserDefinedViews.json"

Define Views Using DDL Statements

The connector is also capable of creating and altering the schema via DDL Statements such as CREATE LOCAL VIEW, ALTER LOCAL VIEW, and DROP LOCAL VIEW.

Create a View

To create a new view using DDL statements, provide the view name and query as follows:

CREATE LOCAL VIEW [MyViewName] AS SELECT * FROM Customers LIMIT 20;

If no JSON file exists, the above code creates one. The view is then created in the JSON configuration file and is now discoverable. The JSON file location is specified by the UserDefinedViews connection property.

Alter a View

To alter an existing view, provide the name of an existing view alongside the new query you would like to use instead:

ALTER LOCAL VIEW [MyViewName] AS SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE TimeModified > '3/1/2020';

The view is then updated in the JSON configuration file.

Drop a View

To drop an existing view, provide the name of an existing schema alongside the new query you would like to use instead.

DROP LOCAL VIEW [MyViewName]

This removes the view from the JSON configuration file. It can no longer be queried.

Schema for User Defined Views

User Defined Views are exposed in the UserViews schema by default. This is done to avoid the view's name clashing with an actual entity in the data model. You can change the name of the schema used for UserViews by setting the UserViewsSchemaName property.

Work with User Defined Views

For example, a SQL statement with a User Defined View called UserViews.RCustomers only lists customers in Raleigh:

SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE City = 'Raleigh';

An example of a query to the driver:

SELECT * FROM UserViews.RCustomers WHERE Status = 'Active';

Resulting in the effective query to the source:

SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE City = 'Raleigh' AND Status = 'Active';

That is a very simple example of a query to a User Defined View that is effectively a combination of the view query and the view definition. It is possible to compose these queries in much more complex patterns. All SQL operations are allowed in both queries and are combined when appropriate.

SSL Configuration

Customize the SSL Configuration

By default, the connector attempts to negotiate SSL/TLS by checking the server's certificate against the system's trusted certificate store.

To specify another certificate, see the SSLServerCert property for the available formats to do so.

Data Model

The Act-On connector models entities in the Act-On API as tables, views, and stored procedures. These are defined in schema files, which are simple, text-based configuration files.
Lists in Act-On are exposed as views with the convention List_ListName. For each list there is another view List_ListName_Score where you can see the score of the people in the list.
Same logic for Segments in Act-On, they are exposed as views as Segment_SegmentName. And have an equivalent view Segment_SegmentName_Score.
Any changes you make to your Act-On account, such as adding a new list, adding new columns, or changing the data type of a column, will immediately be reflected
when you connect using the driver.

Using Query Processing

The connector offloads as much of the SELECT statement processing as possible to the Act-On APIs and then processes the rest of the query within the connector. The following sections document API limitations and requirements.

Views

Views are tables that cannot be modified. Typically, read-only data are shown as views.

Stored Procedures

Stored Procedures are function-like interfaces to the data source. They can be used to search, update, and modify information in the data source.

Tables

The connector models the data in Act-On as a list of tables in a relational database that can be queried using standard SQL statements.

Act-On Connector Tables

List_MyList

Create, update, delete, and query records of a List.

Table Specific Information

Every list that is created in your Act-On account is represented by a new table that is dynamically retrieved from your Act-On account. The name of the table has the following format:

List_nameOfTheList

For example, if the list in the Act-On UI is called 'MyList', the name of the table in the driver would be 'List_MyList'.

This is an example on how a list is exposed as table.

Select

Query records of the specified table.:

SELECT * FROM [List_MyList]

INSERT

Create a new record in the table.

All the fields that are not read-only can be specified.

INSERT INTO [List_MyList] ([First Name], [Last Name], [E-mail Address], [ListId]) VALUES ('John', 'Doe', 'john.doe@act-on.com', 'l-000d')

Update

Update details of a specific record.

All the fields that are not read-only can be specified.

