Azure DevOps Connector for Azure Data Factory (Pipeline)

Azure DevOps Connector can be used to integrate Azure DevOps data in your App / BI Tools. You can create, read, query, modify, and delete WorkItems, Projects, Teams and more.

In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate Azure DevOps data in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) without coding. We will use high-performance Azure DevOps Connector to easily connect to Azure DevOps and then access the data inside Azure Data Factory (Pipeline).

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 Azure DevOps using Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from Azure DevOps. We will later be able to read data using Azure Data Factory (Pipeline). 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.
    Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) uses a Service Account, when a solution is deployed to production environment, therefore for production environment you have to create and use a System DSN.
  4. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Azure DevOps" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Azure DevOps" 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:

    AzureDevopsDSN
    Azure DevOps
    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 Azure DevOps credentials
    Connecting to your Azure DevOps data requires you to authenticate your REST API access. Follow the instructions below:
    1. Go to https://app.vsaex.visualstudio.com/app/register to register your app.
    2. Fill in your application and company's information as required, and then select the scopes that your application needs. This should typically be Project and team (read and write) and Work items (read and write).
      Your selected scopes when registering your app must match the scopes you enter here on the connector screen. If they don't match, the connector will not be able to work with your Azure DevOps account!
      If you need further information about the scopes used in Azure DevOps, or need to see what to enter into the connector screen to match up with your selected scopes, visit https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/integrate/get-started/authentication/oauth?view=azure-devops.
      Create OAuth application in Azure DevOps

      NOTE: For Authorization callback URL use your company's OAuth Redirect URL (if IT administrator provides you one) or you can use https://zappysys.com/oauth (it's safe).

    3. Select Create Application and then the Application Settings page will be displayed.
    4. Record the App ID for us to use later: Copy App ID in Azure DevOps
    5. And do the same with Client Secret: Use Client Secret to read Azure DevOps REST API data
    6. Then go to https://aex.dev.azure.com and select relevant organization on the left.
    7. Then copy Organization's host name part (e.g. acmeinc, if full host name is acmeinc.visualstudio.com), save it to a file, and click it: Copy Organization Host in Azure DevOps
    8. Back at the connector screen, enter the App ID into the Client Id (App ID) field that was recorded in the previous step.
    9. Enter the Client Secret that was recorded in the previous step into the Client Secret field. In order to edit the text in this field, select the ellipses (...) button that appears when the textbox is clicked, and edit the Client Secret with the dialog box that appears.
    10. Enter the organization that was recorded in step 5 into the Organization name or Id for url field.
    11. Click Generate Token. If proper authentication occurs, you will see a notice saying so. You can click Yes to save a backup file of your generated tokens.
    12. Select the project you want to connect to by default from the Default Project (Choose after Generating Token) field.
    13. Select the Security tab.
    14. Enter https://auditservice.dev.azure.com,https://almsearch.dev.azure.com into the Additional Trusted Domains field.
    15. Select the Test Connection button at the bottom of the window to verify proper connectivity with your Azure DevOps account.
    16. If the connection test succeeds, select OK.
    17. To edit previously created app you can visit https://app.vsaex.visualstudio.com/me and see Applications and services section. Click on your desired app name.

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

    AzureDevopsDSN
    Azure DevOps
    OAuth [OAuth]
    https://dev.azure.com
    Required Parameters
    Client Id (App ID) Fill-in the parameter...
    Client Secret Fill-in the parameter...
    Organization name or Id for url (e.g. mycompany) Fill-in the parameter...
    Return URL Fill-in the parameter...
    Scopes (Must match with App Registration) Fill-in the parameter...
    API Version Fill-in the parameter...
    Optional Parameters
    Default Project Name (Choose after Generating Token)
    RetryMode RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
    RetryStatusCodeList 429
    RetryCountMax 5
    RetryMultiplyWaitTime True
    ODBC DSN Oauth Connection Configuration
    Steps how to get and use Azure DevOps credentials
    To connect to Azure DevOps using a Personal Access Token (PAT), you must first create a valid PAT:
    1. Start by by going to https://aex.dev.azure.com and selecting relevant organization on the left.
    2. Then copy Organization's host name part (e.g. acmeinc, if full host name is acmeinc.visualstudio.com), save it to a file, and click it: Copy Organization Host in Azure DevOps
    3. Next, click User settings icon and then click Personal access tokens: Click User Settings icon in Azure DevOps
    4. Then click New Token button to create a new personal access token: Create new token in Azure DevOps
    5. Continue by...
      • naming your token
      • selecting the right Organization
      • setting token's Expiration date (it's recommended to use Custom defined option and make it expire after one year or later)
      • and setting the Scopes:
      Finish creating token in Azure DevOps

      NOTE: You may be restricted from creating full-scoped PATs. If so, your Azure DevOps administrator in Azure AD has enabled a policy which limits you to a specific custom defined set of scopes.

