Connect to NASA Data in DBArtisan

The CData ODBC 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 an data source for NASA in DBArtisan and execute queries. You can then edit data visually and execute standard SQL.

Integrate NASA Data into DBArtisan Projects

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

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.

You can then 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 ODBC.
3. Enter a name for the data source and select the DSN. 👁 The DSN of the data source to be registered. (Salesforce is shown.)
   
4. Finish the wizard to connect to NASA data. NASA entities are displayed in the Datasource Explorer. 👁 The Datasource Explorer. (Salesforce is shown.)
   

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.