Process & Analyze IBM Informix 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 IBM Informix data. This article explains how to host the CData JDBC Driver in AWS, as well as connect to and process live IBM Informix data in Databricks.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live IBM Informix data. When you issue complex SQL queries to IBM Informix, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to IBM Informix 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 IBM Informix data using native data types.

Install the CData JDBC Driver in Databricks

To work with live IBM Informix 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.informix.jar) from the installation location (typically C:\Program Files\CData[product_name]\lib).

👁 Loading the JDBC JAR File into AWS

Access IBM Informix Data in your Notebook: Python

With the JAR file installed, we are ready to work with live IBM Informix 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 IBM Informix, and create a basic report.

Configure the Connection to IBM Informix

Connect to IBM Informix 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.informix.InformixDriver"
url = "jdbc:informix:RTK=5246...;Server=10.0.1.2;Port=50000;User=admin;Password=admin;Database=test;"

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.informix.jar

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

Set the following properties to connect to IBM Informix

• Server: Set this to the name of the server running IBM Informix.
• Port: Set this to the port the IBM Informix server is listening on.
• Database: Set this to the name of the IBM Informix database.
• User: Set this to the username of a user allowed to access the database.
• Password: Set this to the password of a user allowed to access the database.

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

Load IBM Informix Data

Once you configure the connection, you can load IBM Informix 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" , "Books") \
	.load ()

Display IBM Informix Data

Check the loaded IBM Informix data by calling the display function.

Step 3: Checking the result

display (remote_table.select ("Id"))

👁 Displaying IBM Informix Data

Analyze IBM Informix 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 IBM Informix data for reporting, visualization, and analysis.

% sql

SELECT Id, Price FROM SAMPLE_VIEW ORDER BY Price DESC LIMIT 5

👁 Displaying IBM Informix Data

The data from IBM Informix 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 IBM Informix and start working with your live IBM Informix data in Databricks. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.