Reading data in an ODBC application

In this section we will learn how to configure and use Azure DevOps Connector in the API Driver to extract data from the Azure DevOps.

Create data source using Azure DevOps ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Azure DevOps using , we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in . 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):

   

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

   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 "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

   

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.

   User Credentials

   Azure DevOps authentication

   Delegated access using OAuth authorization code flow. Users sign in with their Azure AD account. [API reference]

   Follow these simple steps below to create Microsoft Entra ID application with delegated access:

   WARNING: To automate your company's processes, make sure you use a system/generic account (e.g. automation@my-company.com). When you use a personal account which is tied to a specific employee profile and that employee leaves the company, the token may become invalid and any automated processes using that token will start to fail.

   1. Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
   2. Access Microsoft Entra ID.
   3. Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
      INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
   4. When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
      • Supported account type
        • Use Accounts in this organizational directory only, if you need access to data in your organization only.
      • Redirect URI:
        • Set the type to Public client/native (mobile & desktop).
        • Use https://zappysys.com/oauth as the URL.
      
   5. After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
   6. Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs to use later in the configuration:
   7. Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in User Credentials authentication configuration:
      • In the Authorization URL field paste the OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
      • In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
      • In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
      • In the Scope field use the default value or select individual scopes, e.g.:
        • vso.project
        • vso.work_full
   8. Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.
   9. Optional step. Choose Default Drive Id from the drop down menu.
   10. Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
   11. Done! Now you are ready to use the API Connector!

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to User Credentials [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:

   AzureDevopsDSN

   Azure DevOps

   User Credentials [OAuth]

   https://dev.azure.com

   Required Parameters
   Authorization URL	Fill-in the parameter...
   Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
   Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
   Organization name or Id (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
   Client Secret
   Refresh Token File Path
   Default Project Name (Choose after Generating Token)
   RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
   RetryStatusCodeList	429
   RetryCountMax	5
   RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

   

   Azure App Credentials

   Azure DevOps authentication

   Use Azure AD service principal credentials (client id + secret) with the client credentials flow. Recommended for automated server-to-server access instead of PAT or delegated OAuth. [API reference]

   Step 1: Register the App in Microsoft Entra ID (AAD)

   1. Go to the Azure Portal > Microsoft Entra ID > App registrations and click New registration:
   2. Name it (e.g., ZS-AzureDevOps-AppCred).
   3. Set Supported account types to "Accounts in this organizational directory only" (Single Tenant):
   4. Leave Redirect URI blank (it's not used for Client Credentials).
   5. Click Register.

   Step 2: Create a Client Secret

   1. In your new app, go to Certificates & secrets.
   2. Click New client secret, give it a name, and set an expiration.
   3. Copy the Secret Value immediately. You will never see it again once you leave the page:

   Step 3: Set Permissions and Admin Consent

   1. Go to API permissions > Add a permission.
   2. Select Azure DevOps and click Delegated permissions.
   3. Check the necessary scopes (e.g., vso.project, vso.work_full).
   4. Crucial: Click Grant admin consent for [Your Tenant]. Without this, the app cannot authenticate in the background.

   Step 4: Map the App to Azure DevOps Organization

   1. Copy your Application (client) ID from the App Overview page.
   2. Go to your Azure DevOps Organization Settings > Users.
   3. Click Add users, paste the Application (client) ID in the search box, and select the App.
   4. Assign an Access level (usually Basic) and add it to the relevant Projects.

   Step 5: Connection Settings

   In your SSIS package or ODBC data source, use the following in the App Credentials configuration:

   • In the Token URL field, paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL from the Azure Portal 'Endpoints' tab.
   • In the Client ID field, paste the Application (client) ID.
   • In the Client Secret field, paste the Secret Value copied in Step 2.
   • In the Scope field, use: https://app.vssps.visualstudio.com/.default

   Step 6: Finalize Connection

   1. Press Generate Token button to fetch the token using the Client Secret.
   2. Click Test Connection to confirm the setup.
   3. Done! You are ready to use the API Connector!

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to Azure App Credentials [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. Finally, hit OK button:

   AzureDevopsDSN

   Azure DevOps

   Azure App Credentials [OAuth]

   https://dev.azure.com

   Required Parameters
   Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
   Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
   Client Secret	Fill-in the parameter...
   Scopes (Use .default for App Credentials)	Fill-in the parameter...
   Organization name or Id	Fill-in the parameter...
   API Version	Fill-in the parameter...
   Optional Parameters
   Default Project Name
   RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
   RetryStatusCodeList	429
   RetryCountMax	5
   RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

   

   Azure App Credentials with Certificate (Sign JWT with Private Key)

   Azure DevOps authentication

   Same as Application Credentials but uses a client certificate instead of a secret. [API reference]

   Step 1: Register the App in Microsoft Entra ID (AAD)

   1. Go to the Azure Portal > Microsoft Entra ID > App registrations and click New registration:
   2. Name it (e.g., ZS-AzureDevOps-CertAuth).
   3. Set Supported account types to "Accounts in this organizational directory only" (Single Tenant):
   4. Leave Redirect URI blank (it's not used for Client Credentials flows).
   5. Click Register.