UPDATE [List_MyList] SET [First Name] = 'Mohit', [Last Name] = 'Chaturvedi', [E-mail Address] = 'mohit@act-on.comm' WHERE [ListId] = 'l-000d' AND [E-mail Address] = 'john.doe@act-on.comm'

Upsert

Update details of a specific record if it exists, else will insert a new record.

All the fields that are not read-only can be specified.

UPSERT INTO [List_MyList] ([First Name], [Last Name], [E-mail Address], [ListId]) VALUES ('Shubham', 'Prakash', 'shubhamtesting@cdata.com', 'l-000a')

Delete

Delete a record of a table.

All the fields that are not read-only can be specified.

DELETE FROM List_MyList WHERE [ListId] = 'l-000d' AND [_contact_id_] = 'l-000d:10'

Columns

Optout

Upsert, delete and query records of a Optout list.

Table Specific Information

Select

The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• Timestamp supports the '>=' , '>' , '<=' and '<' operators.

For example:

SELECT * FROM Optout WHERE Timestamp >= '2022-09-15 08:53:50.111' AND  Timestamp <= '2022-09-16 00:30:33.14'

SELECT * FROM Optout WHERE Timestamp > '2022-09-15 08:53:50.111' AND  Timestamp < '2022-09-16 00:30:33.14'

Upsert

Upsert can be executed by specifying the Email column. Following is an example of how to insert a single email into this table

UPSERT INTO Optout(Email) VALUES ('ym@cdata.com')

Multiple emails can also be added or updated. Following is an example of how to insert multiple emails into this table

UPSERT INTO Optout(Email) VALUES ('jk@cdata.com;mk@cdata.com')

DELETE

Delete can be executed by specifying the Email column in the WHERE Clause. Following is an example of how to delete a single email from this table

DELETE FROM Optout WHERE Email = 'ym@cdata.com'

Multiple emails can also be deleted. Following is an example of how to delete multiple emails into this table

DELETE FROM Optout WHERE Email = 'jk@cdata.com;mk@cdata.com'

Columns

Views

Views are similar to tables in the way that data is represented; however, views are read-only.

Queries can be executed against a view as if it were a normal table.

Act-On Connector Views

Campaigns

Query the available campaigns ActOn.

View Specific Information

The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• Id supports the '=' and 'IN' operators.

For example, the following queries are processed server side:

SELECT * FROM Campaigns WHERE Id = 0001
SELECT * FROM Campaigns WHERE ID IN (0001, 0002)

Columns

Categories

Query the available categories of subscription in ActOn.

View Specific Information

Act-On does not support any column for filtering this view.

Columns

DrilldownReports

Query detailed reports about messages in ActOn.

View Specific Information

The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• MessageId supports the = operator.
• Drilldown supports the = operator.

MessageId and Drilldown are required to select from this view and will be filtered by the Act-On API.

SELECT * FROM DrilldownReports WHERE MessageId = 's-0003-1803' AND Drilldown = 'SENT'

Columns

Hardbounce

Query records of a Hardbounce list.

View Specific Information

Select

The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• Timestamp supports the '>=' , '>' , '<=' and '<' operators.

For example:

SELECT * FROM Hardbounce WHERE Timestamp >= '2022-09-15 08:53:50.111' AND  Timestamp <= '2022-09-16 00:30:33.14'

SELECT * FROM Hardbounce WHERE Timestamp > '2022-09-15 08:53:50.111' AND  Timestamp < '2022-09-16 00:30:33.14'

Columns

Images

Query the available images on your ActOn account.

View Specific Information

The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• FolderName supports the '=' and 'IN' operators.

For example, the following queries are processed server side:

SELECT * FROM Images WHERE FolderName = 'New Folder'
SELECT Name, FolderName FROM Images WHERE FolderName IN ('New Folder', 'Default Folder')

Columns

Pseudo-Columns

Pseudo column fields are used in the WHERE clause of SELECT statements and offer a more granular control over the tuples that are returned from the data source.

Media

Query the available media on your ActOn account.

View Specific Information

Act-On does not support any column for filtering this view.

Columns

Messages

Query the available messages in ActOn.

View Specific Information

The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• Type supports the = operator.

