Asana Connector for SSAS In this article you will learn how to integrate Asana data in SSAS without coding in just a few clicks (live / bi-directional connection to Asana). Read and write data related to Tasks, Projects, Workspaces, Portfolios, TimeEntries, Memberships and more.. Using Asana Connector you will be able to connect, read, and write data from within SSAS. Follow the steps below to see how we would accomplish that. Download Documentation The driver mentioned above is part of ODBC PowerPack which is a collection of high-performance Drivers for various API data source (i.e. REST API, JSON, XML, CSV, Amazon S3 and many more). Using familiar SQL query language you can make live connections and read/write data from API sources or JSON / XML / CSV Files inside SQL Server (T-SQL) or your favorite Reporting (i.e. Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, SSRS, MicroStrategy, Excel, MS Access), ETL Tools (i.e. Informatica, Talend, Pentaho, SSIS). You can also call our drivers from programming languages such as JAVA, C#, Python, PowerShell etc. If you are new to ODBC and ZappySys ODBC PowerPack then check the following links to get started. ODBC PowerPack - System Requirements and Installation Getting Started - Using ODBC PowerPack ODBC API Driver Help File

Connect to Asana in other apps Connect to Asana in SSIS Connect to Asana in SQL Server Connect to Asana in Power BI Connect to Asana in SSRS Connect to Asana in Informatica Connect to Asana in MS Access Connect to Asana in MS Excel Connect to Asana in C# Connect to Asana in Python Connect to Asana in JAVA Connect to Asana in Tableau Connect to Asana in SAP Crystal Reports Connect to Asana in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) Connect to Asana in Azure Data Factory (SSIS) Connect to Asana in Talend Studio Connect to Asana in UiPath Connect to Asana in PowerShell Connect to Asana in ODBC

Create Data Source in ZappySys Data Gateway based on API Driver

1. Download and install ZappySys ODBC PowerPack.

2. Search for gateway in start menu and Open ZappySys Data Gateway:
   

3. Go to Users Tab to add our first Gateway user. Click Add; we will give it a name tdsuser and enter password you like to give. Check Admin option and click OK to save. We will use these details later when we create linked server:
   

4. Now we are ready to add a data source. Click Add, give data source a name (Copy this name somewhere, we will need it later) and then select Native - ZappySys API Driver. Finally, click OK. And it will create the Data Set for it and open the ZS driver UI.

   AsanaDSN

   
   

5. 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

   

6. 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.

    Token [Http]

   Steps to get Asana Credentials
   Here is how to obtain PAT (Personal Access Token). .

   1. Follow this link and click to Create new token.
   2. Once token generated copy it enter in Token field on this UI. Treat Token like a Password, keep it secure.

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

   AsanaDSN

   Asana

   Token [Http]

   https://app.asana.com/api/1.0

   Required Parameters
   Optional Parameters
   Enter Token (Personal Access Token - PAT)	Fill in the parameter...
   Default Workspace (** Select after Token is entered **)	Fill in the parameter...
   Default Project (** Select after Token is entered **)	Fill in the parameter...
   RetryMode	Fill in the parameter...
   RetryStatusCodeList	Fill in the parameter...
   RetryCountMax	Fill in the parameter...
   RetryMultiplyWaitTime	Fill in the parameter...

   

    OAuth [OAuth]

   Steps to get Asana Credentials
   Here is how to register OAuth App.

   1. Follow this link and click to Create new app under My Apps.
   2. Give your app a name e.g. My Integration. Check one of the options | Check I Agree | Click Create app
   3. Copy Client Id and Secret. Keep it secure, we will use it later on API Connection UI.
   4. Click on the OAuth section (Under Configure) on your left. Under the Redirect URLs Click [Add redirect URL] button. Enter URL like this https://zappysys.com/oauth. Do not use any random URL otherwise it may not work.
   5. Click on the Manage distribution section (Under Test & distribute) on your left. Here you can add specific workspaces you like to access using this App. If you like to access any workspace then choose [Any workspace] option
   6. Click [Save changes] button. Might be located all the way bottom right on your screen.
   7. Now go back to connection UI and enter ClientId, Client Secret and Redirect URL (match exactly).
   8. Click Generate Token and follow the login prompts. If everything goes well you will see Refresh Token generated.
   9. Choose Default Workspace and Default Project.
   10. Click Test connection to confirm. Now you are ready to use this connection.

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

   AsanaDSN

   Asana

   OAuth [OAuth]

   https://app.asana.com/api/1.0

   Required Parameters
   ClientId	Fill in the parameter...
   Client Secret	Fill in the parameter...
   Optional Parameters
   Permissions	Fill in the parameter...
   Redirect URL	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...
   RetryMode	Fill in the parameter...
   RetryStatusCodeList	Fill in the parameter...
   RetryCountMax	Fill in the parameter...
   RetryMultiplyWaitTime	Fill in the parameter...

   

7. Once the data source has been configured, you can preview data. Select the Preview tab and use settings similar to the following to preview data:
   

8. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Read Asana data in SSAS cube

With the data source created in the Data Gateway (previous step), we're now ready to read Asana data in an SSAS cube. Before we dive in, open Visual Studio and create a new Analysis Services project. Then, you're all set!

Create data source based on ZappySys Data Gateway

Let's start by creating a data source for a cube, based on the Data Gateway's data source we created earlier. So, what are we waiting for? Let's do it!

1. Create a new data source:
2. Once a window opens, select Create a data source based on an existing or new connection option and click New...:
3. Here things become a little complicated, but do not despair, it's only for a little while. Just perform these little steps:
   • Select Native OLE DB\SQL Server Native Client 11.0 as provider.
   • Enter your Server name (or IP address) and Port, separated by a comma.
   • Select SQL Server Authentication option for authentication.
   • Input User name which has admin permissions in the ZappySys Data Gateway.
   • In Database name field enter the same data source name you use in the ZappySys Data Gateway.
   • Hopefully, our hard work is done, when we Test Connection.
   AsanaDSN

   AsanaDSN

   
   If SQL Server Native Client 11.0 is not listed as Native OLE DB provider, try using these:

   • Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server
   • Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server
4. Indeed, life is easy again:

Add data source view

We have data source in place, it's now time to add a data source view. Let's not waste a single second and get on to it!

1. Start by right-clicking on Data Source Views and then choosing New Data Source View...:
2. Select the previously created data source and click Next:
3. Ignore the Name Matching window and click Next.
4. Add the tables you will use in your SSAS cube:
   For cube dimensions, consider creating a Virtual Table in the Data Gateway's data source. Use the DISTINCT keyword in the SELECT statement to get unique values from the facts table, like this:

   SELECT DISTINCT Country FROM Customers

   For demonstration purposes we are using sample tables which may not be available in Asana.
5. Review your data source view and click Finish:
6. Add the missing table relationships and you're done!

Create cube

We have a data source view ready to be used by our cube. Let's create one!

1. Start by right-clicking on Cubes and selecting New Cube... menu item:
2. Select tables you will use for the measures:
3. And then select the measures themselves:
4. Don't stop and select the dimensions too:
5. Move along and click Finish before the final steps:
6. Review your cube before processing it:
7. It's time for the grand finale! Hit Process... to create the cube:
8. A splendid success!

Execute MDX query

The cube is created and processed. It's time to reap what we sow! Just execute an MDX query and get Asana data in your SSAS cube:

Advanced topics

Create Custom Stored Procedure in ZappySys Driver

You can create procedures to encapsulate custom logic and then only pass handful parameters rather than long SQL to execute your API call.

Steps to create Custom Stored Procedure in ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders anywhere inside Procedure Body. Read more about placeholders here

1. Go to Custom Objects Tab and Click on Add button and Select Add Procedure:
   

2. Enter the desired Procedure name and click on OK:
   

3. Select the created Stored Procedure and write the your desired stored procedure and Save it and it will create the custom stored procedure in the ZappySys Driver:
   Here is an example stored procedure for ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders anywhere inside Procedure Body. Read more about placeholders here
   

   CREATE PROCEDURE [usp_get_orders]
       @fromdate = '<<yyyy-MM-dd,FUN_TODAY>>'
    AS
       SELECT * FROM Orders where OrderDate >= '<@fromdate>';
   

   
   

4. That's it now go to Preview Tab and Execute your Stored Procedure using Exec Command. In this example it will extract the orders from the date 1996-01-01:
   

   Exec usp_get_orders '1996-01-01';

   
   

5. Let's generate the SQL Server Query Code to make the API call using stored procedure. Go to Code Generator Tab, select language as SQL Server and click on Generate button the generate the code.
   As we already created the linked server for this Data Source, in that you just need to copy the Select Query and need to use the linked server name which we have apply on the place of [MY_API_SERVICE] placeholder.
   

   SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([MY_API_SERVICE], 'EXEC usp_get_orders @fromdate=''1996-07-30''')

   
   

6. Now go to SQL served and execute that query and it will make the API call using stored procedure and provide you the response.
   

Create Custom Virtual Table in ZappySys Driver

ZappySys API Drivers support flexible Query language so you can override Default Properties you configured on Data Source such as URL, Body. This way you don't have to create multiple Data Sources if you like to read data from multiple EndPoints. However not every application support supplying custom SQL to driver so you can only select Table from list returned from driver.

If you're dealing with Microsoft Access and need to import data from an SQL query, it's important to note that Access doesn't allow direct import of SQL queries. Instead, you can create custom objects (Virtual Tables) to handle the import process.

Many applications like MS Access, Informatica Designer wont give you option to specify custom SQL when you import Objects. In such case Virtual Table is very useful. You can create many Virtual Tables on the same Data Source (e.g. If you have 50 URLs with slight variations you can create virtual tables with just URL as Parameter setting.

1. Go to Custom Objects Tab and Click on Add button and Select Add Table:
   

2. Enter the desired Table name and click on OK:
   

3. And it will open the New Query Window Click on Cancel to close that window and go to Custom Objects Tab.

4. Select the created table, Select Text Type AS SQL and write the your desired SQL Query and Save it and it will create the custom table in the ZappySys Driver:
   Here is an example SQL query for ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders also. Read more about placeholders here
   

   SELECT
     "ShipCountry",
     "OrderID",
     "CustomerID",
     "EmployeeID",
     "OrderDate",
     "RequiredDate",
     "ShippedDate",
     "ShipVia",
     "Freight",
     "ShipName",
     "ShipAddress",
     "ShipCity",
     "ShipRegion",
     "ShipPostalCode"
   FROM "Orders"
   Where "ShipCountry"='USA'

   
   

5. That's it now go to Preview Tab and Execute your custom virtual table query. In this example it will extract the orders for the USA Shipping Country only:
   

   SELECT * FROM "vt__usa_orders_only"

   
   

6. Let's generate the SQL Server Query Code to make the API call using stored procedure. Go to Code Generator Tab, select language as SQL Server and click on Generate button the generate the code.
   As we already created the linked server for this Data Source, in that you just need to copy the Select Query and need to use the linked server name which we have apply on the place of [MY_API_SERVICE] placeholder.
   

   SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([MY_API_SERVICE], 'EXEC [usp_get_orders] ''1996-01-01''')

   
   

7. Now go to SQL served and execute that query and it will make the API call using stored procedure and provide you the response.
   

Actions supported by Asana Connector

Asana Connector Examples for SSAS Connection

This page offers a collection of SQL examples designed for seamless integration with the ZappySys API ODBC Driver under ODBC Data Source (36/64) or ZappySys Data Gateway, enhancing your ability to connect and interact with Prebuilt Connectors effectively.

SELECT * FROM Workspaces

SELECT * FROM Projects

SELECT * FROM Tasks

SELECT * FROM Tasks WITH (ProjectId='1200652735638082')

SELECT * FROM download_attachment 
WITH (
   AttachmentId='1208216218258030'
 , TargetFilePath='c:\temp\1208216218258030_AWS-refund-request.png' 
 , FileOverwriteMode=0 --0=AlwaysOverwrite, 1=FailIfExists, 2=SkipIfExists
)

SELECT * FROM download_attachments
WITH (
   ParentId='1206673375982078' --Id of Task , Project or ProjectBrief
 , SaveFolder='c:\temp' 
 , OverwriteFile=1
)

SELECT * FROM Portfolios WITH(OwnerId='1200442904128317')

SELECT * FROM Portfolios WITH(OwnerId='1200442904128317', WorkspaceId='1200442900140748')

SELECT * FROM Goals WITH(Project='1206673375982078')

SELECT * FROM Goals WITH(Workspace='1200442900140748')

SELECT * FROM Goals WITH(Team='1200442900140748')

SELECT * FROM Memberships WITH(ProjectId=1206673375982078)

SELECT * FROM Memberships WITH(PortfolioId=1206673375982077)

SELECT * FROM TimeTrackingEntries WITH(TaskId=1207150837043133)

Conclusion

In this article we discussed how to connect to Asana in SSAS and integrate data without any coding. Click here to Download Asana Connector for SSAS and try yourself see how easy it is. If you still have any question(s) then ask here or simply click on live chat icon below and ask our expert (see bottom-right corner of this page).

Download Asana Connector for SSAS Documentation 

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Build your own Custom API Connector

Download Asana Connector for SSAS Documentation

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