How to work with Certinia Data in Apache Spark using SQL

Apache Spark is a fast and general engine for large-scale data processing. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Certinia, Spark can work with live Certinia data. This article describes how to connect to and query Certinia data from a Spark shell.

The CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Certinia data due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries to Certinia, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Certinia and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can work with and analyze Certinia data using native data types.

Install the CData JDBC Driver for Certinia

Download the CData JDBC Driver for Certinia installer, unzip the package, and run the JAR file to install the driver.

Start a Spark Shell and Connect to Certinia Data

1. Open a terminal and start the Spark shell with the CData JDBC Driver for Certinia JAR file as the jars parameter:

   $ spark-shell --jars /CData/CData JDBC Driver for Certinia/lib/cdata.jdbc.certinia.jar
   

2. With the shell running, you can connect to Certinia with a JDBC URL and use the SQL Context load() function to read a table.

   There are several authentication methods available for connecting to Certinia: login credentials, SSO, and OAuth.

   Authenticating with a Login and Token

   Set the User and Password to your login credentials. Additionally, set the SecurityToken. By default, the SecurityToken is required, but you can make it optional by allowing a range of trusted IP addresses.

   To disable the security token:

   1. Log in to Certinia and enter "Network Access" in the Quick Find box in the setup section.
   2. Add your IP address to the list of trusted IP addresses.

   To obtain the security token:

   1. Open the personal information page on certinia.com.
   2. Click the link to reset your security token. The token will be emailed to you.
   3. Specify the security token in the SecurityToken connection property or append it to the Password.

   Authenticating with OAuth

   If you do not have access to the user name and password or do not want to require them, use the OAuth user consent flow. See the OAuth section in the Help for an authentication guide.

   Connecting to Certinia Sandbox Accounts

   Set UseSandbox to true (false by default) to use a Certinia sandbox account. Ensure that you specify a sandbox user name in User.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

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

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.certinia.jar
   

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

   👁 Using the built-in connection string designer to generate a JDBC URL (Salesforce is shown.)
   

   Configure the connection to Certinia, using the connection string generated above.

   scala> val certinia_df = spark.sqlContext.read.format("jdbc").option("url", "jdbc:certinia:User=myUser;Password=myPassword;Security Token=myToken;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;").option("dbtable","Account").option("driver","cdata.jdbc.certinia.CertiniaDriver").load()
   

3. Once you connect and the data is loaded you will see the table schema displayed.

4. Register the Certinia data as a temporary table:

   scala> certinia_df.registerTable("account")

5. Perform custom SQL queries against the Data using commands like the one below:

   scala> certinia_df.sqlContext.sql("SELECT BillingState, Name FROM Account WHERE Industry = Floppy Disks").collect.foreach(println)

   You will see the results displayed in the console, similar to the following:

   👁 Data in Apache Spark (Salesforce is shown)
   

Using the CData JDBC Driver for Certinia in Apache Spark, you are able to perform fast and complex analytics on Certinia data, combining the power and utility of Spark with your data. Download a free, 30 day trial of any of the hundreds of CData JDBC Drivers and get started today.