How to integrate Amazon MWS with ODBC application

Integrate ODBC and Amazon MWS
Integrate ODBC and Amazon MWS

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect Amazon MWS with ODBC for smooth data access.

Read and write Amazon MWS data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate listings, orders, payments, and reports — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance Amazon MWS ODBC Driver (often referred to as the Amazon MWS Connector). We'll walk you through the entire setup.

Ready to dive in? Download the product to jump right in, or follow the step-by-step guide below to see how it works.

⚠️ Deprecation Notice: This connector is deprecated
Amazon's MWS (Marketplace Web Service) is being deprecated and replaced by the newer AWS Selling Partner API (SP-API). For a more robust and secure integration, we recommend using our AWS Selling Partner (SP-API) Connector. As Amazon is phasing out MWS functionality and eventually plans to fully deprecate it.

Create data source using Amazon MWS ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Amazon MWS using ODBC, we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in ODBC. Perform these steps:

  1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).

  2. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

    Open ODBC Data Source

  3. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ZappySys API Driver driver:

    ZappySys API Driver
    Create new User DSN for ZappySys API Driver
    • Create and use a User DSN if the client application runs under a User Account. This is the ideal option at design time (e.g., when developing in Visual Studio). Use it for both types of applications (64-bit and 32-bit).
    • Create and use a System DSN if the client application runs under a System Account (e.g., as a Windows Service). This is usually the required option in a production environment. If your Windows Service is a 32-bit application, you must use the 32-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator to configure this

  4. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Amazon MWS" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Amazon MWS" is not present in the list, then click "Search Online" and download it. Then set the path to the location where you downloaded it. Finally, click Continue >> to proceed with configuring the DSN:

    AmazonMwsDSN
    Amazon MWS
    ODBC DSN Template Selection

  5. Now it's time to configure the Connection Manager. Select Authentication Type, e.g. Token Authentication. Then select API Base URL (in most cases, the default one is the right one). More info is available in the Authentication section.

    OAuth

    Amazon MWS authentication

    Please refer to external API reference

    API Connection Manager configuration

    Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

    1. Set Authentication Type to OAuth [OAuth]
    2. Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
    3. Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
    4. Press Generate Token button to generate the tokens.
    5. Finally, hit OK button:
    AmazonMwsDSN
    Amazon MWS
    OAuth [OAuth]
    https://mws.amazonservices.com
    Required Parameters
    AWSAccessKeyId Fill-in the parameter...
    Secret Key Fill-in the parameter...
    SellerId Fill-in the parameter...
    ODBC DSN OAuth Connection Configuration

  6. Once the data source connection has been configured, it's time to configure the SQL query. Select the Preview tab and then click Query Builder button to configure the SQL query:

    ZappySys API Driver - Amazon MWS
    Read and write Amazon MWS data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate listings, orders, payments, and reports — almost no coding required.
    AmazonMwsDSN
    Open Query Builder in API ODBC Driver to read and write data to REST API

  7. Start by selecting the Table or Endpoint you are interested in and then configure the parameters. This will generate a query that we will use in ODBC to retrieve data from Amazon MWS. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step. 

    SELECT * FROM Orders
    Configure table/endpoint parameters in ODBC data source based on API Driver
    Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Amazon MWS API, e.g. filtering parameters. It means that filtering will be done on the server side (instead of the client side), enabling you to get only the meaningful data much faster.

  8. Now hit Preview Data button to preview the data using the generated SQL query. If you are satisfied with the result, use this query in ODBC:

    ZappySys API Driver - Amazon MWS
    Read and write Amazon MWS data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate listings, orders, payments, and reports — almost no coding required.
    AmazonMwsDSN
    SELECT * FROM Orders
    API ODBC Driver-based data source data preview
    You can also access data quickly from the tables dropdown by selecting <Select table>.
    A WHERE clause, LIMIT keyword will be performed on the client side, meaning that the whole result set will be retrieved from the Amazon MWS API first, and only then the filtering will be applied to the data. If possible, it is recommended to use parameters in Query Builder to filter the data on the server side (in Amazon MWS servers).

  9. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Optional: Centralized data access via ZappySys Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide Amazon MWS data access to multiple users or services. Configuring the data source on a Data Gateway creates a single, centralized connection point for this purpose.

This configuration provides two primary advantages:

  • Centralized data access
    The data source is configured once on the gateway, eliminating the need to set it up individually on each user's machine or application. This significantly simplifies the management process.
  • Centralized access control
    Since all connections route through the gateway, access can be governed or revoked from a single location for all users.
Data Gateway
Local ODBC
data source
Simple configuration
Installation Single machine Per machine
Connectivity Local and remote Local only
Connections limit Limited by License Unlimited
Central data access
Central access control
More flexible cost

To achieve this, you must first create a data source in the Data Gateway (server-side) and then create an ODBC data source in ODBC (client-side) to connect to it.

