Asana Connector for PowerShell

Read and write data related to Tasks, Projects, Workspaces, Portfolios, TimeEntries, Memberships and more.

In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate Asana data in PowerShell without coding. We will use high-performance Asana Connector to easily connect to Asana and then access the data inside PowerShell.

Let's follow the steps below to see how we can accomplish that!

Download Documentation

Create ODBC Data Source (DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Asana using PowerShell we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from Asana. We will later be able to read data using PowerShell. Perform these steps:

  1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack.

  2. Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):

    Open ODBC Data Source
  3. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

    ZappySys API Driver
    Create new User DSN for ZappySys API Driver
    • Create and use User DSN if the client application is run under a User Account. This is an ideal option in design-time, when developing a solution, e.g. in Visual Studio 2019. Use it for both type of applications - 64-bit and 32-bit.
    • Create and use System DSN if the client application is launched under a System Account, e.g. as a Windows Service. Usually, this is an ideal option to use in a production environment. Use ODBC Data Source Administrator (32-bit), instead of 64-bit version, if Windows Service is a 32-bit application.
  4. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Asana" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Asana" 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:

    AsanaDSN
    Asana
    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.

    Steps how to get and use Asana credentials
    Here is how to obtain a Personal Access Token (PAT) in Asana:
    1. Open My apps in Asana portal and click Create new token button: Create Personal Access Token in Asana
    2. Once a popup opens, name your new token: Name Personal Access Token in Asana
    3. Then click Copy button to copy the token: Use Personal Access Token to get Asana data via REST API
    4. Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use this token in Personal Access Token authentication configuration.
    5. Choose Default Workspace and Default Project to work with.
    6. Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
    7. Done! Now you are ready to use Asana Connector!

    Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

    AsanaDSN
    Asana
    Personal Access Token [Http]
    https://app.asana.com/api/1.0
    Required Parameters
    Enter Token (Personal Access Token - PAT) Fill-in the parameter...
    Default Workspace Fill-in the parameter...
    Default Project Fill-in the parameter...
    Optional Parameters
    RetryMode RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
    RetryStatusCodeList 429
    RetryCountMax 5
    RetryMultiplyWaitTime True
    ODBC DSN HTTP Connection Configuration
    Steps how to get and use Asana credentials
    Here is how to register an OAuth app in Asana:
    1. Open My apps in Asana portal and click Create new app button: Create new OAuth app in Asana
    2. Once a popup opens, name your app and check two options, and click Create app button: Name OAuth app in Asana
    3. Then copy Client ID and Client secret and save them in a file (we will need them for authentication): Use OAuth app to get Asana data via REST API
    4. Continue by selecting OAuth menu item on your left and click Add redirect URL button (you can have your own or use https://zappysys.com/oauth): Add redirect URL to Asana OAuth app
    5. Proceed by clicking on the Manage distribution section on your left.
    6. Then specify workspaces your app needs to access (use Any workspace to access them all): Choose distribution method in Asana OAuth app
    7. Once you do that, click Save changes button.
    8. Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use Client ID, Client Secret, and Redirect URL in OAuth app authentication configuration.
    9. When you are done with that, click Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.
    10. Choose Default Workspace and Default Project to work with.
    11. Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
    12. Done! Now you are ready to use Asana Connector!

    Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

    AsanaDSN
    Asana
    OAuth app [OAuth]
    https://app.asana.com/api/1.0
    Required Parameters
    ClientId Fill-in the parameter...
    Client Secret Fill-in the parameter...
    Default Workspace (** Select after Token is generated **) Fill-in the parameter...
    Default Project (** Select after Token is generated **) Fill-in the parameter...
    Optional Parameters
    Permissions default
    Redirect URL https://zappysys.com/oauth
    RetryMode RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
    RetryStatusCodeList 429
    RetryCountMax 5
    RetryMultiplyWaitTime True
    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 - Asana
    Read and write data related to Tasks, Projects, Workspaces, Portfolios, TimeEntries, Memberships and more.
    AsanaDSN
    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 PowerShell to retrieve data from Asana. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.