   Step 2: Upload Client Certificate

   1. In your new app, go to Certificates & secrets.
   2. Click the Certificates tab, then click Upload certificate.
   3. Upload your public key certificate (.cer, .pem, or .crt). Keep the private key secure on your system.
   4. Copy the Thumbprint for your configuration:

   Step 3: Set Permissions and Admin Consent

   1. Go to API permissions > Add a permission.
   2. Select Azure DevOps and click Delegated permissions.
   3. Select the required scopes (e.g., vso.project, vso.work_full).
   4. Crucial: Click Grant admin consent for [Your Tenant]. Without this, the background service cannot acquire a token.

   Step 4: Map the App to Azure DevOps Organization

   1. Copy your Application (client) ID from the App Overview page.
   2. Go to your Azure DevOps Organization Settings > Users.
   3. Click Add users and paste the Application (client) ID in the search box to find the App.
   4. Assign an Access level (usually Basic) and add it to the relevant Projects.

   Step 5: Connection Settings

   In your SSIS package or ODBC data source, use the following in the Client Certificate configuration:

   • In the Token URL field, paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL from the Azure Portal 'Endpoints' tab.
   • In the Client ID field, paste the Application (client) ID.
   • Configure your Certificate Path or Thumbprint in the Client Certificate tab of the connector.
   • In the Scope field, use: https://app.vssps.visualstudio.com/.default

   Step 6: Finalize Connection

   1. Press Generate Token. The connector will sign the request using your certificate to fetch a token.
   2. Click Test Connection to confirm the setup.
   3. Done! Your certificate-based connection is ready!

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to Azure App Credentials with Certificate (Sign JWT with Private Key) [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. Finally, hit OK button:

   AzureDevopsDSN

   Azure DevOps

   Azure App Credentials with Certificate (Sign JWT with Private Key) [OAuth]

   https://dev.azure.com

   Required Parameters
   Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
   Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
   Certificate: *** Configure [Client Certificate] Tab ***	Fill-in the parameter...
   Scopes (Must match with App Registration)	Fill-in the parameter...
   Organization name or Id	Fill-in the parameter...
   API Version	Fill-in the parameter...
   Optional Parameters
   Default Project Name
   RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
   RetryStatusCodeList	429
   RetryCountMax	5
   RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

   

   (Cloud) OAuth App - User Credentials (DEPRECATED)

   Azure DevOps authentication

   **DEPRECATED:** this OAuth-based user credential flow is legacy; for new integrations prefer the Azure App Credentials options below. 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.
      

      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:
   5. And do the same with Client Secret:
   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:
   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.

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to (Cloud) OAuth App - User Credentials (DEPRECATED) [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:

   AzureDevopsDSN

   Azure DevOps

   (Cloud) OAuth App - User Credentials (DEPRECATED) [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 (e.g. mycompany)	Fill-in the parameter...
   Return URL	Fill-in the parameter...
   Scopes (Use .default for App Credentials)	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

   

   (Cloud) Personal Access Token (PAT) (DEPRECATED)

   Azure DevOps authentication

   **DEPRECATED:** Personal Access Tokens are still supported but the new Azure App Credentials auth is recommended for security and automation. To connect to Azure DevOps using a Personal Access Token (PAT), you must first create a valid PAT:

   1. Start 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:
   3. Next, click User settings icon and then click Personal access tokens:
   4. Then click New Token button to create a new personal access token:
   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:
      

      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:
   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!

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to (Cloud) Personal Access Token (PAT) (DEPRECATED) [Http]
   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. Finally, hit OK button:

   AzureDevopsDSN

   Azure DevOps

   (Cloud) Personal Access Token (PAT) (DEPRECATED) [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
   Default Project Name
   RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
   RetryStatusCodeList	429
   RetryCountMax	5
   RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

   

   (On-Premises) Personal Access Token (PAT) (DEPRECATED)

   Azure DevOps authentication

   **DEPRECATED:** On-premises PAT method is legacy; consider Azure App Credentials if your server supports Azure AD apps. To connect to Azure DevOps On-Premises Server using a Personal Access Token (PAT), you must first create a valid PAT:

   1. Start by navigating to your on-premises Azure DevOps Server URL.
      NOTE: The screenshots shown below are from the cloud version, so your interface may look slightly different depending on which on-premises Azure DevOps Server version you’re using — however, the overall concepts and steps are very similar between the cloud and on-premises editions.
   2. Now open any project and capture Collection Name from the URL. For example if your URL is

      https://tfs.mycompany.local/tfs/MyCollection/MyProject/

      then your collection name is MyCollection usually after /tfs/. Copy this collection name and later we will enter on Connection UI.
   3. Next, click User settings icon and then click Personal access tokens:
   4. Then click New Token button to create a new personal access token:
   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:
      

      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:
   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!