    6. Now click Copy button and save the newly created token into a file for quick access later: Use Azure DevOps token to read REST API data
    7. Go back to the connector screen, input the token you saved in a previous step into the Personal Access Token (PAT) field.
    8. Then enter the Organization host name part that you noted recorded in previous step into Organization name or Id for url field.
    9. Enter the name or Id of the project you want to connect to by default in the Default Project (Choose after above fields) field.
    10. Select the Security tab.
    11. Enter https://auditservice.dev.azure.com,https://almsearch.dev.azure.com,https://analytics.dev.azure.com into the Additional Trusted Domains field.
    12. Select the Test Connection button at the bottom of the window to verify proper connectivity with your Azure DevOps account.
    13. Done!

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

    AzureDevopsDSN
    Azure DevOps
    Personal Access Token (PAT) [Http]
    https://dev.azure.com
    Required Parameters
    Personal Access Token (PAT) Fill-in the parameter...
    Organization name or Id for url Fill-in the parameter...
    API Version Fill-in the parameter...
    Optional Parameters
    AuthScheme Bearer
    AuthHeader Authorization
    UserName
    Default Project Name (Choose after Generating Token)
    RetryMode RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
    RetryStatusCodeList 429
    RetryCountMax 5
    RetryMultiplyWaitTime True
    ODBC DSN HTTP 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 - Azure DevOps
    Azure DevOps Connector can be used to integrate Azure DevOps data in your App / BI Tools. You can create, read, query, modify, and delete WorkItems, Projects, Teams and more.
    AzureDevopsDSN
    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 Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) to retrieve data from Azure DevOps. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.

    SELECT * FROM Projects
    Configure table/endpoint parameters in ODBC data source based on API Driver
    Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Azure DevOps 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 Azure Data Factory (Pipeline):

    ZappySys API Driver - Azure DevOps
    Azure DevOps Connector can be used to integrate Azure DevOps data in your App / BI Tools. You can create, read, query, modify, and delete WorkItems, Projects, Teams and more.
    AzureDevopsDSN
    SELECT * FROM Projects
    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 Azure DevOps 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 Azure DevOps servers).
  9. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Read data in Azure Data Factory (ADF) from ODBC datasource (Azure DevOps)

  1. To start press New button:

    Create new Self-Hosted integration runtime
  2. Select "Azure, Self-Hosted" option:

    Create new Self-Hosted integration runtime
  3. Select "Self-Hosted" option:

    Create new Self-Hosted integration runtime
  4. Set a name, we will use "OnPremisesRuntime":

    Set a name for IR
  5. Download and install Microsoft Integration Runtime.

  6. Launch Integration Runtime and copy/paste Authentication Key from Integration Runtime configuration in Azure Portal:

    Copy/paste Authentication Key
  7. After finishing registering the Integration Runtime node, you should see a similar view:

    Check Integration Runtime node status
  8. Go back to Azure Portal and finish adding new Integration Runtime. You should see it was successfully added:

    Integration Runtime status
  9. Go to Linked services section and create a new Linked service based on ODBC:

    Add new Linked service
  10. Select "ODBC" service:

    Add new ODBC service
  11. Configure new ODBC service. Use the same DSN name we used in the previous step and copy it to Connection string box:

    AzureDevopsDSN
    DSN=AzureDevopsDSN
    Configure new ODBC service
  12. For created ODBC service create ODBC-based dataset:

    Add new ODBC dataset
  13. Go to your pipeline and add Copy data connector into the flow. In Source section use OdbcDataset we created as a source dataset:

    Set source in Copy data
  14. Then go to Sink section and select a destination/sink dataset. In this example we use precreated AzureBlobStorageDataset which saves data into an Azure Blob:

    Set sink in Copy data
  15. Finally, run the pipeline and see data being transferred from OdbcDataset to your destination dataset:

    Run the flow

Actions supported by Azure DevOps Connector

Learn how to perform common Azure DevOps actions directly in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) with these how-to guides:

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Azure DevOps in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) 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 Azure DevOps, but to any Java application that supports JDBC (just use a different JDBC driver and configure it appropriately).

We encourage you to download Azure DevOps Connector for Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) 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 Azure DevOps Connector for Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) Documentation

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