Connecting to Box

The provider enables access to metadata for Box tables and folders. Note that the provider cannot update the contents of files stored on Box or model file content as tables and columns.

Authenticating to Box

The provider uses the OAuth authentication standard to connect to Box from either a User account or a Service account.

Box provides embedded OAuth credentials that simplify connection from a Desktop application or a Headless machine. To connect from a Web application, you must create a custom OAuth application, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

The following subsections describe how to authenticate to Box from the available OAuth flows. For information about how to create a custom OAuth application, and why you might want to create one even for auth flows that already have embedded OAuth credentials, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

For a complete list of connection string properties available in Box, see Connection.

User Accounts (OAuth)

AuthScheme must be set to OAuth in all user account flows.

Desktop Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies OAuth desktop authentication. You can also create and connect through a custom OAuth application. For further information about custom OAuth applications, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

Get and Refresh the OAuth Access Token

After setting the following, you are ready to connect:

• InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
• Custom applications only:
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your app.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your app.
  • CallbackURL: The redirect URI defined when you registered your app. For example: https://localhost:3333

When you connect, the provider opens Box's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The provider then completes the OAuth process:

1. The provider obtains an access token from Box and uses it to request data.
2. The OAuth values are saved in the location specified in OAuthSettingsLocation, to be persisted across connections.

The provider refreshes the access token automatically when it expires.

Web Applications

When connecting via a Web application, you must create and register a custom OAuth application with Box. You can then use the provider to get and manage the OAuth token values. For further information, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

Get an OAuth Access Token

Set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuthAccessToken:

• OAuthClientId: The client Id noted in your custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: The client secret noted in your custom OAuth application settings.

Now call stored procedures to complete the OAuth exchange:

1. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Set the CallbackURL input to the Redirect URI you specified when you configured your custom OAuth application. The stored procedure returns the URL to the OAuth endpoint.
2. Navigate to the URL that the stored procedure returned in Step 1. Log in, and authorize the web application. After authenticating, the browser redirects you to the redirect URI. There will be a parameter called code appended to the redirect URI. Note the value of this parameter.
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 redirect URI.

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 provider automatically refresh the OAuth access token, set the following on the first data connection:

• InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
• OAuthClientId: The client Id noted in your custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: The client secret noted in your custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthAccessToken: The access token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
• OAuthRefreshToken: The refresh token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: The location where you want the provider to save the OAuth values, which persist across connections.

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. Now, set the following connection properties:

• OAuthClientId: The client Id noted in your custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: The client secret noted in your custom OAuth application settings.

Now 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 must 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 provider on a machine with an internet 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 provider 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, call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.
   • If you are using a custom OAuth application, set the following properties:
     • InitiateOAuth: OFF.
     • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
     • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth 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 provider. You are redirected to the redirect URI. Notice that a parameter called code is appended to the redirect URI. Note the value of this parameter; it is used to set the OAuthVerifier connection property.

Next, you must exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens.

At the headless machine, to obtain the OAuth authentication values, set these properties:

• InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
• OAuthVerifier: The noted verifier code (the value of the code parameter in the redirect URI).
• OAuthSettingsLocation: persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified location.
• Custom applications only:
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret in your custom OAuth application settings.

Test the connection to generate the OAuth settings file, then re-set the following properties to connect:

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

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you must 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.

Test the connection to generate the OAuth settings file, then copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

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

• InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: The location of the OAuth settings file you copied from the machine with the browser. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the provider to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
• Custom applications only:
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

Service Account (OAuthJWT)

Service accounts have silent authentication, which does not require user authentication in the browser. You can also use a service account to delegate enterprise-wide access scopes to the provider.

To use a service account, you must create and authorize a custom OAuth application, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth Application. You can then connect to whatever Box data the service account is permitted to access.

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

• AuthScheme: OAuthJWT.
• OAuthClientId: The client Id noted in your custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: The client secret noted in your custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthJWTCertType: PEMKEY_FILE.
• OAuthJWTCert: The path to the .pem file you generated.
• OAuthJWTCertPassword: The password of the .pem file.
• OAuthJWTCertSubject: The subject of the certificate. If you want to select the first certificate in the Certificate Store, set an * (asterisk).
• OAuthJWTSubjectType: The same as what you specified in your Application Access Values; either "enterprise" or "user". The default value of this connection property is "enterprise".
• OAuthJWTSubject: If your subject type is set to enterprise, this should be your enterprise Id. If your subject type is set to user, this should be your application user Id.
• OAuthJWTPublicKeyId: The Id of your public key in your application settings.

When you connect the provider completes the OAuth flow for a service account.

1. Creates and signs the JWT with the claim set required by the provider.
2. Exchanges the JWT for the access token.
3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.
4. Submits the JWT for a new access token when the token expires.

BOXJSON OAuthJWTCertType

To authenticate using a service account and the BOXJSON OauthJWTCertType, set these properties:

• AuthScheme: OAuthJWT.
• InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH.
• OAuthJWTCertType BOXJSON. OAuthJWTCert: The path to the Box-provided JSON file.

In cases where it may not be feasible to use a file in your system. you can copy the contents of the JSON file directly into the connection string. Set these properties:

• AuthScheme: OAuthJWT.
• InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH.
• OAuthJWTCertType: BOXJSONBLOB.
• OAuthJWTCert: The contents of the Box-provided JSON file.