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to (On-Premises) Personal Access Token (PAT) (DEPRECATED) [Http]
   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. Finally, hit OK button:

   AzureDevopsDSN

   Azure DevOps

   (On-Premises) Personal Access Token (PAT) (DEPRECATED) [Http]

   https://dev.azure.com

   Required Parameters
   Personal Access Token (PAT)	Fill-in the parameter...
   Collection name (e.g. MyCollection)	Fill-in the parameter...
   API Version	Fill-in the parameter...
   Optional Parameters
   AuthScheme	Bearer
   AuthHeader	Authorization
   Default Project Name
   RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
   RetryStatusCodeList	429
   RetryCountMax	5
   RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

   

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

   Read and write Azure DevOps (Cloud or On-Premises) data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate work items, projects, and teams — almost no coding required.

   AzureDevopsDSN

   

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 to retrieve data from Azure DevOps. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.

   SELECT * FROM WorkItems

   
   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 :

   

   ZappySys API Driver - Azure DevOps

   Read and write Azure DevOps (Cloud or On-Premises) data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate work items, projects, and teams — almost no coding required.

   AzureDevopsDSN

   SELECT * FROM WorkItems

   
   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

Reading Azure DevOps data from client application

1. Firstly, to get data from ODBC data source based on ZappySys ODBC driver, in your client application, you would need to connect to ODBC source and then from the list select the data source.

2. Finally, to read the data just read tables/views in your app or enter a SQL statement to extract data, e.g.:

   SELECT * FROM WorkItems

Azure DevOps Connector Examples

The ZappySys API Driver is a user-friendly interface designed to facilitate the seamless integration of various applications with the Azure DevOps API. With its intuitive design and robust functionality, the ZappySys API Driver simplifies the process of configuring specific API endpoints to efficiently read or write data from Azure DevOps.

Click here to find more Azure DevOps Connector 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.

Consume Data inside your App / Programming Language

ODBC inside ETL / Reporting / BI Tools

• Power BI
• Tableau
• Excel
• Informatica PowerCenter
• QlikView
• SQL Server / Linked Server
• SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services)

ODBC inside Programming Languages

• C# (CSharp)
• JAVA
• PHP
• PowerShell
• Python
• T-SQL / SQL Server Linked Server

Key features of the ZappySys API Driver include:

The API ODBC driver facilitates the reading and writing of data from numerous popular online services (refer to the complete list here) using familiar SQL language without learning complexity of REST API calls. The driver allows querying nested structure and output as a flat table. You can also create your own ODBC / Data Gateway API connector file and use it with this driver.

1. Intuitive Configuration: The interface is designed to be user-friendly, enabling users to easily set up the specific API endpoints within Azure DevOps without requiring extensive technical expertise or programming knowledge.

2. Customizable Endpoint Setup: Users can conveniently configure the API endpoint settings, including the HTTP request method, endpoint URL, and any necessary parameters, to precisely target the desired data within Azure DevOps.

3. Data Manipulation Capabilities: The ZappySys API Driver allows for seamless data retrieval and writing, enabling users to fetch data from Azure DevOps and perform various data manipulation operations as needed, all through an intuitive and straightforward interface.

4. Secure Authentication Integration: The driver provides secure authentication integration, allowing users to securely connect to the Azure DevOps API by inputting the necessary authentication credentials, such as API tokens or other authentication keys.

5. Error Handling Support: The interface is equipped with comprehensive error handling support, ensuring that any errors or exceptions encountered during the data retrieval or writing process are efficiently managed and appropriately communicated to users for prompt resolution.

6. Data Visualization and Reporting: The ZappySys API Driver facilitates the seamless processing and presentation of the retrieved data from Azure DevOps, enabling users to generate comprehensive reports and visualizations for further analysis and decision-making purposes.

Overall, the ZappySys API Driver serves as a powerful tool for streamlining the integration of applications with Azure DevOps, providing users with a convenient and efficient way to access and manage data, all through a user-friendly and intuitive interface.