Zendesk Connector for SSIS : Make generic REST API request

Video tutorial

Watch this quick video to see the integration in action. It walks you through the end-to-end setup, including:

• Installing the SSIS PowerPack
• Configuring a secure connection to Zendesk
• Working with Zendesk data directly inside SSIS
• Exploring advanced API Source features

Ready to dive in? Download the product to jump right in, or follow the step-by-step guide below to see how it works.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure the following prerequisites are met:

1. SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) designer installed for Visual Studio.
2. SQL Server Integration Services Projects 2022+ Visual Studio extension installed.
3. SSIS PowerPack is installed.

Make generic REST API request in SSIS

1. Open Visual Studio and click Create a new project.

2. Select Integration Services Project. Enter a name and location for your project, then click OK.

3. From the SSIS Toolbox, drag and drop a Data Flow Task onto the Control Flow surface, and double-click it:

   

4. Make sure you are in the Data Flow Task designer:

   

5. From the SSIS toolbox drag and API Source (Predefined Templates) on the data flow designer surface, and double click on it to edit it:
   

   

6. Select New Connection to create a new connection:
   

   

7. Use a preinstalled Zendesk Connector from Popular Connector List or press Search Online radio button to download Zendesk Connector. Once downloaded simply use it in the configuration:
   

   Zendesk

   

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

   • Configure the authentication in Zendesk.
   • Enter those details into the API Connection Manager configuration.
   OAuth - Client Credentials (Server-to-Server)

   Zendesk authentication

   Recommended for unattended server-to-server automation. No interactive user login or refresh token is required. The OAuth client must be configured as a Confidential client in Zendesk. [API reference]

   Use OAuth - Client Credentials (Server-to-Server) for unattended applications such as ETL packages, scheduled jobs, services, data pipelines, and other server-side integrations.

   Recommended for unattended automation: This authentication method does not require an interactive user login and does not use a refresh token. When the access token expires, ZappySys automatically requests a new access token using the same Client ID and Client Secret.

   1. Sign in to Zendesk as an administrator.
   2. Go to Admin Center > Apps and integrations > APIs > Zendesk API.
   3. Open the OAuth Clients section and create an OAuth client.
   4. Configure the OAuth client as a Confidential client.
   5. Enter a unique Client ID.
   6. Copy the generated Client Secret and store it securely.
   7. Configure the permissions/scopes required by your integration.
   8. In the ZappySys connection, enter your Zendesk Sub Domain, Client ID, Client Secret, and desired Permissions.
   9. Click Test Connection.

   Security: Client Credentials should only be used in trusted server-side environments where the Client Secret can be stored securely. Do not expose the Client Secret in browser-side or client-side applications.

   The access token is associated with the Zendesk user linked to the OAuth client and inherits that user's permissions. For automated integrations, consider using a dedicated Zendesk service account with only the permissions required by the integration.

   No Redirect URL, browser login, authorization code, or refresh token is required for this authentication method.

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to OAuth - Client Credentials (Server-to-Server) [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. Finally, hit OK button:

   Zendesk

   OAuth - Client Credentials (Server-to-Server) [OAuth]

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

   Required Parameters
   Sub Domain (e.g. mycompany)	Fill-in the parameter...
   OAuth Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
   OAuth Client Secret	Fill-in the parameter...
   Permissions	Fill-in the parameter...
   Optional Parameters
   RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
   RetryStatusCodeList	429
   RetryCountMax	5
   RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

   

   Find full details in the Zendesk Connector authentication reference.

   OAuth - User Login (Interactive)

   Zendesk authentication

   Authenticate through an interactive Zendesk login. Create an OAuth client in Zendesk Admin Center under Apps and integrations > APIs > Zendesk API > OAuth Clients. [API reference]

   Use OAuth - User Login (Interactive) when the integration should access Zendesk on behalf of a specific user.

   During initial setup, a browser window opens and the user signs in to Zendesk and authorizes the application. No Zendesk password is stored in the connection.

   1. Sign in to Zendesk as an administrator.
   2. Go to Admin Center > Apps and integrations > APIs > Zendesk API.
   3. Open the OAuth Clients section and create an OAuth client.
   4. Enter a unique Client ID.
   5. Copy the generated Client Secret and store it securely.
   6. Configure the following Redirect URL for the OAuth client:
      https://zappysys.com/oauth
   7. In the ZappySys connection, enter your Zendesk Sub Domain, Client ID, Client Secret, and desired Permissions.
   8. Start the authorization process and sign in to Zendesk when the browser opens.
   9. Approve access when prompted.
   10. Click Test Connection.