    SELECT * FROM Workspaces
    Configure table/endpoint parameters in ODBC data source based on API Driver
    Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Asana 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 PowerShell:

    ZappySys API Driver - Asana
    Read and write data related to Tasks, Projects, Workspaces, Portfolios, TimeEntries, Memberships and more.
    AsanaDSN
    SELECT * FROM Workspaces
    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 Asana 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 Asana servers).
  9. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Read Asana data in PowerShell

Sometimes, you need to quickly access and work with your Asana data in PowerShell. Whether you need a quick data overview or the complete dataset, this article will guide you through the process. Here are some common scenarios:

Viewing data in a terminal
  • Quickly peek at Asana data
  • Monitor data constantly in your console
Saving data to a file
  • Export data to a CSV file so that it can be sliced and diced in Excel
  • Export data to a JSON file so that it can ingested by other processes
  • Export data to an HTML file for user-friendly view and easy sharing
  • Create a schedule to make it an automatic process
Saving data to a database
  • Store data internally for analysis or for further ETL processes
  • Create a schedule to make it an automatic process
Sending data to another API
  • Integrate data with other systems via external APIs

In this article, we will delve deeper into how to quickly view the data in PowerShell terminal and how to save it to a file. But let's stop talking and get started!

Reading individual fields

  1. Open your favorite PowerShell IDE (we are using Visual Studio Code).
  2. Then simply follow these instructions:
    "DSN=AsanaDSN"
    Read API data with PowerShell using ODBC DSN in Visual Code

    For your convenience, here is the whole PowerShell script:

    # Configure connection string and query
    $connectionString = "DSN=AsanaDSN"
    $query = "SELECT * FROM Customers"
    
    # Instantiate OdbcDataAdapter and DataTable
    $adapter = New-Object System.Data.Odbc.OdbcDataAdapter($query, $connectionString)
    $table = New-Object System.Data.DataTable
    
    # Fill the table with data
    $adapter.Fill($table)
    
    # Since we know we will be reading just 4 columns, let's define format for those 4 columns, each separated by a tab
    $format = "{0}`t{1}`t{2}`t{3}"
    
    # Display data in the console
    foreach ($row in $table.Rows)
    {
        # Construct line based on the format and individual Asana fields
        $line = $format -f ($row["CustomerId"], $row["CompanyName"], $row["Country"], $row["Phone"])
        Write-Host $line
    }
    
    Access specific Asana table field using this code snippet:
    $field = $row["ColumnName"]
    You will find more info on how to manipulate DataTable.Rows property in Microsoft .NET reference.
    For demonstration purposes we are using sample tables which may not be available in Asana.
  3. To read values in a console, save the script to a file and then execute this command inside PowerShell terminal: Read API data in PowerShell using ODBC DSN
    You can also use even a simpler command inside the terminal, e.g.:
    . 'C:\Users\john\Documents\dsn.ps1'

Retrieving all fields

However, there might be case, when you want to retrieve all columns of a query. Here is how you do it:

"DSN=AsanaDSN"
Read all API columns from ODBC data source in PowerShell

Again, for your convenience, here is the whole PowerShell script:

# Configure connection string and query
$connectionString = "DSN=AsanaDSN"
$query = "SELECT CustomerId, CompanyName, Country, Phone FROM Customers"

# Instantiate OdbcDataAdapter and DataTable
$adapter = New-Object System.Data.Odbc.OdbcDataAdapter($query, $connectionString)
$table = New-Object System.Data.DataTable

# Fill the table with data
$adapter.Fill($table)

# Display data in the console
foreach ($row in $table.Rows) {
    $line = ""
    foreach ($column in $table.Columns) {
        $value = $row[$column.ColumnName]

