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:

1. Select Start > Search, and enter ODBC Data Sources in the Search box.
2. Choose the version of the ODBC Administrator that corresponds to the bitness of your application (32-bit or 64-bit).
3. Click the System DSN tab.
4. Select the system data source and click Configure.
5. 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:

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

Schema

Microsoft Dataverse supports schema values of 'System' and 'Entities' and can be set using the Schema property.

Using 'System' for Schema property uses the Web API to query entities/tables.

Using 'Entities' for Schema property uses the EntityDefinitions entity set path and retrieves information about EntityMetadata EntityType entities/tables. This will often result in more user friendly names, though requires extra metadata requests.

Connecting to Microsoft Dataverse

To authenticate to the Microsoft Dataverse source, you should first set the OrganizationUrl to the URL of the organization you are connecting to, such as https://[organization].crm.dynamics.com.

Azure AD

Azure AD is a connection type that leverages OAuth to authenticate. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with Microsoft Dataverse using an internet browser. The driver facilitates this in several ways as described below. Set your AuthScheme to AzureAD. The rest of the AzureAD flows assume that you have done so.

Desktop Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies OAuth desktop Authentication. Alternatively, you can create a custom OAuth application. See Creating an Azure AD Application for information about 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:

• OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id in your application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret in your application settings.
• CallbackURL: Set this to the Redirect URL in your application settings.

When you connect the driver opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.

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 these two options:
   • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value as described in "Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code" below.
   • Option 2: Install the driver on another machine 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 driver to automatically refresh the access token from 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 Microsoft Dataverse OAuth endpoint to open the endpoint in your browser.
   • If you are using a custom OAuth 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 driver. 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 the location of the file where the driver saves the OAuth token values that persist across connections.

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 grants read and write permissions to the driver to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you need to create and install 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.

Once 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 driver to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Client Credentials

Client credentials refers to a flow in OAuth where there is no direct user authentication taking place. Instead, credentials are created for just the app itself. All tasks taken by the app are done without a default user context. This makes the authentication flow a bit different from standard.

Client OAuth Flow

All permissions related to the client oauth flow require admin consent. This means the app embedded with the CData ODBC Driver for Microsoft Dataverse cannot be used in the client oauth flow. You must create your own OAuth app in order to use client credentials. See Creating an Azure AD Application for more details.

In your App Registration in portal.azure.com, navigate to API Permissions and select the Microsoft Graph permissions. There are two distinct sets of permissions - Delegated and Application permissions. The permissions used during client credential authentication are under Application Permissions. Select the applicable permissions you require for your integration.

You are ready to connect after setting one of the below connection properties groups depending on the authentication type.

1. Client Secret
   • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can cuse InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
   • AzureTenant: Set this to the tenant you wish to connet to.
   • OAuthGrantType: Set this to CLIENT.
   • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
   • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.
2. Certificate
   • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
   • AzureTenant: Set this to the tenant you wish to connect to.
   • OAuthGrantType: Set this to CLIENT.
   • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
   • OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the JWT Certificate store.
   • OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to the type of the certificate store specified by OAuthJWTCert.

Authentication with client credentials will take place automatically like any other connection, except there will be no window opened prompting the user. Because there is no user context, there is no need for a browser popup. Connections will take place and be handled internally.

Azure Service Principal

Azure Service Principal is role-based application-based authentication. This means that authentication is done per application, rather than per user. All tasks taken on by the application are executed without a default user context, but based on the assigned roles. The application access to the resources is controlled through the assigned roles' permissions.

For information about how to set up Azure Service Principal authentication, see Creating an Azure AD Application with Service Principal.

Managed Service Identity (MSI)

If you are running Microsoft Dataverse on an Azure VM and want to leverage MSI to connect, set AuthScheme to AzureMSI.

User-Managed Identities

To obtain a token for a managed identity, use the OAuthClientId property to specify the managed identity's "client_id".

When your VM has multiple user-assigned managed identities, you must also specify OAuthClientId.