   Token renewal: Zendesk access tokens expire. ZappySys uses the OAuth refresh token to obtain new access tokens without requiring the user to sign in again. The latest refresh token must be stored securely because Zendesk rotates refresh tokens during renewal.

   If the refresh token expires, is revoked, or cannot be restored from the saved connection, the interactive Zendesk login process must be performed again.

   For unattended server-side integrations where you do not want to maintain a refresh token, consider OAuth - Client Credentials (Server-to-Server).

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to OAuth - User Login (Interactive) [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:

   Zendesk

   OAuth - User Login (Interactive) [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.

   Token Authentication (Legacy)

   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]

   Use API Token authentication to authenticate with your Zendesk user email and a Zendesk API token instead of your password.

   Deprecated by Zendesk: Zendesk is removing API token authentication. Existing API tokens are scheduled to stop working on April 30, 2027. For new integrations, use OAuth instead.

   1. Sign in to Zendesk as an administrator.
   2. Go to Admin Center > Apps and integrations > APIs > Zendesk API.
   3. Make sure Token access is enabled.
   4. Create or select an existing API token.
   5. Copy the generated token and store it securely.
   6. Enter your Zendesk Sub Domain.
   7. Enter your Zendesk User ID / Email.
   8. Paste the API token into the Token field.
   9. Click Test Connection.

   Migration: For unattended ETL, scheduled jobs, and server-side integrations, use OAuth - Client Credentials (Server-to-Server).

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to Token Authentication (Legacy) [Http]
   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. Finally, hit OK button:

   Zendesk

   Token Authentication (Legacy) [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.

   Basic Authentication (User ID + Password)

   Zendesk authentication

   Authenticate using your Zendesk user ID and password. Two-factor authentication (2FA) must be disabled, and Password Access must be enabled under Admin Console > Channels > API > Settings. [API reference]

   Use Basic Authentication to authenticate with your Zendesk user email and password.

   Important: This method cannot be used when two-factor authentication (2FA) is enabled for the Zendesk user. Password access to the API must also be enabled in Zendesk.

   1. Sign in to Zendesk as an administrator.
   2. Go to Admin Center > Apps and integrations > APIs > Zendesk API.
   3. Make sure Password access is enabled.
   4. Enter your Zendesk Sub Domain. For example, if your Zendesk URL is: https://mycompany.zendesk.com, enter mycompany.
   5. Enter your Zendesk User ID / Email and Password.
   6. Click Test Connection.

   Recommendation: For new integrations, OAuth is preferred over storing a user's password. For unattended server-side integrations, consider OAuth - Client Credentials (Server-to-Server).

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to Basic Authentication (User ID + Password) [Http]
   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. Finally, hit OK button:

   Zendesk

   Basic Authentication (User ID + Password) [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.

9. Select Generic Table (Bulk Read / Write) table from the dropdown and hit Preview Data:

   

   API Source - Zendesk

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

   Zendesk

   Generic Table (Bulk Read / Write)

