Windows DSN Configuration

Using the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator

You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to edit the DSN configuration. Note that the DSN is created during the installation process.

Complete the following steps to edit the DSN configuration:

Select Start > Search, and enter ODBC Data Sources in the Search box.
Choose the version of the ODBC Administrator that corresponds to the bitness of your application (32-bit or 64-bit).
Click the System DSN tab.
Select the system data source and click Configure.
Edit the information on the Connection tab and click OK.

Note: For .NET Framework 4.0, the driver distributes Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable. For .NET Framework 3.5, the driver distributes Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable.

Ensuring Registry Access

The driver stores connection information in the Windows registry. To ensure that the driver can write to the registry, perform either of the following actions:

Run the calling application as an administrator.
Connect via a User DSN instead of a System DSN.

Connecting to Exact Online

Exact Online supports OAuth authentication only. For connecting via a Desktop application or a Headless Server, embedded OAuth credentials are provided to make authentication simple. For connecting via the Web, you must create a custom OAuth application, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

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

Region = the region of the Exact Online service you want to connect to.
Division = the division of the Exact Online administration.

When you connect, the driver opens the Exact Online OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the driver. The driver then completes the OAuth process:

Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.

The following subsections describe how to authenticate to Exact Online from three common authentication flows:

Desktop: a connection to a server on the user's local machine, frequently used for testing and prototyping. Authenticated via either embedded OAuth or custom OAuth.
Web: access to data via a shared website. Authenticated via custom OAuth only.
Headless Server: a dedicated computer that provides services to other computers and their users, which is configured to operate without a monitor and keyboard. Authenticated via embedded OAuth or custom OAuth.

For information about how to create a custom OAuth application, and why you might want to create one even for auth flows that have embedded OAuth credentials, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

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

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 Exact Online console. For further information, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

Before you connect, set the following variables:

InitiateOAuth = GETANDREFRESH. Used to automatically get and refresh the OAuthAccessToken.
Custom OAuth 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.
- CallbackURL = the redirect URI defined when you registered your custom OAuth application.

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

When the access token expires, the driver refreshes it automatically.

Automatic refresh of the OAuth access token:

To have the driver automatically refresh the OAuth access token, do the following:

The first time you connect to data, set the following connection parameters:
- InitiateOAuth = REFRESH.
- OAuthClientId = the client Id in your application settings.
- OAuthClientSecret = the client secret in your application settings.
- OAuthAccessToken = the access token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
- OAuthSettingsLocation = the path where you want the driver to save the OAuth values, which persist across connections.
On subsequent data connections, set the following:
- InitiateOAuth
- OAuthSettingsLocation

Manual refresh of the OAuth access token:

The only value needed to manually refresh the OAUth access token is the OAuth refresh token.

To manually refresh the OAuthAccessToken after the ExpiresIn period (returned by GetOAuthAccessToken) has elapsed, call the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure.
Set the following connection properties:
- OAuthClientId = the Client Id in your application settings.
- OAuthClientSecret = the Client Secret in your application settings.
Call RefreshOAuthAccessToken with OAuthRefreshToken set to the OAuth refresh token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
After the new tokens have been retrieved, set the OAuthAccessToken property to the value returned by RefreshOAuthAccessToken. This opens a new connection.

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

Headless Machines

If you need to log in to a resource that resides on a headless machine, you must authenticate on another device that has an internet browser. You can do this in either of the following ways:

Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value.
Option 2: Install the driver on a machine with an internet browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow.

After you execute either Option 1 or Option 2, configure the driver to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtaining and Exchanging a Verifier Code

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

Authenticate from the machine with an internet browser, and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

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 application.
- OAuthClientSecret = the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationUrl stored procedure. The stored procedure returns the CallbackURL established when the custom OAuth application was registered. (See Creating a Custom OAuth Application.)

Copy this URL and paste it into a new browser tab.
Log in and grant permissions to the driver. The OAuth application redirects you the redirect URI, with a parameter called code appended. Note the value of this parameter; you will need it later, to configure the OAuthVerifier connection property.
Exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens. On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values:
- 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 file.
- Custom OAuth applications only:
  - OAuthClientId = the client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
  - OAuthClientSecret = the client secret in the custom OAuth application settings.
Test the connection to generate the OAuth settings file.
After you re-set the following properties, you are ready to connect:
- InitiateOAuth = REFRESH.
- OAuthSettingsLocation = the file containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. To enable the automatic refreshing of the access token, be sure that this file gives read and write permissions to the driver.
- Custom OAuth applications only:
  - OAuthClientId = the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
  - OAuthClientSecret = the client secret assigned when you registered your application.

Option 2: Transferring 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 above in "Desktop Applications".

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the path 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.

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