How to integrate ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) with SSAS

Integrate SSAS and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho)
Integrate SSAS and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho)

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) with SSAS for smooth data access.

Read and write ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate requests, tasks, comments, and worklogs — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) ODBC Driver for SSAS (often referred to as the ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) Connector). We'll walk you through the entire setup.

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

Create data source in ZappySys Data Gateway

In this section we will create a data source for ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

  1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).

  2. Search for gateway in the Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:

    Open ZappySys Data Gateway Service Manager

  3. 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
    Data Gateway - Add User

  4. 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
    ManageengineServicedeskPlusZohoDSN
    ZappySys API Driver
    Data Gateway - Add data source

  5. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho)" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho)" 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:

    ManageengineServicedeskPlusZohoDSN
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho)
    ODBC DSN Template Selection

  6. 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.

    OAuth

    ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) authentication

    OAuth Connection for ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus API [API reference]

    To register custom App, perform the following steps (Detailed steps found in the help link at the end)
    1. Go to Zoho API Console
    2. Click Add Client link
    3. Select Server-based Applications option
    4. Enter desired client name (Display purpose only)
    5. Enter some URL for Company homepage
    6. For Authorized Redirect URI enter https://zappysys.com/oauth (Or enter your own but we recommend using ZappySys one if possible). This URL must match on Zoho Connector UI.
    7. Click CREATE.
    8. Copy Client ID and Secret and paste on Zoho Connector UI.
    API Connection Manager configuration

    Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

    1. Set Authentication Type to OAuth [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:
    ManageengineServicedeskPlusZohoDSN
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho)
    OAuth [OAuth]
    https://sdpondemand.manageengine.com/api/v3
    Optional Parameters
    ClientId
    ClientSecret
    Permissions SDPOnDemand.requests.ALL
    AccountUrl https://accounts.zoho.com
    RedirectUrl https://zappysys.com/oauth
    RetryMode RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
    RetryStatusCodeList 429
    RetryCountMax 5
    RetryMultiplyWaitTime True
    ODBC DSN OAuth Connection Configuration

  7. 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 - ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho)
    Read and write ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate requests, tasks, comments, and worklogs — almost no coding required.
    ManageengineServicedeskPlusZohoDSN
    Open Query Builder in API ODBC Driver to read and write data to REST API

  8. 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 SSAS to retrieve data from ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho). Hit OK button to use this query in the next step. 

    SELECT * FROM Requests
    Configure table/endpoint parameters in ODBC data source based on API Driver
    Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) 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.

  9. 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 SSAS:

    ZappySys API Driver - ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho)
    Read and write ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate requests, tasks, comments, and worklogs — almost no coding required.
    ManageengineServicedeskPlusZohoDSN
    SELECT * FROM Requests
    API ODBC Driver-based data source data preview
    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 ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) 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 ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) servers).

  10. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

  11. Once done, go to the Network Settings tab and Add a firewall rule for inbound traffic:

    Data Gateway - Add firewall rule for inbound connections
    • This will initially allow all inbound traffic.
    • Click Edit IP filters to restrict access to specific IP addresses or ranges.

  12. 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:

    ZappySys Data Gateway - Save Changes
    Skipping this step may cause the new settings to fail, preventing you from connecting to the data source.

Read ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) data in SSAS cube

With the data source created in the Data Gateway (previous step), we're now ready to read ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) data in an SSAS cube. Before we dive in, open Visual Studio and create a new Analysis Services project. Then, you're all set!

In the example below, we use Multidimensional and Data Mining Analysis Services project, but it should work with Tabular project too.

Create data source based on ZappySys Data Gateway

Let's start by creating a data source for a cube, based on the Data Gateway's data source we created earlier. So, what are we waiting for? Let's do it!

  1. Create a new data source: Create new data source in SSAS to read API data
  2. Once a window opens, select Create a data source based on an existing or new connection option and click New...: Connect to ZappySys Data Gateway in SSAS to read API data
  3. Here things become a little complicated, but do not despair, it's only for a little while. Just perform these little steps:
    • Select Native OLE DB\SQL Server Native Client 11.0 as provider.
    • Enter your Server name (or IP address) and Port, separated by a comma.
    • Select SQL Server Authentication option for authentication.
    • Input User name which has admin permissions in the ZappySys Data Gateway.
    • In Database name field enter the same data source name you use in the ZappySys Data Gateway.
    • Hopefully, our hard work is done, when we Test Connection.
    ManageengineServicedeskPlusZohoDSN
    ManageengineServicedeskPlusZohoDSN
    Configure new data source in SSAS to read API data
    If SQL Server Native Client 11.0 is not listed as Native OLE DB provider, try using these:
    • Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server
    • Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server
  4. Indeed, life is easy again: Test connection to ZappySys Data Gateway in SSAS to read API data

Add data source view

We have data source in place, it's now time to add a data source view. Let's not waste a single second and get on to it!

  1. Start by right-clicking on Data Source Views and then choosing New Data Source View...:

    Create new data source view in SSAS to read API data

  2. Select the previously created data source and click Next:

    Connect to ZappySys Data Gateway in SSAS to read API data

  3. Ignore the Name Matching window and click Next.

  4. Add the tables you will use in your SSAS cube:

    Select tables to read API data in SSAS cube
    For cube dimensions, consider creating a Virtual Table in the Data Gateway's data source. Use the DISTINCT keyword in the SELECT statement to get unique values from the facts table, like this: 
    SELECT DISTINCT Country FROM Customers
    For demonstration purposes we are using sample tables which may not be available in ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho).

  5. Review your data source view and click Finish:

    Successful data source view creation in SSAS

  6. Add the missing table relationships and you're done!

    Create additional table relationships in SSAS to read API data

Create cube

We have a data source view ready to be used by our cube. Let's create one!

  1. Start by right-clicking on Cubes and selecting New Cube... menu item: Create new SSAS cube to read API data
  2. Select tables you will use for the measures: Choose measure tables in SSAS to read API data
  3. And then select the measures themselves: Selecting measures for SSAS cube to read API data
  4. Don't stop and select the dimensions too: Choosing dimensions for SSAS cube to read API data
  5. Move along and click Finish before the final steps: Read API data in SSAS cube
  6. Review your cube before processing it: Read API data in SSAS cube
  7. It's time for the grand finale! Hit Process... to create the cube: Process SSAS cube to read API data
  8. A splendid success! SSAS cube processed to read API data

Execute MDX query

The cube is created and processed. It's time to reap what we sow! Just execute an MDX query and get ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) data in your SSAS cube:

Execute MDX in SSAS cube to read API data

Supported ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) Connector actions

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

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) in SSAS and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho) ODBC Driver.

Download ODBC PowerPack now or ping us via chat if you have any questions or are looking for a specific feature (you can also reach out to us by submitting a ticket):

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