For example, the following query is processed server side:

SELECT * FROM Messages WHERE Type = 'SENT'

Type can be one of: SENT, DRAFT, TEMPLATE, TRIGGERED, FAILED, SCHEDULED

Columns

Pseudo-Columns

Pseudo column fields are used in the WHERE clause of SELECT statements and offer a more granular control over the tuples that are returned from the data source.

OtherLists

Query the hardbounce, spam complaint and optout lists on ActOn. This view has been deprecated.

View Specific Information

To query data from this view, you must specify Type.
The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• Type supports the = operator.
• CreatedAfter supports the = operator.
• CreatedBefore supports the = operator.

For example, the following queries are processed server side:

SELECT * FROM [OtherLists] WHERE Type = 'OPTOUT'
SELECT * FROM [OtherLists] WHERE Type = 'OPTOUT' AND CreatedAfter = '2018-08-28T14:37:48.923+02:00' AND CreatedBefore = '2018-08-28T14:37:48.925+02:00'
SELECT * FROM [OtherLists] WHERE Type = 'HARDBOUNCE' AND CreatedBefore = '2019-09-28T14:39:48.924+02:00'

Columns

Pseudo-Columns

Pseudo column fields are used in the WHERE clause of SELECT statements and offer a more granular control over the tuples that are returned from the data source.

Programs

Query the available programs on ActOn.

View Specific Information

The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• Type supports the = operator.

For example, the following queries are processed server side:

SELECT * FROM Programs WHERE Type = 'RACK'

Columns

Pseudo-Columns

Pseudo column fields are used in the WHERE clause of SELECT statements and offer a more granular control over the tuples that are returned from the data source.

Reports

Query the available reports in ActOn.

View Specific Information

To query data from this view, you must specify MessageId.
The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• MessageId supports the '=' and 'IN' operators.

For example, the following queries are processed server side:

SELECT * FROM Reports WHERE MessageId = 'd-0008'
SELECT * FROM Reports WHERE MessageId IN ('d-0008', 's-0004-1809')

Columns

ReportsByPeriod

Query the reports related to messages in ActOn.

View Specific Information

The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• Period supports the '=' and 'IN' operators.

For example, the following queries are processed server side:

SELECT * FROM ReportsByPeriod WHERE Period = 'January 2018'
SELECT * FROM ReportsByPeriod WHERE Period IN ('January 2018', 'March 2018')

If not specified, the period will be the current month.

Columns

ScoreDetails

Query the score details of a contact.

View Specific Information

To query data from this view, you must specify ContactId.
The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• ContactId supports the '=' and 'IN' operators.

For example, the following queries are processed server side:

SELECT * FROM ScoreDetails WHERE ContactId = 'l-0004:2'
SELECT * FROM ScoreDetails WHERE ContactId IN ('l-0004:2', 'l-0004:3')

Columns

Spamcomplaint

Query records of a Spamcomplaint list.

View Specific Information

Select

The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• Timestamp supports the '>=' , '>' , '<=' and '<' operators.

For example:

SELECT * FROM Spamcomplaint WHERE Timestamp >= '2022-09-15 08:53:50.111' AND Timestamp <= '2022-09-16 00:30:33.14'

SELECT * FROM Spamcomplaint WHERE Timestamp > '2022-09-15 08:53:50.111' AND Timestamp < '2022-09-16 00:30:33.14'

Columns

SubscriptionOptOuts

Query the available subscriptions in ActOn.

View Specific Information

The connector will use the Act-On API to process WHERE clause conditions built with the following columns and operators. The rest of the filter is executed client side within the connector.

• Category supports the = operator.

Category is required to select from this view. For example, the following query is processed server side:

SELECT * FROM SubscriptionOptOuts WHERE Category = 'test'

Columns

Users

Query the email senders for the current account in ActOn.

View Specific Information

Act-On does not support any column for filtering this view.

Columns

Stored Procedures

Stored procedures are function-like interfaces that extend the functionality of the connector beyond simple SELECT/INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE operations with Act-On.