Let's not wait and get going!

Create Amazon MWS data source in the gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Amazon MWS in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

  1. Search for gateway in the Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:

    Open ZappySys Data Gateway Service Manager

  2. Go to the Users tab and follow these steps to add a Data Gateway user:

    • Click the Add button
    • In the Login field enter a username, e.g., john
    • Then enter a Password
    • Check the Is Administrator checkbox
    • Click OK to save
    Data Gateway - Add User

  3. Now we are ready to add a data source:

    • Click the Add button
    • Give the Data source a name (have it handy for later)
    • Then select Native - ZappySys API Driver
    • Finally, click OK
    AmazonMwsDSN
    ZappySys API Driver
    Data Gateway - Add data source

  4. When the ZappySys API Driver configuration window opens, go back to ODBC Data Source Administrator where you already have the Amazon MWS ODBC data source created and configured, and follow these steps on how to Import data source configuration into the Gateway:

    • Open ODBC data source configuration and click Copy settings:
      ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys API Driver - Amazon MWS
      Read and write Amazon MWS data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate listings, orders, payments, and reports — almost no coding required.
      AmazonMwsDSN
      Copy connection string for ODBC application
    • The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard: Successful connection string copying for ODBC application

    • Then go to Data Gateway configuration and in data source configuration window click Load settings:

      AmazonMwsDSN
      ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys API Driver - Amazon MWS
      Read and write Amazon MWS data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate listings, orders, payments, and reports — almost no coding required.
      AmazonMwsDSN
      Load configuration in ZappySys Data Gateway data source
    • Once a window opens, just paste the settings by pressing CTRL+V or by clicking right mouse button and then Paste option.

  5. Once done, go to the Network Settings tab and Add a firewall rule for inbound traffic:

    Data Gateway - Add firewall rule for inbound connections
    • This will initially allow all inbound traffic.
    • Click Edit IP filters to restrict access to specific IP addresses or ranges.

  6. Crucial Step: After creating or modifying the data source, you must:

    • Click the Save button to persist your changes.
    • Hit Yes when prompted to restart the Data Gateway service.

    This ensures all changes are properly applied:

    ZappySys Data Gateway - Save Changes
    Skipping this step may cause the new settings to fail, preventing you from connecting to the data source.

Create ODBC data source to connect to the gateway

In this part we will create an ODBC data source to connect to the ZappySys Data Gateway from ODBC. To achieve that, let's perform these steps:

  1. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

    Open ODBC Data Source

  2. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver:

    ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server
    Create new User DSN for ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server
    If you don't see the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver in the list, choose a similar version.

  3. Then set a Name for the data source (e.g. Gateway) and the address of the Data Gateway:

    ZappySysGatewayDSN
    localhost,5000
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Setting hostname and port
    Make sure you separate the hostname and port with a comma, e.g. localhost,5000.

  4. Proceed with the authentication part:

    • Select SQL Server authentication
    • In the Login ID field enter the user name you created in the Data Gateway, e.g., john
    • Set Password to the one you configured in the Data Gateway
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Selecting SQL Authentication

  5. Then set the default database property to AmazonMwsDSN (the one we used in the Data Gateway):

    AmazonMwsDSN
    AmazonMwsDSN
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Selecting database
    Make sure to type the data source name manually or copy/paste it directly into the field. Using the dropdown might fail because the Trust server certificate option is not enabled yet (next step).

  6. Continue by checking the Trust server certificate option:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Trusting certificate

  7. Once you do that, test the connection:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Testing connection

  8. If the connection is successful, everything is good:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Testing connection succeeded

  9. Done!

We are ready to move to the final step. Let's do it!

Access data in ODBC via the gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from Amazon MWS in ODBC via the Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

  1. Go back to ODBC.

  2. Open your ODBC client application and use ZappySysGatewayDSN to connect to Amazon MWS.

  3. Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.

  4. That's it!

Now you can connect to Amazon MWS data in ODBC via the Data Gateway.

If you are asked for authentication details, use Database authentication, SQL authentication or Basic authentication option and enter the credentials you used when configuring the Data Gateway, e.g. john and your password.

Supported Amazon MWS Connector actions

Got a specific use case in mind? We've mapped out exactly how to perform a variety of essential Amazon MWS operations directly in ODBC, so you don't have to figure out the setup from scratch. Check out the step-by-step guides below:

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Amazon MWS in ODBC and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by Amazon MWS ODBC Driver.

Download ODBC PowerPack now or ping us via chat if you have any questions or are looking for a specific feature (you can also reach out to us by submitting a ticket):

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