        # Let's handle NULL values
        if ($value -is [DBNull])
        {
            $value = "(NULL)"
        }
        $line += $value + "`t"
    }
    Write-Host $line
}
You can limit the numbers of lines to retrieve by using a LIMIT keyword in the query, e.g.:
SELECT * FROM Customers LIMIT 10

Using a full ODBC connection string

In the previous steps we used a very short format of ODBC connection string - a DSN. Yet sometimes you don't want a dependency on an ODBC data source (and an extra step). In those times, you can define a full connection string and skip creating an ODBC data source entirely. Let's see below how to accomplish that in the below steps:

  1. Open ODBC data source configuration and click Copy settings:
    ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
    ZappySys API Driver - Asana
    Read and write data related to Tasks, Projects, Workspaces, Portfolios, TimeEntries, Memberships and more.
    AsanaDSN
    Copy connection string for ODBC application
  2. The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard: Successful connection string copying for ODBC application
  3. Then just paste the connection string into your script: Paste ODBC connection string in PowerShell to read API data
  4. You are good to go! The script will execute the same way as using a DSN.

Have in mind that a full connection string has length limitations.

Proceed to the next step to find out the details.

Limitations of using a full connection string

Despite using a full ODBC connection string may be very convenient it comes with a limitation: it's length is limited to 1024 symbols (or sometimes more). It usually happens when API provider generates a very long Refresh Token when OAuth is at play. If you are using such a long ODBC connection string, you may get this error:

"Connection string exceeds maximum allowed length of 1024"

But there is a solution to this by storing the full connection string in a file. Follow the steps below to achieve this:

  1. Open your ODBC data source.
  2. Click Copy settings button to copy a full connection string (see the previous section on how to accomplish that).
  3. Then create a new file, let's say, in C:\temp\odbc-connection-string.txt.
  4. Continue by pasting the copied connection string into a newly created file and save it.
  5. Finally, the last step! Just construct a shorter ODBC connection string using this format:
    DRIVER={ZappySys API Driver};SettingsFile=C:\temp\odbc-connection-string.txt
  6. Our troubles are over! Now you should be able to use this connection string in PowerShell with no problems.
This feature requires ODBC PowerPack v1.9.0 or later.

Write Asana data to a file in PowerShell

Save data to a CSV file

Export data to a CSV file so that it can be sliced and diced in Excel:

# Configure connection string and query
$connectionString = "DSN=AsanaDSN"
$query = "SELECT * FROM Customers"

# Instantiate OdbcDataAdapter and DataTable
$adapter = New-Object System.Data.Odbc.OdbcDataAdapter($query, $connectionString)
$table = New-Object System.Data.DataTable

# Fill the table with data
$adapter.Fill($table)

# Export table data to a file
$table | ConvertTo-Csv -NoTypeInformation -Delimiter "`t" | Out-File "C:\Users\john\saved-data.csv" -Force

Save data to a JSON file

Export data to a JSON file so that it can ingested by other processes (use the above script, but change this part):

# Export table data to a file
$table | ConvertTo-Json | Out-File "C:\Users\john\saved-data.json" -Force

Save data to an HTML file

Export data to an HTML file for user-friendly view and easy sharing (use the above script, but change this part):

# Export table data to a file
$table | ConvertTo-Html | Out-File "C:\Users\john\saved-data.html" -Force
Check useful PowerShell cmdlets other than ConvertTo-Csv, ConvertTo-Json, and ConvertTo-Html for other data manipulation scenarios.

Actions supported by Asana Connector

Learn how to perform common Asana actions directly in PowerShell with these how-to guides:

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Asana in PowerShell and integrate data without any coding, saving you time and effort. It's worth noting that ZappySys API Driver allows you to connect not only to Asana, but to any Java application that supports JDBC (just use a different JDBC driver and configure it appropriately).

We encourage you to download Asana Connector for PowerShell and see how easy it is to use it for yourself or your team.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact ZappySys support team. You can also open a live chat immediately by clicking on the chat icon below.

Download Asana Connector for PowerShell Documentation

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