Stored procedures accept a list of parameters, perform their intended function, and then return any relevant response data from Act-On, along with an indication of whether the procedure succeeded or failed.

Act-On Connector Stored Procedures

GetOAuthAccessToken

Gets an authentication token from ActOn.

Input

Result Set Columns

GetOAuthAuthorizationURL

Gets the authorization URL that must be opened separately by the user to grant access to your application. Only needed when developing Web apps. You will request the auth token from this URL.

Input

Result Set Columns

RefreshOAuthAccessToken

Refreshes the OAuth access token used for authentication with various Basecamp services.

Input

Result Set Columns

System Tables

You can query the system tables described in this section to access schema information, information on data source functionality, and batch operation statistics.

Schema Tables

The following tables return database metadata for Act-On:

• sys_catalogs: Lists the available databases.
• sys_schemas: Lists the available schemas.
• sys_tables: Lists the available tables and views.
• sys_tablecolumns: Describes the columns of the available tables and views.
• sys_procedures: Describes the available stored procedures.
• sys_procedureparameters: Describes stored procedure parameters.
• sys_keycolumns: Describes the primary and foreign keys.
• sys_indexes: Describes the available indexes.

Data Source Tables

The following tables return information about how to connect to and query the data source:

• sys_connection_props: Returns information on the available connection properties.
• sys_sqlinfo: Describes the SELECT queries that the connector can offload to the data source.

Query Information Tables

The following table returns query statistics for data modification queries:

• sys_identity: Returns information about batch operations or single updates.

sys_catalogs

Lists the available databases.

The following query retrieves all databases determined by the connection string:

SELECT * FROM sys_catalogs

Columns

sys_schemas

Lists the available schemas.

The following query retrieves all available schemas:

SELECT * FROM sys_schemas

Columns

sys_tables

Lists the available tables.

The following query retrieves the available tables and views:

SELECT * FROM sys_tables

Columns

sys_tablecolumns

Describes the columns of the available tables and views.

The following query returns the columns and data types for the Images table:

SELECT ColumnName, DataTypeName FROM sys_tablecolumns WHERE TableName='Images'

Columns

sys_procedures

Lists the available stored procedures.

The following query retrieves the available stored procedures:

SELECT * FROM sys_procedures

Columns

sys_procedureparameters

Describes stored procedure parameters.

The following query returns information about all of the input parameters for the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure:

SELECT * FROM sys_procedureparameters WHERE ProcedureName='RefreshOAuthAccessToken' AND Direction=1 OR Direction=2

Columns

sys_keycolumns

Describes the primary and foreign keys.

The following query retrieves the primary key for the Images table:

SELECT * FROM sys_keycolumns WHERE IsKey='True' AND TableName='Images'

Columns

sys_foreignkeys

Describes the foreign keys.

The following query retrieves all foreign keys which refer to other tables:

SELECT * FROM sys_foreignkeys WHERE ForeignKeyType = 'FOREIGNKEY_TYPE_IMPORT'

Columns

sys_primarykeys

Describes the primary keys.

The following query retrieves the primary keys from all tables and views:

SELECT * FROM sys_primarykeys

Columns

sys_indexes

Describes the available indexes. By filtering on indexes, you can write more selective queries with faster query response times.

The following query retrieves all indexes that are not primary keys:

SELECT * FROM sys_indexes WHERE IsPrimary='false'

Columns

sys_connection_props

Returns information on the available connection properties and those set in the connection string.

When querying this table, the config connection string should be used:

jdbc:cdata:acton:config:

This connection string enables you to query this table without a valid connection.

The following query retrieves all connection properties that have been set in the connection string or set through a default value:

SELECT * FROM sys_connection_props WHERE Value <> ''

Columns

sys_sqlinfo

Describes the SELECT query processing that the connector can offload to the data source.

Discovering the Data Source's SELECT Capabilities

Below is an example data set of SQL capabilities. Some aspects of SELECT functionality are returned in a comma-separated list if supported; otherwise, the column contains NO.

