Shopify Connector for SAP Crystal Reports

Read and write Shopify data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate customers, orders, products, and inventory — almost no coding required.

In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate Shopify data in SAP Crystal Reports without coding. We will use high-performance Shopify Connector to easily connect to Shopify and then access the data inside SAP Crystal Reports.

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

Download Documentation

Shopify Connector for SAP Crystal Reports 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 Shopify using SAP Crystal Reports we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from Shopify. We will later be able to read data using SAP Crystal Reports. 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.
When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Shopify" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Shopify" 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:

ShopifyDSN

Shopify

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.

Admin Access Token (Custom App)

Shopify authentication

Method: Admin API Access Token (Recommended for Single-Store Connections)

This method uses a permanent Admin API Access Token generated from a "Custom App" within your Shopify Admin. This is the simplest way to connect if you are only integrating with your own store.

Quick Setup Summary:

Log in to your Shopify Admin and click Settings (the gear icon in the bottom left).
Select Apps from the left-side settings menu.
Click the Develop apps button at the top right of the page.
Open your app (or create a new one) and configure the necessary Admin API access scopes.
Click Install app. Once installed, navigate to the API credentials tab.

Important: Your Admin API access token (shpat_xxx) is only revealed once. Please copy and store it securely immediately after clicking "Reveal token once."

Note: If you are using the Shopify Dev Dashboard (via a Partner Account), you must use the OAuth Authorization Code Grant method, as those apps do not issue permanent 'shpat' tokens.

Video Tutorial: How to Get Admin API Access Token in Shopify?

Part 1: Create and Configure the Shopify App

Visit https://accounts.shopify.com and log into your Shopify store account.
After logging in, select the store you wish to connect to.
Select Settings (gear icon in the lower-left corner) to launch the Settings screen.
On the left menu panel, select Apps. (Note: Sales channels are now managed in a separate menu item).
On the Apps page, select Develop apps (near the top right of the screen).
Note: If this is your first time accessing this section, you may need to click "Allow custom app development" to proceed.
On the App development screen, select Create an app.
Give the app a name (e.g., "ZappySys Connector"), select the appropriate developer from the drop-down, and select Create app.
Click Configure Admin API scopes.
In the Admin API access scopes screen, select the checkboxes based on which features you plan to use:
- For Customers: read_customers, write_customers
- For Orders: read_orders, write_orders
- For Products: read_products, write_products
- For Inventory: read_inventory, write_inventory
- For Locations: read_locations
- For Payouts/Analytics: read_all_orders or read_analytics
Important: If you select fewer scopes than required, some connector features will not work. To ensure full functionality, select both read and write permissions for the resources you need to access.
After selecting your scopes, click Save at the top or bottom of the page.
Install the app by clicking the Install app button (upper-right corner). If prompted, confirm by selecting Install.

Part 2: Get Admin API Access Token

Once the app is installed, you will be taken to the API credentials tab.
Look for the Admin API access token section. Select Reveal token once to show the token (it starts with shpat_).
IMPORTANT: Copy and save this token immediately in a secure location. You cannot view it again after leaving this page.

Note: You may also see an API Key or Secret Key in this section; these are not required for this specific authentication method. Use only the Admin API access token.

Part 3: Configure the ZappySys Connector

Open the ZappySys connector configuration screen.
Enter Subdomain: Enter the unique subdomain of your Shopify store into the Subdomain parameter textbox.
How to find your Subdomain:

If you use a custom domain (e.g., www.my-store.com), you must still use your internal Shopify subdomain:
- Method 1 (Admin URL): While logged into Shopify, check your browser address bar.
  - If the URL is admin.shopify.com/store/my-unique-slug, your subdomain is my-unique-slug.
  - If the URL is my-unique-slug.myshopify.com/admin, your subdomain is my-unique-slug.
- Method 2 (Domains Setting): Go to Settings > Domains. Look for the "Primary domain for the online store" or the fallback domain ending in .myshopify.com. The part before the dots is your subdomain.
Enter Access Token: Paste the shpat_xxx token you saved in Step 14 into the Admin API Access Token textbox.
Tip: Click the ellipses (...) button inside the textbox to open a larger dialog for easier pasting.
Click Test Connection to verify the settings.
If the test is successful, click OK to save the configuration.

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to Admin Access Token (Custom App) [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:

ShopifyDSN

Shopify

Admin Access Token (Custom App) [Http]

https://[$Subdomain$].myshopify.com/admin/api/2025-01

Required Parameters
Sub-domain	Fill-in the parameter...
Admin API Access Token	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

OAuth Authorization Code Grant (3-legged) - RECOMMENDED

Shopify authentication

Authenticate using OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code Flow (3-legged). Use this for apps built in the Dev Dashboard (https://dev.shopify.com). This is the primary OAuth flow supported for public apps and apps created in the Dev Dashboard.

