Name: ODBC PowerPack
Rating: 4.7 (11 reviews)
Author: ZappySys

Introduction

You can connect to your Zendesk data using Java using the high-performance Zendesk ODBC Driver (powered by Zendesk Connector). We'll walk you through the entire setup.

Let's not waste time and get started!

Create data source in ZappySys Data Gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Zendesk in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).
Search for gateway in the Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:
Go to the Users tab and follow these steps to add a Data Gateway user:
- Click the Add button
- In the Login field enter a username, e.g., john
- Then enter a Password
- Check the Is Administrator checkbox
- Click OK to save
Now we are ready to add a data source:
- Click the Add button
- Give the Data source a name (have it handy for later)
- Then select Native - ZappySys API Driver
- Finally, click OK
ZendeskDSN

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

ZendeskDSN

Zendesk

Select your authentication scenario below to expand connection configuration steps to:

Configure the authentication in Zendesk.
Enter those details into the ZappySys API Driver data source configuration.

Token Authentication

Zendesk authentication

Authenticate using Static Token instead of userid / password ([Token Access] option must be enabled under Admin Console > Channel > API > Settings and then Click [ADD API Token] to generate new token. These settings typically found here https://YOUR-SUB-DOMAIN.zendesk.com/agent/admin/api/settings [API reference]

Please refer to external API reference

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to Token Authentication [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:

ZendeskDSN

Zendesk

Token Authentication [Http]

https://[$Domain$].zendesk.com/api/v2

Required Parameters
Sub Domain (e.g. mycompany)	Fill-in the parameter...
UserId	Fill-in the parameter...
Token	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

Find full details in the Zendesk Connector authentication reference.

OAuth Authentication

Zendesk authentication

OAuth App must be created under Admin Console > Channel > API > Settings. These settings typically found here https://YOUR-SUB-DOMAIN.zendesk.com/agent/admin/api/oauth_clients [API reference]

Please refer to external API reference

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to OAuth Authentication [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:

ZendeskDSN

Zendesk

OAuth Authentication [OAuth]

https://[$Domain$].zendesk.com/api/v2

Required Parameters
Sub Domain (e.g. mycompany)	Fill-in the parameter...
ClientId	Fill-in the parameter...
ClientSecret	Fill-in the parameter...
Permissions	Fill-in the parameter...
RedirectUrl	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

Find full details in the Zendesk Connector authentication reference.

UserID/Password Authentication (2FA must be OFF)

Zendesk authentication

Authenticate using your userid / password (2FA must be OFF and [Password Access] option must be enabled under Admin Console > Channel > API > Settings. These settings typically found here https://YOUR-SUB-DOMAIN.zendesk.com/agent/admin/api/settings [API reference]

Please refer to external API reference

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to UserID/Password Authentication (2FA must be OFF) [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:

ZendeskDSN

Zendesk

UserID/Password Authentication (2FA must be OFF) [Http]

https://[$Domain$].zendesk.com/api/v2

Required Parameters
Sub Domain (e.g. mycompany)	Fill-in the parameter...
UserName (2FA Must be OFF)	Fill-in the parameter...
Password	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

Find full details in the Zendesk Connector authentication reference.

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 - Zendesk

Read and write Zendesk data effortlessly. Manage tickets, users, and organizations — almost no coding required.

ZendeskDSN
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 Java to retrieve data from Zendesk. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.
```
SELECT * FROM Tickets
```
Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Zendesk 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 Java:
ZappySys API Driver - Zendesk

Read and write Zendesk data effortlessly. Manage tickets, users, and organizations — almost no coding required.

ZendeskDSN
```
SELECT * FROM Tickets
```
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 Zendesk 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 Zendesk servers).
Click OK to finish creating the data source.
Once done, go to the Network Settings tab and Add a firewall rule for inbound traffic:
- This will initially allow all inbound traffic.
- Click Edit IP filters to restrict access to specific IP addresses or ranges.
Crucial Step: After creating or modifying the data source, you must:
- Click the Save button to persist your changes.
- Hit Yes when prompted to restart the Data Gateway service.
This ensures all changes are properly applied:

Skipping this step may cause the new settings to fail, preventing you from connecting to the data source.

Read data in Java from the DSN

Java code to get the data:

"jdbc:sqlserver://localhost:5000;databasename=ZendeskDSN;user=john;password=test"
When you run the code it will make the API call and read the data:

Here is Java program's code in text format:


//Step-1: Install ZappySys ODBC PowerPack and Configure Data Gateway

//Step-2:Assuming the Microsoft SQL Server JDBC Driver is in below folder
//C:\Program Files\Microsoft Jdbc Driver 6.0 for SQL Server\sqljdbc_6.0\enu\auth\x64
package padaone;

import java.sql.*;

public class zappy {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        // Create a variable for the connection string.
        String connectionUrl = "jdbc:sqlserver://localhost:5000;databasename=ZendeskDSN;user=test;password=test";

        // Declare the JDBC objects.
        Connection con = null;
        Statement stmt = null;
        ResultSet rs = null;

            try {
                // Establish the connection.
                Class.forName("com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver");
                con = DriverManager.getConnection(connectionUrl);

                // Create and execute an SQL statement that returns some data.
                String SQL = "SELECT Country , SUM(UnitPrice * Quantity) Total " 
                           + "FROM value " 
                           + "GROUP BY Country "
                           + "WITH (SRC='https://services.odata.org/V3/Northwind/Northwind.svc/Invoices?$format=json')";
                stmt = con.createStatement();
                rs = stmt.executeQuery(SQL);

                // Iterate through the data in the result set and display it.
                while (rs.next()) {
                    System.out.println(rs.getString(1) + " " + rs.getString(2));
                }
            }

        // Handle any errors that may have occurred.
        catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } 
        
        finally {
            if (rs != null) try { rs.close(); } catch (Exception e) {}
            if (stmt != null) try { stmt.close(); } catch (Exception e) {}
            if (con != null) try { con.close(); } catch (Exception e) {}
        }
    }
}

Zendesk Connector actions

Got a specific use case in mind? We've mapped out exactly how to perform a variety of essential Zendesk operations directly in Java, so you don't have to figure out the setup from scratch. Check out the step-by-step guides below:

Conclusion

In this guide, we demonstrated how to connect to Zendesk using Java and integrate your data — all without writing complex code.

Ready to get started? Download ODBC PowerPack now or ping us via chat if you still need help:

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How to connect Zendesk to Java

Introduction

Create data source in ZappySys Data Gateway

Zendesk authentication

API Connection Manager configuration

Zendesk authentication

API Connection Manager configuration

Zendesk authentication

API Connection Manager configuration

Read data in Java from the DSN

Zendesk Connector actions

Conclusion