The following query retrieves the operators that can be used in the WHERE clause:

SELECT * FROM sys_sqlinfo WHERE Name = 'SUPPORTED_OPERATORS'

Note that individual tables may have different limitations or requirements on the WHERE clause; refer to the Data Model section for more information.

Columns

sys_identity

Returns information about attempted modifications.

The following query retrieves the Ids of the modified rows in a batch operation:

SELECT * FROM sys_identity

Columns

sys_information

Describes the available system information.

The following query retrieves all columns:

SELECT * FROM sys_information

Columns

Advanced Configurations Properties

The advanced configurations properties are the various options that can be used to establish a connection. This section provides a complete list of the options you can configure. Click the links for further details.

Authentication

OAuth

SSL

Schema

Miscellaneous

Authentication

This section provides a complete list of authentication properties you can configure.

AuthScheme

The type of authentication to use when connecting to Act-On.

Possible Values

OAuth, OAuthPassword

Data Type

string

Default Value

OAuth

Remarks

• OAuth: Set this to perform OAuth with the code grant type.
• OAuthPassword: Set this to perform OAuth with the password grant type.

User

The Act-On user account used to authenticate.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Together with Password, this field is used to authenticate against the Act-On server.

Password

The password used to authenticate the user.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The User and Password are together used to authenticate with the server.

OAuth

This section provides a complete list of OAuth properties you can configure.

InitiateOAuth

Set this property to initiate the process to obtain or refresh the OAuth access token when you connect.

Possible Values

OFF, GETANDREFRESH, REFRESH

Data Type

string

Default Value

OFF

Remarks

The following options are available:

1. OFF: Indicates that the OAuth flow will be handled entirely by the user. An OAuthAccessToken will be required to authenticate.
2. GETANDREFRESH: Indicates that the entire OAuth Flow will be handled by the connector. If no token currently exists, it will be obtained by prompting the user via the browser. If a token exists, it will be refreshed when applicable.
3. REFRESH: Indicates that the connector will only handle refreshing the OAuthAccessToken. The user will never be prompted by the connector to authenticate via the browser. The user must handle obtaining the OAuthAccessToken and OAuthRefreshToken initially.

OAuthClientId

The client ID assigned when you register your application with an OAuth authorization server.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

As part of registering an OAuth application, you will receive the OAuthClientId value, sometimes also called a consumer key, and a client secret, the OAuthClientSecret.

OAuthClientSecret

The client secret assigned when you register your application with an OAuth authorization server.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

As part of registering an OAuth application, you will receive the OAuthClientId, also called a consumer key. You will also receive a client secret, also called a consumer secret. Set the client secret in the OAuthClientSecret property.

OAuthAccessToken

The access token for connecting using OAuth.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The OAuthAccessToken property is used to connect using OAuth. The OAuthAccessToken is retrieved from the OAuth server as part of the authentication process. It has a server-dependent timeout and can be reused between requests.

The access token is used in place of your user name and password. The access token protects your credentials by keeping them on the server.

OAuthSettingsLocation

The location of the settings file where OAuth values are saved when InitiateOAuth is set to GETANDREFRESH or REFRESH . Alternatively, you can hold this location in memory by specifying a value starting with 'memory://'.

Data Type

string

Default Value

%APPDATA%\ActOn Data Provider\OAuthSettings.txt

Remarks

When InitiateOAuth is set to GETANDREFRESH or REFRESH, the connector saves OAuth values to avoid requiring the user to manually enter OAuth connection properties and to allow the credentials to be shared across connections or processes.

Instead of specifying a file path, you can use memory storage. Memory locations are specified by using a value starting with 'memory://' followed by a unique identifier for that set of credentials (for example, memory://user1). The identifier can be anything you choose but should be unique to the user. Unlike file-based storage, where credentials persist across connections, memory storage loads the credentials into static memory, and the credentials are shared between connections using the same identifier for the life of the process. To persist credentials outside the current process, you must manually store the credentials prior to closing the connection. This enables you to set them in the connection when the process is started again. You can retrieve OAuth property values with a query to the sys_connection_props system table. If there are multiple connections using the same credentials, the properties are read from the previously closed connection.

