Load Azure Table Data to a Database Using Embulk

Embulk is an open source bulk data loader. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Azure, Embulk easily loads data from Azure Table to any supported destination. In this article, we explain how to use the CData JDBC Driver for Azure in Embulk to load Azure Table data to a MySQL dtabase.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Azure Table data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Azure Table, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Azure Table and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).

Configure a JDBC Connection to Azure Table Data

Before creating a bulk load job in Embulk, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Azure\lib).

Embulk supports JDBC connectivity, so you can easily connect to Azure Table and execute SQL queries. Before creating a bulk load job, create a JDBC URL for authenticating with Azure Table.

Specify your AccessKey and your Account to connect. Set the Account property to the Storage Account Name and set AccessKey to one of the Access Keys. Either the Primary or Secondary Access Keys can be used. To obtain these values, navigate to the Storage Accounts blade in the Azure portal. You can obtain the access key by selecting your account and clicking Access Keys in the Settings section.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Azure Table JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

java -jar cdata.jdbc.azuretables.jar

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Azure Table:

jdbc:azuretables:AccessKey=myAccessKey;Account=myAccountName;

Load Azure Table Data in Embulk

After installing the CData JDBC Driver and creating a JDBC connection string, install the required Embulk plugins.

Install Embulk Input & Output Plugins

1. Install the JDBC Input Plugin in Embulk.
   https://github.com/embulk/embulk-input-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-input-jdbc

embulk gem install embulk-input-jdbc

2. In this article, we use MySQL as the destination database. You can also choose SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or Google BigQuery as the destination using the output Plugins.
   https://github.com/embulk/embulk-output-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-output-mysql

   embulk gem install embulk-output-mysql
   

With the input and output plugins installed, we are ready to load Azure Table data into MySQL using Embulk.

Create a Job to Load Azure Table Data

Start by creating a config file in Embulk, using a name like azuretables-mysql.yml.

1. For the input plugin options, use the CData JDBC Driver for Azure, including the path to the driver JAR file, the driver class (e.g. cdata.jdbc.azuretables.AzureTablesDriver), and the JDBC URL from above
2. For the output plugin options, use the values and credentials for the MySQL database

Sample Config File (azuretables-mysql.yml)

in:
	type: jdbc
	driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.azuretables.jar
	driver_class: cdata.jdbc.azuretables.AzureTablesDriver
	url: jdbc:azuretables:AccessKey=myAccessKey;Account=myAccountName;
	table: "NorthwindProducts"
out: 
	type: mysql
	host: localhost
	database: DatabaseName
	user: UserId
	password: UserPassword
	table: "NorthwindProducts"
	mode: insert

After creating the file, run the Embulk job.

embulk run azuretables-mysql.yml

After running the the Embulk job, find the Salesforce data in the MySQL table.

Load Filtered Azure Table Data

In addition to loading data directly from a table, you can use a custom SQL query to have more granular control of the data loaded. You can also perform increment loads by setting a last updated column in a SQL WHERE clause in the query field.

in:
	type: jdbc
	driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.azuretables.jar
	driver_class: cdata.jdbc.azuretables.AzureTablesDriver
	url: jdbc:azuretables:AccessKey=myAccessKey;Account=myAccountName;
	query: "SELECT Name, Price FROM NorthwindProducts WHERE [RecordId] = 1"
out: 
	type: mysql
	host: localhost
	database: DatabaseName
	user: UserId
	password: UserPassword
	table: "NorthwindProducts"
	mode: insert

More Information & Free Trial

By using CData JDBC Driver for Azure as a connector, Embulk can integrate Azure Table data into your data load jobs. And with drivers for more than 200+ other enterprise sources, you can integrate any enterprise SaaS, big data, or NoSQL source as well. Download a 30-day free trial and get started today.