Process & Analyze Google Data Catalog Data in Databricks (AWS)

Databricks is a cloud-based service that provides data processing capabilities through Apache Spark. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver, customers can use Databricks to perform data engineering and data science on live Google Data Catalog data. This article explains how to host the CData JDBC Driver in AWS, as well as connect to and process live Google Data Catalog data in Databricks.

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

Install the CData JDBC Driver in Databricks

To work with live Google Data Catalog data in Databricks, install the driver on your Databricks cluster.

1. Navigate to your Databricks administration screen and select the target cluster.
2. On the Libraries tab, click "Install New."
3. Select "Upload" as the Library Source and "Jar" as the Library Type.
4. Upload the JDBC JAR file (cdata.jdbc.googledatacatalog.jar) from the installation location (typically C:\Program Files\CData[product_name]\lib).

👁 Loading the JDBC JAR File into AWS

Access Google Data Catalog Data in your Notebook: Python

With the JAR file installed, we are ready to work with live Google Data Catalog data in Databricks. Start by creating a new notebook in your workspace. Name the notebook, select Python as the language (though Scala is available as well), and choose the cluster where you installed the JDBC driver. When the notebook launches, we can configure the connection, query Google Data Catalog, and create a basic report.

Configure the Connection to Google Data Catalog

Connect to Google Data Catalog by referencing the JDBC Driver class and constructing a connection string to use in the JDBC URL. Additionally, you will need to set the property in the JDBC URL (unless you are using a Beta driver). You can view the licensing file included in the installation for information on how to set this property.

Step 1: Connection Information

driver = "cdata.jdbc.googledatacatalog.GoogleDataCatalogDriver"
url = "jdbc:googledatacatalog:RTK=5246...;ProjectId=YourProjectId;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;"

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.googledatacatalog.jar

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

Google Data Catalog uses the OAuth authentication standard. Authorize access to Google APIs on behalf on individual users or on behalf of users in a domain.

Before connecting, specify the following to identify the organization and project you would like to connect to:

• OrganizationId: The ID associated with the Google Cloud Platform organization resource you would like to connect to. Find this by navigating to the cloud console.

  Click the project selection drop-down, and select your organization from the list. Then, click More -> Settings. The organization ID is displayed on this page.

• ProjectId: The ID associated with the Google Cloud Platform project resource you would like to connect to.

  Find this by navigating to the cloud console dashboard and selecting your project from the Select from drop-down. The project ID will be present in the Project info card.

When you connect, the OAuth endpoint opens in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application to completes the OAuth process. For more information, refer to the OAuth section in the Help documentation.

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

Load Google Data Catalog Data

Once you configure the connection, you can load Google Data Catalog data as a dataframe using the CData JDBC Driver and the connection information.

Step 2: Reading the data

remote_table = spark.read.format ( "jdbc" ) \
	.option ( "driver" , driver) \
	.option ( "url" , url) \
	.option ( "dbtable" , "Schemas") \
	.load ()

Display Google Data Catalog Data

Check the loaded Google Data Catalog data by calling the display function.

Step 3: Checking the result

display (remote_table.select ("Type"))

👁 Displaying Google Data Catalog Data

Analyze Google Data Catalog Data in Databricks

If you want to process data with Databricks SparkSQL, register the loaded data as a Temp View.

Step 4: Create a view or table

remote_table.createOrReplaceTempView ( "SAMPLE_VIEW" )

With the Temp View created, you can use SparkSQL to retrieve the Google Data Catalog data for reporting, visualization, and analysis.

% sql

SELECT Type, DatasetName FROM SAMPLE_VIEW ORDER BY DatasetName DESC LIMIT 5

👁 Displaying Google Data Catalog Data

The data from Google Data Catalog is only available in the target notebook. If you want to use it with other users, save it as a table.

remote_table.write.format ( "parquet" ) .saveAsTable ( "SAMPLE_TABLE" )

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Google Data Catalog and start working with your live Google Data Catalog data in Databricks. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.