The default location is "%APPDATA%\ActOn Data Provider\OAuthSettings.txt" with %APPDATA% set to the user's configuration directory. The default values are

• Windows: "register://%DSN"
• Unix: "%AppData%..."
• Mac: "%AppData%..."

where DSN is the name of the current DSN used in the open connection.

The following table lists the value of %APPDATA% by OS:

CallbackURL

The OAuth callback URL to return to when authenticating. This value must match the callback URL you specify in your app settings.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

During the authentication process, the OAuth authorization server redirects the user to this URL. This value must match the callback URL you specify in your app settings.

OAuthVerifier

The verifier code returned from the OAuth authorization URL.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The verifier code returned from the OAuth authorization URL. This can be used on systems where a browser cannot be launched such as headless systems.

Authentication on Headless Machines

See to obtain the OAuthVerifier value.

Set OAuthSettingsLocation along with OAuthVerifier. When you connect, the connector exchanges the OAuthVerifier for the OAuth authentication tokens and saves them, encrypted, to the specified location. Set InitiateOAuth to GETANDREFRESH to automate the exchange.

Once the OAuth settings file has been generated, you can remove OAuthVerifier from the connection properties and connect with OAuthSettingsLocation set.

To automatically refresh the OAuth token values, set OAuthSettingsLocation and additionally set InitiateOAuth to REFRESH.

OAuthRefreshToken

The OAuth refresh token for the corresponding OAuth access token.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The OAuthRefreshToken property is used to refresh the OAuthAccessToken when using OAuth authentication.

OAuthExpiresIn

The lifetime in seconds of the OAuth AccessToken.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Pair with OAuthTokenTimestamp to determine when the AccessToken will expire.

OAuthTokenTimestamp

The Unix epoch timestamp in milliseconds when the current Access Token was created.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Pair with OAuthExpiresIn to determine when the AccessToken will expire.

SSL

This section provides a complete list of SSL properties you can configure.

SSLServerCert

The certificate to be accepted from the server when connecting using TLS/SSL.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

If using a TLS/SSL connection, this property can be used to specify the TLS/SSL certificate to be accepted from the server. Any other certificate that is not trusted by the machine is rejected.

This property can take the following forms:

If not specified, any certificate trusted by the machine is accepted.

Certificates are validated as trusted by the machine based on the System's trust store. The trust store used is the 'javax.net.ssl.trustStore' value specified for the system. If no value is specified for this property, Java's default trust store is used (for example, JAVA_HOME\lib\security\cacerts).

Use '*' to signify to accept all certificates. Note that this is not recommended due to security concerns.

Schema

This section provides a complete list of schema properties you can configure.

Location

A path to the directory that contains the schema files defining tables, views, and stored procedures.

Data Type

string

Default Value

%APPDATA%\ActOn Data Provider\Schema

Remarks

The path to a directory which contains the schema files for the connector (.rsd files for tables and views, .rsb files for stored procedures). The folder location can be a relative path from the location of the executable. The Location property is only needed if you want to customize definitions (for example, change a column name, ignore a column, and so on) or extend the data model with new tables, views, or stored procedures.

If left unspecified, the default location is "%APPDATA%\ActOn Data Provider\Schema" with %APPDATA% being set to the user's configuration directory:

BrowsableSchemas

This property restricts the schemas reported to a subset of the available schemas. For example, BrowsableSchemas=SchemaA,SchemaB,SchemaC.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Listing the schemas from databases can be expensive. Providing a list of schemas in the connection string improves the performance.

Tables

This property restricts the tables reported to a subset of the available tables. For example, Tables=TableA,TableB,TableC.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Listing the tables from some databases can be expensive. Providing a list of tables in the connection string improves the performance of the connector.

This property can also be used as an alternative to automatically listing views if you already know which ones you want to work with and there would otherwise be too many to work with.

