Configuring a Connection
After Installing the Connector you can connect and create a Data Source for data in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Setting Up a Data Source
Complete the following steps to connect to the data:
- Under Connect | To a Server, click More....
- Select the data source called Microsoft Dynamics CRM by CData.
- Enter the information required for the connection.
- Click Sign In.
- If necessary, select a Database and Schema to discover what tables and views are available.
Using the Connection Builder
The connector makes the most common connection properties available directly in Tableau. However, it can be difficult to use if you need to use more advanced settings or need to troubleshoot connection issues. The connector includes a separate connection builder that allows you to create and test connections outside of Tableau.
There are two ways to access the connection builder:
- On Windows, use a shortcut called Connection Builder in the Start menu, under the CData Tableau Connector for Microsoft Dynamics CRM folder.
- You can also start the connection builder by going to the driver install directory and running the .jar file in the lib directory.
In the connection builder, you can set values for connection properties and click Test Connection to validate that they work. You can also use the Copy to Clipboard button to save the connection string. This connection string can be given to the Connection String option included in the connector connection window in Tableau.
Connecting to Microsoft Dynamics CRM
To connect, set the root URL of your organization.
Authenticating to Microsoft Dynamics CRM On-Premise
To authenticate to Microsoft Dynamics CRM On-Premise, set CRMVersion = CRM2011+.
NTLM
To use SPNEGO over NTLM authentication on a CRM On-Premise deployment, set these parameters:- AuthScheme: NTLM.
- User: The user's login Id.
- Password: The user's login password.
Example NTLM connection string:
AuthScheme=NTLM;Url='https://myOrg.crm.dynamics.com/';User=username;Password=password;CRM Version='CRM2011+'
Kerberos
To use SPNEGO over Kerberos authentication on a CRM On-Premise deployment, set these parameters:- AuthScheme: Kerberos.
- User: The user's login Id.
- Password: The user's login password.
Example Kerberos connection string:
AuthScheme=Kerberos;Url='https://myOrg.crm.dynamics.com/';User=username;Password=password;CRM Version='CRM2011+'
Internet-Facing Deployments (IFDs)
To authenticate via an IFD, set InternetFacingDeployment to true.Example IFD connection string:
AuthScheme=NTLM;Url='https://myOrg.com/';User=username;Password=password;InternetFacingDeployment=True;CRM Version='CRM2011+'
Authenticating to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online
You can authenticate to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online via either Azure AD (for user-based authentication) or Azure Service Principal (for Service Principal-based authentication).To authenticate to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, set CRMVersion = CRMOnline.
Azure AD
Azure AD is Microsoft’s multi-tenant, cloud-based directory and identity management service. It is user-based authentication that requires that you set AuthScheme to AzureAD.Authentication to Azure AD over a Web application always requires the creation of a custom OAuth application. For details, see Creating an Azure AD Application.
Desktop Applications
CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies connection to Azure AD from a Desktop application.You can also authenticate from a desktop application using a custom OAuth application. (For further information, see Creating an Azure AD Application.) To authenticate via Azure AD, set these parameters:
- AuthScheme: AzureAD.
-
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.
- CallbackURL: The redirect URI you defined when you registered your custom OAuth application.
When you connect, the connector opens Microsoft Dynamics CRM's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.
The connector completes the OAuth process, obtaining an access token from Microsoft Dynamics CRM and using it to request data. The OAuth values are saved in the path specified in OAuthSettingsLocation. These values persist across connections.
When the access token expires, the connector refreshes it automatically.
Azure Service Principal
Service principals are security objects within an Azure AD application that define what that application can do within a particular Azure AD tenant. Service Principals are created in the Azure service portal. As part of the creation process we also specify whether the service principal will access Azure AD resources via a client secret or a certificate.Instead of being tied to a particular user, service principal permissions are based on the roles assigned to them. The application access to the resources is controlled through the assigned roles' permissions.
When authenticating using an Azure Service Principal, you must register an application with an Azure AD tenant, as described in Creating an Azure AD Application with Service Principal.
You are ready to connect after setting the properties described in this subsection. These vary, depending on whether you will authenticate via a client secret or a certificate.
Authentication with Client Secret
- AuthScheme: AzureServicePrincipal.
- AzureTenant: The Azure AD tenant to which you wish to connect.
- OAuthGrantType: CLIENT.
- OAuthClientId: The client Id in your application settings.
- OAuthClientSecret: The client secret in your application settings.
Authentication with Certificate
- AuthScheme: AzureServicePrincipalCert.
- AzureTenant: The Azure AD tenant to which you wish to connect.
- OAuthGrantType: CLIENT.
- OAuthClientId: The client Id in your application settings.
- OAuthJWTCert: The JWT Certificate store.
- OAuthJWTCertType: The JWT Certificate store type.
Next Step
See Using the Connector to create data visualizations.