   Required Parameters
   HTTP - Url or File Path	Fill-in the parameter...
   HTTP - Request Method	Fill-in the parameter...
   Optional Parameters
   HTTP - Request Body
   HTTP - Is MultiPart Body (Pass File data/Mixed Key/value)	False
   HTTP - Request Format (Content-Type)	ApplicationJson
   HTTP - Headers (e.g. hdr1:aaa || hdr2:bbb)	Accept: */* || Cache-Control: no-cache
   Parser - Response Format (Default=Json)	Default
   Parser - Filter (e.g. $.rows[*] )
   Parser - Include Parent Columns	True
   Parser - Parent Column Prefix	P_
   Parser - Include Parent When Child Null	False
   Parser - Encoding
   Parser - CharacterSet
   Download - Enable reading binary data	False
   Download - File overwrite mode	AlwaysOverwrite
   Download - Save file path
   Download - Enable raw output mode as single row	False
   Download - Raw output data RowTemplate	{Status:'Downloaded'}
   Download - Request Timeout (Milliseconds)	0
   General - Enable Custom Search/Replace	False
   General - SearchFor (e.g. (\d)-(\d)--regex)
   General - ReplaceWith (e.g. $1-***)
   General - File Compression Type	None
   General - Date Format
   General - Enable Big Number Handling	False
   General - Wait time (Ms) - Helps to slow down pagination (Use for throttling)	0
   JSON/XML - ExcludedProperties (e.g. meta,info)
   JSON/XML - Flatten Small Array (Not preferred for more than 10 items)	False
   JSON/XML - Max Array Items To Flatten	10
   JSON/XML - Array Transform Type	None
   JSON/XML - Array Transform Column Name Filter
   JSON/XML - Array Transform Row Value Filter
   JSON/XML - Array Transform Enable Custom Columns	False
   JSON/XML - Enable Pivot Transform	False
   JSON/XML - Array Transform Custom Columns
   JSON/XML - Pivot Path Replace With
   JSON/XML - Enable Pivot Path Search Replace	False
   JSON/XML - Pivot Path Search For
   JSON/XML - Include Pivot Path	False
   JSON/XML - Throw Error When No Match for Filter	False
   Pagination - Mode	ByResponseAttribute
   Pagination - Attribute Name (e.g. page)
   Pagination - Increment By (e.g. 100)	1
   Pagination - Expression for Next URL (e.g. $.nextUrl)
   Pagination - Wait time after each request (milliseconds)	0
   Pagination - Max Rows Expr
   Pagination - Max Pages Expr
   Pagination - Max Rows DataPath Expr
   Pagination - Max Pages	0
   Pagination - End Rules
   Pagination - Next URL Suffix
   Pagination - Next URL End Indicator
   Pagination - Stop Indicator Expr
   Pagination - Current Page
   Pagination - End Strategy Type	DetectBasedOnRecordCount
   Pagination - Stop based on this Response StatusCode
   Pagination - When EndStrategy Condition Equals	True
   Pagination - Max Response Bytes
   Pagination - Min Response Bytes
   Pagination - Error String Match
   Pagination - Enable Page Token in Body	False
   Pagination - Placeholders (e.g. {page})
   Pagination - Has Different NextPage Info	False
   Pagination - First Page Body Part
   Pagination - Next Page Body Part
   Csv - Column Delimiter	,
   Csv - Has Header Row	True
   Csv - Throw error when column count mismatch	False
   Csv - Throw error when no record found	False
   Csv - Allow comments (i.e. line starts with # treat as comment and skip line)	False
   Csv - Comment Character	#
   Csv - Skip rows	0
   Csv - Ignore Blank Lines	True
   Csv - Skip Empty Records	False
   Csv - Skip Header Comment Rows	0
   Csv - Trim Headers	False
   Csv - Trim Fields	False
   Csv - Ignore Quotes	False
   Csv - Treat Any Blank Value As Null	False
   Xml - ElementsToTreatAsArray

   

10. That's it! We are done! Just in a few clicks we configured the call to Zendesk using Zendesk Connector.

    You can load the source data into your desired destination using the Upsert Destination , which supports SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and Amazon Redshift. We also offer other destinations such as CSV , Excel , Azure Table , Salesforce , and more . You can check out our SSIS PowerPack Tasks and components for more options. (*loaded in Trash Destination)

    

Zendesk Connector actions

Need another use case? Pick the next Zendesk action in SSIS below.

• Create Organization
• Create Ticket (Single)
• Create Tickets (Bulk)
• Create User
• Delete Attachment
• Delete Organization
• Delete Ticket
• Delete Tickets (Bulk)
• Delete Upload Session
• Delete User
• Read Attachment
• Read Brands
• Read Current User Info
• Read Groups
• Read Macros
• Read Organization Count
• Read Organization Fields
• Read Organization(s) by ID
• Read Organizations (All)
• Read Organizations (Incremental) changed after a specified date
• Read Requests
• Read Requests Search
• Read Sessions
• Read Tags
• Read Ticket ActivityStream
• Read Ticket ActivityStream Details
• Read Ticket Attachments
• Read Ticket Comments
• Read Ticket Events (Incremental) changed after a specified date
• Read Ticket Fields
• Read Ticket Forms
• Read Ticket Metric Events (Incremental) changed after a specified date
• Read Ticket Metrics
• Read Ticket(s) by ID
• Read Tickets (All)
• Read Tickets (Incremental) changed after a specified date
• Read Tickets (Recent)
• Read Tickets Count (All)
• Read Tickets Count (for Organization)
• Read Tickets for Organization
• Read Tickets for User (Assigned)
• Read Tickets for User (CCed)
• Read Tickets for User (Requested)
• Read User Fields
• Read User Sessions
• Read User(s) by ID
• Read Users (All)
• Read Users (Incremental) changed after a specified date
• Read Views
• Search Records - NO Sorting (Allows more than 1000 rows)
• Search Records - WITH Sorting and Extra Columns (Max 1000 rows)
• Update Organization
• Update Ticket (Single)
• Update Tickets (Bulk)
• Update User
• Upload Attachment (Single file)
• Upsert Organization - Create or Update
• Upsert User - Create or Update
• Upsert Users (Bulk) - Create or Update
• Make Generic REST API Request (Bulk Write)

Conclusion

You now know how to make generic REST API request in SSIS without writing complex code. Zendesk SSIS Connector handled pagination and authentication automatically.

Ready to get started? Download the trial or ping us via chat if you need help: