Azure Blob JSON File Connector for UiPath

Azure Blob JSON File Connector can be used to read JSON Files stored in Azure Blob Container. Using this you can easily integrate Azure Blob Storage JSON File data. It's supports latest security standards, and optimized for large data files. It also supports reading compressed files (e.g. GZip /Zip).

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

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

Download Documentation

Azure Blob JSON File Connector for UiPath is based on ZappySys Azure Blob JSON Driver which is part of ODBC PowerPack. It is a collection of high-performance ODBC drivers that enable you to integrate data in SQL Server, SSIS, a programming language, or any other ODBC-compatible application. ODBC PowerPack supports various file formats, sources and destinations, including REST/SOAP API, SFTP/FTP, storage services, and plain files, to mention a few.

Create ODBC Data Source (DSN) based on ZappySys Azure Blob JSON Driver

Step-by-step instructions

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

Download and install ODBC PowerPack.
Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):
Create a User data source (User DSN) based on ZappySys Azure Blob JSON Driver:

ZappySys Azure Blob JSON 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.
Create and configure a connection for the Azure Blob storage account.
You can use select your desired single file by clicking [...] path button.

mybucket/dbo.tblNames.json

dbo.tblNames.json

----------OR----------
You can also read the multiple files stored in Azure Blob Storage using wildcard pattern supported e.g. dbo.tblNames*.json.
```
Note: If you want to operation with multiple files then use wild card pattern as below 
(when you use wild card pattern in source path then system will treat target path as folder regardless you end with slash)

mybucket/dbo.tblNames.json (will read only single .JSON file)
mybucket/dbo.tbl*.json (all files starting with file name)
mybucket/*.json (all files with .json Extension and located under folder subfolder)
```
mybucket/dbo.tblNames*.json

----------OR----------
You can also read the zip and gzip compressed files also without extracting it in using Azure Blob JSON Source File Task.

mybucket/dbo.tblNames*.gz
Now select/enter Path expression in Path textbox to extract only specific part of JSON string as below ($.value[*] will get content of value attribute from JSON document. Value attribute is array of JSON documents so we have to use [*] to indicate we want all records of that array)

NOTE: Here, We are using our desired filter, but you need to select your desired filter based on your requirement.
Go to Preview Tab.
Navigate to the Preview Tab and let's explore the different modes available to access the data.
1. --- Using Direct Query ---
  Click on Preview Tab, Select Table from Tables Dropdown and select [value] and click Preview.
2. --- Using Stored Procedure ---
  
  Note : For this you have to Save ODBC Driver configuration and then again reopen to configure same driver. For more information click here.
  Click on the Custom Objects Tab, Click on Add button and select Add Procedure and Enter an appropriate name and Click on OK button to create.
  1. --- Without Parameters ---
    Now Stored Procedure can be created with or without parameters (see example below). If you use parameters then Set default value otherwise it may fail to compilation)
  2. --- With Parameters ---
    
    Note : Here you can use Placeholder with Paramters in Stored Procedure. Example : SELECT * FROM $ WHERE OrderID = '<@OrderID, FUN_TRIM>' or CustId = '<@CustId>' and Total >= '<@Total>'
3. --- Using Virtual Table ---
  
  Note : For this you have to Save ODBC Driver configuration and then again reopen to configure same driver. For more information click here.
  
  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.
  
  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 Buckets with slight variations you can create virtual tables with just URL as Parameter setting).
```
vt__Customers
DataPath=mybucket_1/customers.json

vt__Orders
DataPath=mybucket_2/orders.json

vt__Products
DataPath=mybucket_3/products.json
```
  1. Click on the Custom Objects Tab, Click on Add button and select Add Table and Enter an appropriate name and Click on OK button to create.
  2. Once you see Query Builder Window on screen Configure it.
  3. Click on Preview Tab, Select Virtual Table(prefix with vt__) from Tables Dropdown or write SQL query with Virtual Table name and click Preview.
Click OK to finish creating the data source
That's it; we are done. In a few clicks we configured the to Read the Azure Blob JSON File data using ZappySys Azure Blob JSON File Connector

Read Azure Blob JSON File data in UiPath Studio (workstation)

Here we will be reading Azure Blob JSON File data on your workstation. To accomplish that we will create and run UiPath process package locally. Later on, we'll explore how to publish the package to Orchestrator and run it remotely. For now, let's focus on working locally and get started!

Open UiPath Studio.
Before we really begin the work, make sure UiPath Studio is set as your profile (blue application icon).
In case, it is set to UiPath StudioX, you can change it in UiPath StudioX Settings:

Simply select UiPath Studio option:
Start by creating a new project based on UiPath Process template:
Add Run Query activity in Main Sequence box:
Click Configure Connection... button to create an ODBC connection:
Continue by clicking Connection Wizard:
When the window opens, select ODBC-based driver, provider, and then choose ODBC data source:

AzureBlobJsonFileDSN

AzureBlobJsonFileDSN

You can also select Use connection string option and use whole ODBC connection string instead. Obtain the connection string by pressing Copy Settings button in your data source configuration.
Once you do that, it's time to configure a SQL query:

Make sure, you enclose the query in double quotes!
Proceed by adding a Write CSV activity after Run Query:

In this article we are using Write CSV, but you can freely add any other destination of your choice, e.g. Write DataTable to Excel.
Once you do that, configure the added Write CSV, this will write Azure Blob JSON File data to a CSV file:
It's time for fun! Which means it's time for debugging! Just run the package locally to debug:
Finally, ensure there are no execution errors!

Run UiPath package using Orchestrator (via robot)

UiPath also offers the ability to execute packages remotely using Orchestrator and a robot. This is achieved by publishing the package to UiPath Orchestrator, installing UiPath Assistant on the remote machine, connecting it to Orchestrator, enabling us to run the package remotely. It may sound complicated at first glance, but further steps will clear things out. Let's not waste our precious time and delve into the details!

