Gmail Connector for Azure Data Factory (Pipeline)

Read / search Gmail messages, download attachments, send mail and more using Gmail REST API.

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

Gmail 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 Gmail using Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from Gmail. 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 "Gmail" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Gmail" 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:

GmailDSN

Gmail

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 Account

Gmail authentication

To make this work you will have to create a Google Cloud project. This project forms the basis for creating, enabling, and using all Google Cloud services, including managing APIs, enabling billing, adding and removing collaborators, and managing permissions.

Go to the Google Cloud Console
In the Google Cloud console, go to menu IAM & Admin, and then Create a Project.
Enter the name of the new project into the Project Name field and select the appropriate organization, then click Create.
The console navigates to the Dashboard page and your project is created within a few minutes.
In the Google Cloud console, go to menu More products, Google Workspace, and then Product Library.
Now we need to enable the Gmail API.
Search for Gmail API. Select it and then click ENABLE.
Select the Credentials tab on the left side of the screen.
Select the + CREATE CREDENTIALS link to reveal a drop down menu.
In the dropdown menu, select OAuth client ID.
If presented, click the CONFIGURE CONSENT SCREEN button and then elect the appropriate User Type based on your business needs. Otherwise, continue to step 16.
In the OAuth consent screen tab fill in your app's website and domain information, and then click SAVE AND CONTINUE.
In the Scopes section of the app registration, click ADD OR REMOVE SCOPES and add the following scopes:
- openid
- https://mail.google.com/
- https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.email
- https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.profile
- https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.labels
- https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.send
- https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.modify
- https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.compose
- https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly
After the scopes have been added, click SAVE AND CONTINUE.
Complete the wizard setting up scopes.
Select the Credentials tab on the left side of the screen.
Select the + CREATE CREDENTIALS link to reveal a drop down menu.
In the dropdown menu, select OAuth client ID.
In the Application type drop down, select Desktop application and then give your app client a name.
Select the CREATE button.
A popup window will appear that provides important information you should record for your records:
- Client ID
- Client secret
And then click OK.
Go to OAuth Consent Screen tab. Under Publishing Status click PUBLISH APP to ensure your refresh token doesnt expire often. If you planning to use App for Private use then do not have to worry about Verification Status after Publish.
Back to Connection UI, Enter the client ID and client secret into the required parameters.

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to User Account [OAuth]
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.
Press Generate Token button to generate the tokens.
Finally, hit OK button:

GmailDSN

Gmail

User Account [OAuth]

https://gmail.googleapis.com/

Required Parameters
UseCustomApp	Fill-in the parameter...
Authorization URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Default API Version	Fill-in the parameter...
Default User Id	Fill-in the parameter...
Scope	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
Client Id
Client Secret
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True
Redirect URL (Only for Web App)

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 - Gmail

Read / search Gmail messages, download attachments, send mail and more using Gmail REST API.

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

Read / search Gmail messages, download attachments, send mail and more using Gmail REST API.

GmailDSN
```
SELECT * FROM Messages
```
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 Gmail 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 Gmail servers).
Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

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

To start press New button:
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:
Go to Linked services section and 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:

GmailDSN

DSN=GmailDSN
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:

Actions supported by Gmail Connector

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

Conclusion

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

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