Build a PostgreSQL Interface for PostgreSQL Data using the CData JDBC Driver

There are a vast number of PostgreSQL clients available on the Internet. From standard Drivers to BI and Analytics tools, PostgreSQL is a popular interface for data access. Using our JDBC Drivers, you can now create PostgreSQL entry-points that you can connect to from any standard client.

To access PostgreSQL data as a PostgreSQL database, use the CData JDBC Driver for PostgreSQL and a JDBC foreign data wrapper (FDW). In this article, we compile the FDW, install it, and query PostgreSQL data from PostgreSQL Server.

Connect to PostgreSQL Data as a JDBC Data Source

To connect to PostgreSQL as a JDBC data source, you will need the following:

• Driver JAR path: The JAR is located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.

• Driver class:

  cdata.jdbc.postgresql.PostgreSQLDriver
  

• JDBC URL: The URL must start with "jdbc:postgresql:" and can include any of the connection properties in name-value pairs separated with semicolons.

  To connect to PostgreSQL, set the Server, Port (the default port is 5432), and Database connection properties and set the User and Password you wish to use to authenticate to the server. If the Database property is not specified, the data provider connects to the user's default database.

  SSH Connectivity for PostgreSQL

  You can use SSH (Secure Shell) to authenticate with PostgreSQL, whether the instance is hosted on-premises or in supported cloud environments. SSH authentication ensures that access is encrypted (as compared to direct network connections).

  SSH Connections to PostgreSQL in Password Auth Mode

  To connect to PostgreSQL via SSH in Password Auth mode, set the following connection properties:

  • User: PostgreSQL User name
  • Password: PostgreSQL Password
  • Database: PostgreSQL database name
  • Server: PostgreSQL Server name
  • Port: PostgreSQL port number like 3306
  • UserSSH: "true"
  • SSHAuthMode: "Password"
  • SSHPort: SSH Port number
  • SSHServer: SSH Server name
  • SSHUser: SSH User name
  • SSHPassword: SSH Password

  SSH Connections to PostgreSQL in Public Key Auth Mode

  To connect to PostgreSQL via SSH in Password Auth mode, set the following connection properties:

  • User: PostgreSQL User name
  • Password: PostgreSQL Password
  • Database: PostgreSQL database name
  • Server: PostgreSQL Server name
  • Port: PostgreSQL port number like 3306
  • UserSSH: "true"
  • SSHAuthMode: "Public_Key"
  • SSHPort: SSH Port number
  • SSHServer: SSH Server name
  • SSHUser: SSH User name
  • SSHClientCret: the path for the public key certificate file

  Built-in Connection String Designer

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

  java -jar cdata.jdbc.postgresql.jar
  

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

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

  A typical JDBC URL is below:

  jdbc:postgresql:User=postgres;Password=admin;Database=postgres;Server=127.0.0.1;Port=5432;
  

Build the JDBC Foreign Data Wrapper

The Foreign Data Wrapper can be installed as an extension to PostgreSQL, without recompiling PostgreSQL. The jdbc2_fdw extension is used as an example (downloadable here).

1. Add a symlink from the shared object for your version of the JRE to /usr/lib/libjvm.so. For example:

   ln -s /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/jre/lib/amd64/server/libjvm.so /usr/lib/libjvm.so
   

2. Start the build:

   make install USE_PGXS=1
   

Query PostgreSQL Data as a PostgreSQL Database

After you have installed the extension, follow the steps below to start executing queries to PostgreSQL data:

1. Log into your database.
2. Load the extension for the database:

   CREATE EXTENSION jdbc2_fdw;
   

3. Create a server object for PostgreSQL:

   CREATE SERVER PostgreSQL 
   FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER jdbc2_fdw OPTIONS (
   drivername 'cdata.jdbc.postgresql.PostgreSQLDriver',
   url 'jdbc:postgresql:User=postgres;Password=admin;Database=postgres;Server=127.0.0.1;Port=5432;',
   querytimeout '15',
   jarfile '/home/MyUser/CData/CData\ JDBC\ Driver\ for\ Salesforce MyDriverEdition/lib/cdata.jdbc.postgresql.jar'); 
   

4. Create a user mapping for the username and password of a user known to the MySQL daemon.

   CREATE USER MAPPING for postgres SERVER PostgreSQL OPTIONS (
   username 'admin', 
   password 'test');
   

5. Create a foreign table in your local database:

   postgres=# CREATE FOREIGN TABLE orders (
   orders_id text,
   orders_ShipName text,
   orders_ShipCity numeric) 
   SERVER PostgreSQL OPTIONS (
   table_name 'orders');
   

You can now execute read/write commands to PostgreSQL:

postgres=# SELECT * FROM orders;