Method: OAuth Authorization Code Grant (3-Legged)

This method is for apps built in the Shopify Dev Dashboard. Use this if you are a Partner or developer building a multi-store integration.

Note: If you are connecting to your own single store, the Admin Access Token method is significantly simpler. Use this OAuth method only if your integration specifically requires a Client ID and Secret.

Part 1: Create and Configure App in Dev Dashboard

Log in to the Shopify Dev Dashboard using your Partner account.
Click Apps in the left menu, then click Create app.
Select Start from Dev Dashboard (manual setup) and give your app a name.
Step 1: Configure Scopes and URLs via "Versions"
- Click the Versions tab at the top of the app screen.
- Click Create version (or edit the Draft).
- In the URLs section, enter https://zappysys.com/oauth into Allowed redirection URL(s).
- Select your Admin API scopes based on which features you plan to use:
  - For Customers: read_customers, write_customers
  - For Orders: read_orders, write_orders
  - For Products: read_products, write_products
  - For Inventory: read_inventory, write_inventory
  - For Locations: read_locations
  - For Payouts/Analytics: read_all_orders or read_analytics
  Important: If you select fewer scopes than required, some connector features will not work. To ensure full functionality, select both read and write permissions for the resources you need to access.
- Click Release (top right). Note: Settings only become active once a version is Released.
Step 2: Set Distribution Method
- Click Distribution in the left-side menu.
- Select Custom Distribution.
- Enter your Shopify store URL (e.g., your-store.myshopify.com) and click Generate link.
- Action Required: Copy the generated install link, open it in your browser, and follow the prompts to install/unlock the app for your store. You must complete this step before testing the connection in ZappySys.

Part 2: Get Client Credentials

Click on Settings in the left-side navigation of your app.
In the Client credentials section, copy the Client ID and Client Secret (click the eye icon to reveal).

Part 3: Configure the ZappySys Connector

Open the ZappySys connector and select OAuth Authorization Code Grant (3-legged).
Subdomain: Enter your store handle (the part before .myshopify.com).
Client ID / Secret: Paste the credentials from Steps 6 and 7.
Redirect URI: Enter https://zappysys.com/oauth.
Click Test Connection. You will be prompted to authorize the app in your browser.

Note on Tokens: Successful authorization generates an "Offline" Access Token (starting with shpca_). This token does not expire and does not require a refresh token.

Troubleshooting: If you see "App no longer available," ensure you have completed the Distribution step and followed the Install Link in Step 5 to unlock the app for your store.

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to OAuth Authorization Code Grant (3-legged) - RECOMMENDED [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:

ShopifyDSN

Shopify

OAuth Authorization Code Grant (3-legged) - RECOMMENDED [OAuth]

https://[$Subdomain$].myshopify.com/admin/api/2025-01

Required Parameters
Redirect URI (*Must match App Settings*)	Fill-in the parameter...

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 - Shopify

Read and write Shopify data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate customers, orders, products, and inventory — almost no coding required.

ShopifyDSN
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 Shopify. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.
```
SELECT * FROM Products
```
Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Shopify 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 SAP Crystal Reports:
ZappySys API Driver - Shopify

Read and write Shopify data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate customers, orders, products, and inventory — almost no coding required.

ShopifyDSN
```
SELECT * FROM Products
```
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 Shopify 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 Shopify servers).
Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Read data in SAP Crystal Reports from the ODBC data source

First of all, open SAP Crystal Reports and create the new Crystal Report.
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 ShopifyDSN which we created in upper section. And Click on Next.

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

ShopifyDSN

ShopifyDSN
Add the desired Fields to Display in the Reports. Here we are adding all fields and click on Finish.
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 ShopifyDSN Data Source you can use the custom view in SQL Crystal Report.

ShopifyDSN

Using Custom Stored Procedure in the SAP Crystal Report

First of all, create the custom stored procedure in the ZappySys Driver. Please refer to this article to create the custom stored procedure.
After establishing the connection with ShopifyDSN 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.

ShopifyDSN

Centralized data access via Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide Shopify 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 Shopify, and to create an ODBC data source to connect to Data Gateway in SAP Crystal Reports.

Let's not wait and get going!

Creating Shopify data source in Gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Shopify 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
ShopifyDSN

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 SAP Crystal Reports. 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 ShopifyDSN (the one we used in Data Gateway):

ShopifyDSN
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 SAP Crystal Reports via Data Gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from Shopify in SAP Crystal Reports via Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

Go back to SAP Crystal Reports.
First of all, open SAP Crystal Reports and create the new Crystal Report.
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 GatewayDSN which we created in upper section. And Click on Next.

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

Now you can connect to Shopify data in SAP Crystal Reports 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.