Create ODBC Data Source (DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Gmail using SAP Crystal Reports we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from Gmail. We will later be able to read data using SAP Crystal Reports. Perform these steps:

1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack.

2. Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):

   

3. 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.

4. 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

   

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 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.

   1. Go to the Google Cloud Console
   2. In the Google Cloud console, go to menu IAM & Admin, and then Create a Project.
   3. Enter the name of the new project into the Project Name field and select the appropriate organization, then click Create.
   4. The console navigates to the Dashboard page and your project is created within a few minutes.
   5. In the Google Cloud console, go to menu More products, Google Workspace, and then Product Library.
   6. Now we need to enable the Gmail API.
   7. Search for Gmail API. Select it and then click ENABLE.
   8. Select the Credentials tab on the left side of the screen.
   9. Select the + CREATE CREDENTIALS link to reveal a drop down menu.
   10. In the dropdown menu, select OAuth client ID.
   11. 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.
   12. In the OAuth consent screen tab fill in your app's website and domain information, and then click SAVE AND CONTINUE.
   13. 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
   14. After the scopes have been added, click SAVE AND CONTINUE.
   15. Complete the wizard setting up scopes.
   16. Select the Credentials tab on the left side of the screen.
   17. Select the + CREATE CREDENTIALS link to reveal a drop down menu.
   18. In the dropdown menu, select OAuth client ID.
   19. In the Application type drop down, select Desktop application and then give your app client a name.
   20. Select the CREATE button.
   21. A popup window will appear that provides important information you should record for your records:
       • Client ID
       • Client secret
       And then click OK.
   22. 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.
   23. 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:

   1. Set Authentication Type to User Account [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:

   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)

   

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 - Gmail

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

   GmailDSN

   

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 SAP Crystal Reports 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.

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 SAP Crystal Reports:

   

   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).

9. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Read data in SAP Crystal Reports from the ODBC data source

1. First of all, open SAP Crystal Reports and create the new Crystal Report.
   

2. And it will open the new data source selection window. Under ODBC(RDO) double click on the Make New Connection and Select the desired ODBC DSN, in our case we need to select GmailDSN which we created in upper section. And Click on Next.
   

   GmailDSN

   

3. Expand the Connection and under the data select the desired table(s) or view(s) and click Add > button and click on Next.
   

   GmailDSN

   GmailDSN

   

4. Add the desired Fields to Display in the Reports. Here we are adding all fields and click on Finish.
   

5. That's it and you will be able to load the data in the Report.
   

Using ZappySys Driver Custom Views and Stored Procedure in SAP Crystal Report

You can create parameterized Stored Procedure and Virtual Tables on the same Data Source (ODBC DSN or Data Gateway Data Source). Please refer to this article for the same. You can create procedures to encapsulate custom logic and then only pass handful parameters rather than long SQL to execute your API call.

Using Custom Views in the SAP Crystal Report

After establishing the connection with GmailDSN Data Source you can use the custom view in SQL Crystal Report.

Using Custom Stored Procedure in the SAP Crystal Report

1. First of all, create the custom stored procedure in the ZappySys Driver. Please refer to this article to create the custom stored procedure.
   
2. After establishing the connection with GmailDSN Data Source you can use the custom Stored Procedure in SQL Crystal Report. Same way you can write custom queries also in the query box.
   GmailDSN

   

Actions supported by Gmail Connector

Learn how to perform common Gmail actions directly in SAP Crystal Reports with these how-to guides:

• Download Message Attachments (With search condition)
• Get a Specific Attachment included in a Specific Message for the Current User
• Get a Specific Message for a Specific User
• Get a Specific Message for the Current User
• Get labels
• Get List of Messages for a Specific User
• Get List of Messages for the Current User
• Get message attachment for user
• Get Message Attachments (With search condition)
• Send a New Message for the specified User
• Make Generic API Request
• Make Generic API Request (Bulk Write)

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Gmail in SAP Crystal Reports and integrate data without any coding, saving you time and effort.

We encourage you to download Gmail Connector for SAP Crystal Reports 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 SAP Crystal Reports Documentation

More integrations

Other connectors for SAP Crystal Reports

Other application integration scenarios for Gmail