FastSpring Connector for Azure Data Factory (Pipeline)

Read / write FastSpring data related to Orders, Subscriptions, Quotes, Products, Accounts and more without coding.

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

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

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FastSpring Connector for Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) is based on ZappySys API 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 API Driver

Step-by-step instructions

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

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

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.
When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "FastSpring" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "FastSpring" 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:

FastspringDSN

FastSpring

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.

API Credentials

FastSpring authentication

Here is how to obtain FastSpring API credentials:

In the FastSpring portal, navigate to Developer Tools > APIs > API Credentials.
Click Create, FastSpring will automatically generate your Username and Password. Copy them, we will need them in the next step:
WARNING: Securely store the credentials for future reference.
Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use this token in API Credentials authentication configuration:
- In the UserName field paste the Username value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Password field paste the Password value you copied in the previous step.
Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
Done! Now you are ready to use FastSpring Connector!

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to API Credentials [Http]
Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
Finally, hit OK button:

FastspringDSN

FastSpring

API Credentials [Http]

https://api.fastspring.com

Required Parameters
UserName	Fill-in the parameter...
Password	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True
Your Webstore URL (Only used by get_products_visibility endpoint)	https://YOUR-STORE.onfastspring.com

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 - FastSpring

Read / write FastSpring data related to Orders, Subscriptions, Quotes, Products, Accounts and more without coding.

FastspringDSN
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 FastSpring. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.
```
SELECT * FROM Orders
```
Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the FastSpring 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.
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 - FastSpring

Read / write FastSpring data related to Orders, Subscriptions, Quotes, Products, Accounts and more without coding.

FastspringDSN
```
SELECT * FROM Orders
```
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 FastSpring 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 FastSpring servers).
Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

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

Sign in to Azure Portal
- Open your browser and go to: https://portal.azure.com
- Enter your Azure credentials and complete MFA if required.
- After login, go to Data factories.
Under Azure Data Factory Resource - Create or select the Data Factory you want to work with.
Inside the Data Factory resource page, click Launch studio.
Create a New Integration Runtime (Self-Hosted):
- In Azure Data Factory Studio, go to the Manage section (left menu).
- Under Connections, select Integration runtimes.
- Click + New to create a new integration runtime.
Select Azure, Self-Hosted option:
Select Self-Hosted option:
Set a name, we will use OnPremisesRuntime:
Download and install Microsoft Integration Runtime.
Launch Integration Runtime and copy/paste Authentication Key from Integration Runtime configuration in Azure Portal:
After finishing registering the Integration Runtime node, you should see a similar view:
Go back to Azure Portal and finish adding new Integration Runtime. You should see it was successfully added:
Create a New Linked service:
- In the Manage section (left menu).
- Under Connections, select Linked services.
- Click + New to create a new Linked service based on ODBC.
Select ODBC service:
Configure new ODBC service. Use the same DSN name we used in the previous step and copy it to Connection string box:

FastspringDSN

DSN=FastspringDSN
For created ODBC service create ODBC-based dataset:
Go to your pipeline and add Copy data connector into the flow. In Source section use OdbcDataset we created as a source dataset:
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:
Finally, run the pipeline and see data being transferred from OdbcDataset to your destination dataset:

Executing SQL queries using Lookup activity

If you need to execute commands in FastSpring instead of retrieving data, use the Lookup activity for that purpose. Use this approach when you want data to be changed on the FastSpring side, but you don't need the data on your side (a "fire-and-forget" scenario).

Perform these simple steps to accomplish that:

Go to your pipeline in Azure Data Factory
Find Lookup activity in the Activities pane
Then drag-and-drop the Lookup activity onto your pipeline canvas
Click Settings tab
Select OdbcDataset in the Source dataset field
Finally, enter your SQL query in the Query text box:

SELECT * FROM get_subscription_report

Configuring Lookup activity in ADF pipeline to perform a command in FastSpring

Centralized data access via Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide FastSpring 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 FastSpring, and to create an ODBC data source to connect to Data Gateway in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline).

Let's not wait and get going!

Creating FastSpring data source in Gateway

In this section we will create a data source for FastSpring 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 API Driver
- Finally, click OK
FastspringDSN

ZappySys API Driver
When the ZappySys API 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 Azure Data Factory (Pipeline). 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 FastspringDSN (the one we used in Data Gateway):

FastspringDSN
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 Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) via Data Gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from FastSpring in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) via Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

Go back to Azure Data Factory (Pipeline).
Create a New Linked service:
- In the Manage section (left menu).
- Under Connections, select Linked services.
- Click + New to create a new Linked service based on ODBC.
Select ODBC service:
Configure new ODBC service. Use the same DSN name we used in the previous step and copy it to Connection string box:

GatewayDSN

DSN=GatewayDSN
Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.
That's it!

Now you can connect to FastSpring data in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) 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.

Actions supported by FastSpring Connector

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

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to FastSpring in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) and integrate data without any coding, saving you time and effort.

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