Salesforce Connector for PowerShell How to Test Connection

Introduction

In this article we will delve deeper into Salesforce and PowerShell integration, and will learn how to test connection. We are continuing from where we left off. By this time, you must have installed ODBC PowerPack, created ODBC Data Source, and configured authentication settings in your Salesforce account .

So, let's not waste time and begin.

Use Query Builder to generate SQL query

The first thing you have to do is open Query Builder:

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SalesforceDSN
Then simply select the Test Connection endpoint (action).
Continue by configuring the Required parameters. You can also set optional parameters too.
Move on by hitting Preview Data button to preview the results.

If you see the results you need, simply copy the generated query:

Test Connection

This Endpoint has no parameters.

SELECT * FROM test_connection

That's it! You can use this query in PowerShell.

Let's not stop here and explore SQL query examples, including how to use them in Stored Procedures and Views (virtual tables) in the next steps.

SQL query examples

Use these SQL queries in your PowerShell data source:

How to Test connection

SELECT * FROM test_connection

Test Connection in PowerShell

Open your favorite PowerShell IDE (we are using Visual Studio Code).

Use this code snippet to read the data using SalesforceDSN data source:

"DSN=SalesforceDSN"

Read API data with PowerShell using ODBC DSN in Visual Code

For your convenience, here is the whole PowerShell script:

# Configure connection string and query
$connectionString = "DSN=SalesforceDSN"
$query = "SELECT * FROM Customers"

# Instantiate OdbcDataAdapter and DataTable
$adapter = New-Object System.Data.Odbc.OdbcDataAdapter($query, $connectionString)
$table = New-Object System.Data.DataTable

# Fill the table with data
$adapter.Fill($table)

# Since we know we will be reading just 4 columns, let's define format for those 4 columns, each separated by a tab
$format = "{0}`t{1}`t{2}`t{3}"

# Display data in the console
foreach ($row in $table.Rows)
{
    # Construct line based on the format and individual Salesforce fields
    $line = $format -f ($row["CustomerId"], $row["CompanyName"], $row["Country"], $row["Phone"])
    Write-Host $line
}

Access specific Salesforce table field using this code snippet:

$field = $row["ColumnName"]

You will find more info on how to manipulate DataTable.Rows property in Microsoft .NET reference.

For demonstration purposes we are using sample tables which may not be available in Salesforce.

To read values in a console, save the script to a file and then execute this command inside PowerShell terminal:
You can also use even a simpler command inside the terminal, e.g.:
```
. 'C:\Users\john\Documents\dsn.ps1'
```