Specify the tables you want in a comma-separated list. Each table should be a valid SQL identifier with any special characters escaped using square brackets, double-quotes or backticks. For example, Tables=TableA,[TableB/WithSlash],WithCatalog.WithSchema.`TableC With Space`.

Note that when connecting to a data source with multiple schemas or catalogs, you will need to provide the fully qualified name of the table in this property, as in the last example here, to avoid ambiguity between tables that exist in multiple catalogs or schemas.

Views

Restricts the views reported to a subset of the available tables. For example, Views=ViewA,ViewB,ViewC.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Listing the views from some databases can be expensive. Providing a list of views in the connection string improves the performance of the connector.

This property can also be used as an alternative to automatically listing views if you already know which ones you want to work with and there would otherwise be too many to work with.

Specify the views you want in a comma-separated list. Each view should be a valid SQL identifier with any special characters escaped using square brackets, double-quotes or backticks. For example, Views=ViewA,[ViewB/WithSlash],WithCatalog.WithSchema.`ViewC With Space`.

Note that when connecting to a data source with multiple schemas or catalogs, you will need to provide the fully qualified name of the table in this property, as in the last example here, to avoid ambiguity between tables that exist in multiple catalogs or schemas.

Miscellaneous

This section provides a complete list of miscellaneous properties you can configure.

MaxRows

Limits the number of rows returned when no aggregation or GROUP BY is used in the query. This takes precedence over LIMIT clauses.

Data Type

int

Default Value

-1

Remarks

Limits the number of rows returned when no aggregation or GROUP BY is used in the query. This takes precedence over LIMIT clauses.

Other

These hidden properties are used only in specific use cases.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The properties listed below are available for specific use cases. Normal driver use cases and functionality should not require these properties.

Specify multiple properties in a semicolon-separated list.

Integration and Formatting

Pagesize

The maximum number of results to return per page from Act-On.

Data Type

int

Default Value

1000

Remarks

The Pagesize property affects the maximum number of results to return per page from Act-On. Setting a higher value may result in better performance at the cost of additional memory allocated per page consumed.

PseudoColumns

This property indicates whether or not to include pseudo columns as columns to the table.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

This setting is particularly helpful in Entity Framework, which does not allow you to set a value for a pseudo column unless it is a table column. The value of this connection setting is of the format "Table1=Column1, Table1=Column2, Table2=Column3". You can use the "*" character to include all tables and all columns; for example, "*=*".

RowScanDepth

The maximum number of rows to scan to look for the columns available in a table.

Data Type

int

Default Value

50

Remarks

The columns in a table must be determined by scanning table rows. This value determines the maximum number of rows that will be scanned.

Setting a high value may decrease performance. Setting a low value may prevent the data type from being determined properly, especially when there is null data.

Timeout

The value in seconds until the timeout error is thrown, canceling the operation.

Data Type

int

Default Value

60

Remarks

If Timeout = 0, operations do not time out. The operations run until they complete successfully or until they encounter an error condition.

If Timeout expires and the operation is not yet complete, the connector throws an exception.

TypeDetectionScheme

Determines how to determine the data type of columns.

Possible Values

None, RowScan

Data Type

string

Default Value

RowScan

Remarks

UserDefinedViews

A filepath pointing to the JSON configuration file containing your custom views.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

User Defined Views are defined in a JSON-formatted configuration file called UserDefinedViews.json. The connector automatically detects the views specified in this file.

You can also have multiple view definitions and control them using the UserDefinedViews connection property. When you use this property, only the specified views are seen by the connector.

This User Defined View configuration file is formatted as follows:

• Each root element defines the name of a view.
• Each root element contains a child element, called query, which contains the custom SQL query for the view.

For example:

{
    "MyView": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM Images WHERE MyColumn = 'value'"
    },
    "MyView2": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE Id IN (1,2,3)"
    }
}

Use the UserDefinedViews connection property to specify the location of your JSON configuration file. For example:

"UserDefinedViews", C:\Users\yourusername\Desktop\tmp\UserDefinedViews.json

Note that the specified path is not embedded in quotation marks.