Manage NASA Data in DBArtisan as a JDBC Source

The CData JDBC Driver for NASA seamlessly integrates NASA data into database management tools like DBArtisan by enabling you to access NASA data as a database. This article shows how to create a JDBC source for NASA in DBArtisan. You can then edit data visually and execute standard SQL.

Integrate NASA Data into DBArtisan Projects

Follow the steps below to register NASA data as a database instance in your project:

1. In DBArtisan, click Data Source -> Register Datasource.
2. Select Generic JDBC.
3. Click Manage.
4. In the resulting dialog, click New. Enter a name for the driver and click Add. In the resulting dialog, navigate to the driver JAR. The driver JAR is located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory. 👁 The JDBC driver definition in the Register Datasource wizard. (Salesforce is shown.)
   
5. In the Connection URL box, enter credentials and other required connection properties in the JDBC URL.

   Using API Key Authentication

   Most NASA API endpoints (APOD, NeoWS, DONKI, TechTransfer) require a NASA API key. Register for a free key at https://api.nasa.gov. The default DEMO_KEY provides limited access (30 requests/hour, 50 requests/day); a registered key allows 1,000 requests/hour.

   The following endpoints do not require an API key and work without authentication: EONET (Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker), EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera), NASA Image and Video Library, and TechPort.

   After obtaining your API key, set the following connection properties:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
   • APIKey: Set this to your NASA API key. Use DEMO_KEY for limited testing.

   Example Connection String

   Profile=C:\profiles\NASA.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;APIKey=YOUR_NASA_API_KEY
   

   Connecting to NASA

   Once the authentication is configured, you can connect to NASA and query data from any of the available tables such as AstronomyPictureOfDay, NearEarthObjectFeed, EonetEvents, and NasaImageLibrary.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

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

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar
   

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

   👁 Required JDBC connection properties in the Register Datasource wizard. (Salesforce is shown.)
   

   Below is a typical connection string:

   jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\NASA.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;APIKey=YOUR_NASA_API_KEY

6. Finish the wizard to connect to NASA data. NASA entities are displayed in the Datasource Explorer.

You can now work with NASA data as you work with any other database. See the driver help documentation for more information on the queries supported by the NASA API.