How to use SQLAlchemy ORM to access CSV Data in Python

The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems effectively. With the CData Python Connector for CSV and the SQLAlchemy toolkit, you can build CSV-connected Python applications and scripts. This article shows how to use SQLAlchemy to connect to CSV data to query CSV data.

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

Connecting to CSV Data

Connecting to CSV data looks just like connecting to any relational data source. Create a connection string using the required connection properties. For this article, you will pass the connection string as a parameter to the create_engine function.

Connecting to Local or Cloud-Stored (Box, Google Drive, Amazon S3, SharePoint) CSV Files

CData Drivers let you work with CSV files stored locally and stored in cloud storage services like Box, Amazon S3, Google Drive, or SharePoint, right where they are.

Setting connection properties for local files

Set the URI property to local folder path.

Setting connection properties for files stored in Amazon S3

To connect to CSV file(s) within Amazon S3, set the URI property to the URI of the Bucket and Folder where the intended CSV files exist. In addition, at least set these properties:

• AWSAccessKey: AWS Access Key (username)
• AWSSecretKey: AWS Secret Key

Setting connection properties for files stored in Box

To connect to CSV file(s) within Box, set the URI property to the URI of the folder that includes the intended CSV file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect to Box.

Dropbox

To connect to CSV file(s) within Dropbox, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the folder that includes the intended CSV file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect to Dropbox. Either User Account or Service Account can be used to authenticate.

SharePoint Online (SOAP)

To connect to CSV file(s) within SharePoint with SOAP Schema, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the document library that includes the intended CSV file. Set User, Password, and StorageBaseURL.

SharePoint Online REST

To connect to CSV file(s) within SharePoint with REST Schema, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the document library that includes the intended CSV file. StorageBaseURL is optional. If not set, the driver will use the root drive. OAuth is used to authenticate.

Google Drive

To connect to CSV file(s) within Google Drive, set the URI property to the URI of the folder that includes the intended CSV file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect and set InitiateOAuth to GETANDREFRESH.

Follow the procedure below to install SQLAlchemy and start accessing CSV through Python objects.

Install Required Modules

Use the pip utility to install the SQLAlchemy toolkit and SQLAlchemy ORM package:

pip install sqlalchemy
pip install sqlalchemy.orm

Be sure to import the appropriate modules:

from sqlalchemy import create_engine, String, Column
from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker

Model CSV Data in Python

You can now connect with a connection string. Use the create_engine function to create an Engine for working with CSV data.

NOTE: Users should URL encode the any connection string properties that include special characters. For more information, refer to the SQL Alchemy documentation.

engine = create_engine("csv:///?URI=/PATH/TO/MyCSVFilesFolder")

Declare a Mapping Class for CSV Data

After establishing the connection, declare a mapping class for the table you wish to model in the ORM (in this article, we will model the Customer table). Use the sqlalchemy.ext.declarative.declarative_base function and create a new class with some or all of the fields (columns) defined.

base = declarative_base()
class Customer(base):
	__tablename__ = "Customer"
	City = Column(String,primary_key=True)
	TotalDue = Column(String)
	...

Query CSV Data

With the mapping class prepared, you can use a session object to query the data source. After binding the Engine to the session, provide the mapping class to the session query method.

Using the query Method

engine = create_engine("csv:///?URI=/PATH/TO/MyCSVFilesFolder")
factory = sessionmaker(bind=engine)
session = factory()
for instance in session.query(Customer).filter_by(FirstName="Bob"):
	print("City: ", instance.City)
	print("TotalDue: ", instance.TotalDue)
	print("---------")

Alternatively, you can use the execute method with the appropriate table object. The code below works with an active session.

Using the execute Method

Customer_table = Customer.metadata.tables["Customer"]
for instance in session.execute(Customer_table.select().where(Customer_table.c.FirstName == "Bob")):
	print("City: ", instance.City)
	print("TotalDue: ", instance.TotalDue)
	print("---------")

For examples of more complex querying, including JOINs, aggregations, limits, and more, refer to the Help documentation for the extension.

Free Trial & More Information

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData Python Connector for CSV to start building Python apps and scripts with connectivity to CSV data. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.