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Google Ads (AdWords) API

Eric Elfline
  • Updated

This will require Data Admin privileges to setup and Builder for implementation.

iDashboards is able to connect to a Google Ads (AdWords) API by using a JDBC driver to access the online advertising platform through Google. A JDBC driver is a software component enabling a Java application to interact with a database. To connect with individual databases, JDBC (Java Database Connectivity API) requires specific drivers for each database. The JDBC driver gives out the connection to the database and implements the protocol for transferring the query and result between the client and the database. iDashboards implements native protocols and does not require additional software installed on the driver host. In other words, iDashboards provides driver connectivity with the JDBC Data Source via the specified driver. This document explains a step-by-step procedure to create the Data Source with a Premium Data Connector.

CDATA for Google Ads

CData JDBC Driver for Google Ads is where we get the documentation on making this connection, however, the Premium Data Connectors are not a straight forward process which is why we make articles like this to help you make the connections more easily. This one requires a few steps, with a few different links to get very specific pieces of information to make this connection within iDashboards. The Google Ads API connectors are part of the Premium Data Connectors if you do not have these please contact your Client Success Manager. 

  1. Create a Google Ads Manager Account
  2. Create a Name for your account and submit
  3. Sign up for AdWords API access through your Manager Account
  4. Sign in, then navigate to TOOLS & SETTINGS > SETUP > API Center
  5. The API Center option will appear only for Google Ads Manager accounts
  6. Fill out all the fields, accept the terms, and click Create Token
  7. Copy the Developer Token to a text editor
  8. Click on Access Level to expand the field, then click Apply for Basic Access
  9. Fill out the application form to activate your Developer Token

Please Note: ”We typically contact you within two business days of the date you submitted your application, at the email address you provided in Step 2: If you no longer have access to this inbox, or if you're not planning to actively monitor this email address, edit your email address in the API Center by following the instructions above in Step 2, so we can contact you. Your assigned developer token will be activated once your application for API access is approved. Your token will be available through your API Center—accessible through the Account settings menu for the Manager Account from which you applied. You'll be able to access the API by including it in your request headers when interacting with our system.”

Follow the steps in this guide. It describes how to obtain your Client ID and Client Secret, which will then be used to generate your Access Tokens and Refresh Tokens that will be needed to complete the Connection String. 

  1. Copy the Two Tokens, your Client ID, and Client Secret to your text editor
  2. Now that you have the Developer, Access, and Refresh tokens, you need your Client Customer ID.
    • This can be found in the Google Ads Manager in the upper right corner next to your avatar.
  3. Copy your Client Customer ID to your text editor.
  4. Use the ID and tokens you’ve acquired in the previous steps and plug them into this connection string. (Without Brackets)
    • jdbc:googleads:Client Customer Id=[Your Customer ID];Developer Token=[Your Developer Token];Initiate OAuth=GETANDREFRESH;OAuth Access Token=[Your OAuth Access Token];OAuth Refresh Token=[Your OAth Refresh Token];

Data Connection

Follow the steps below to set up a data source in iDashboards Admin or Data Hub.

  1. Log into iDashboards Admin or Data Hub
  2. Click on Data Sources then New
  3. Fill in the highlighted fields below:mceclip0.png
  4. JDBC Driver Class: cdata.jdbc.googleads.GoogleAdsDriver
  5. Finally fill in the string below with your Client ID and Client Secret
    • OAuth Client Id=[Your Client ID];OAuth Client Secret=[Your Client Secret];
  6. Copy it into the Optional Driver Properties
  7. Then Save

For More Information:

 400 Bad Request

mceclip0.png

An error occurred while retrieving the data for this data set : HTTP protocol error. 400 Bad Request. QuotaCheckError.DEVELOPER_TOKEN_NOT_APPROVED: <null>

This occurs if you do not complete steps 8 and 9 through your Google Ads Manager Account, under the CDATA Documentation section.

Disclaimer: iDashboards Technical Support Engineers are not proficient in the Management and Integration of every API that exists as new APIs are being created everyday with each company that wants to provide seamless integration with other software. However, we do our best to help you make these connections because we want to assist you in your success. If you do not see an article for a connection you would like to make please contact iDashboards Support and know that it will take a bit of time to figure out what is necessary for this integration.

If the above is unable to resolve the issue, then please contact iDashboards Support for further assistance.

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