Publish process package from UiPath Studio

First of all, open the UiPath process package we created in the previous step
Set the option that our process package Starts in Background:
We are ready to Publish it:
Make sure, you publish it to the Shared folder in UiPath Orchestrator Tenant workspace:
Finally, success! We are ready for the next step - creating UiPath robot - so we can automate the job:

Create robot in UiPath Orchestrator

First of all, let's open UiPath Orchestrator from UiPath Automation Cloud console:
It's time to create a robot, which will run unattended packages:
But first we have to create a runtime. Choose to host our robot on-premise, not in UiPath infrastructure:
Let's move along and Create new machine template, this will create a machine in UiPath Orchestrator:
Configure the machine to run in Production environment:
We are ready to Create new robot account in the new machine:
Let's make our robot to work only on background automations:
Continue by selecting newly created robot:
Select Shared folder, so that everyone in the team can benefit from it:
This is the folder where we published our UiPath process package "MyProcess"
We are almost done! We are given machine Client ID and Client secret which we will use to connect UiPath Assistant to our created machine in Orchestrator. Let's leave this open for a while and see how we can do it in the next step.

Connect UiPath Assistant to Orchestrator

We are ready to connect UiPath Assistant to the machine we created in Orchestrator. UiPath Assistant will run our package in a remote machine. Let's connect it and give it some work!

Connect to a remote machine (where your UiPath process package will be running).
Install UiPath Studio there.
Then configure ODBC data source:
If you chose Use user or system data source option in connection configuration, when creating UiPath process package, then create an identical ODBC data source on the same remote machine. Use the same configuration as the one created in your workstation in the first step.

Use Copy Settings and Load Settings buttons to make your life easier. They will help you to transfer settings between different ODBC data sources.

If you chose Use connection string option, then you don't have to do anything. However, you still have to install ODBC PowerPack on the remote machine.
Continue by opening UiPath Assistant and going to Preferences:
Find Orchestrator Settings menu item and click it:
And here even bigger fun begins! But fear not, all you have to do is open your web browser window with Client ID & Client secret we obtained in the previous step and simply copy and paste those values into UiPath Assistant. Also, don't forget to configure Orchestrator URL:
Finally, we get rewarded for the hard work with the Connected as Unattended status:

Create and run UiPath process in Orchestrator

We are at the finish line! Let's create and run UiPath process. This will execute the package on your remote machine using the UiPath Assistant configured earlier.

First of all, open UiPath Orchestrator from UiPath Automation Cloud console.
Then proceed by going to Process in Shared folder:
Continue by simply clicking on Add process button:
Select the process package we created in UiPath Studio:
Rest a while, and just hit Next, unless your package has requirements:
Then simply hit Create button:
But let's not stop here and Start the process by creating a job right away:
Use the same Production runtime we created before and hit Start:
We've reached the final step! In the CSV destination file or destination of your choice you should see Azure Blob JSON File data:

Centralized data access via Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide Azure Blob JSON File 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

If you need any of these requirements, you will have to create a data source in Data Gateway to connect to Azure Blob JSON File, and to create an ODBC data source to connect to Data Gateway in UiPath.

Let's not wait and get going!

Creating Azure Blob JSON File data source in Gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Azure Blob JSON File in Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

Search for gateway in Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:
Go to Users tab and follow these steps to add a Data Gateway user:
- Click Add button
- In Login field enter username, e.g., john
- Then enter a Password
- Check Is Administrator checkbox
- Click OK to save
Now we are ready to add a data source:
- Click Add button
- Give Datasource a name (have it handy for later)
- Then select Native - ZappySys Azure Blob JSON Driver
- Finally, click OK
AzureBlobJsonFileDSN

ZappySys Azure Blob JSON Driver
When the ZappySys Azure Blob JSON Driver configuration window opens, configure the Data Source the same way you configured it in ODBC Data Sources (64-bit), in the beginning of this article.
Very important step. Now, after creating or modifying the data source make sure you:
- Click the Save button to persist your changes.
- Hit Yes, once asked if you want to restart the Data Gateway service.
This will ensure all changes are properly applied:

Skipping this step may result in the new settings not taking effect and, therefore you will not be able to connect to the data source.

Creating ODBC data source for Data Gateway

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

Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):
Create a User data source (User DSN) based on ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server:

ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server

If you don't see ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver in the list, choose a similar version driver.
Then set a Name of the data source (e.g. Gateway) and the address of the Data Gateway:

GatewayDSN

localhost,5000

Make sure you separate the hostname and port with a comma, e.g. localhost,5000.
Proceed with authentication part:
- Select SQL Server authentication
- In Login ID field enter the user name you used in Data Gateway, e.g., john
- Set Password to the one you configured in Data Gateway
Then set the default database property to AzureBlobJsonFileDSN (the one we used in Data Gateway):

AzureBlobJsonFileDSN
Continue by checking Trust server certificate option:
Once you do that, test the connection:
If connection is successful, everything is good:
Done!

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

Accessing data in UiPath via Data Gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from Azure Blob JSON File in UiPath via Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

Go back to UiPath.
Add Run Query activity in Main Sequence box:
Click Configure Connection... button to create an ODBC connection:
Continue by clicking Connection Wizard:
When the window opens, select ODBC-based driver, provider, and then choose ODBC data source:

GatewayDSN

GatewayDSN

You can also select Use connection string option and use whole ODBC connection string instead. Obtain the connection string by pressing Copy Settings button in your data source configuration.
Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.
That's it!

Now you can connect to Azure Blob JSON File data in UiPath via the Data Gateway.

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