Load SFTP Data to a Database Using Embulk

Embulk is an open source bulk data loader. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for SFTP, Embulk easily loads data from SFTP to any supported destination. In this article, we explain how to use the CData JDBC Driver for SFTP in Embulk to load SFTP data to a MySQL dtabase.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live SFTP data. When you issue complex SQL queries to SFTP, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to SFTP and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).

Configure a JDBC Connection to SFTP Data

Before creating a bulk load job in Embulk, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for SFTP\lib).

Embulk supports JDBC connectivity, so you can easily connect to SFTP and execute SQL queries. Before creating a bulk load job, create a JDBC URL for authenticating with SFTP.

SFTP can be used to transfer files to and from SFTP servers using the SFTP Protocol. To connect, specify the RemoteHost;. service uses the User and Password and public key authentication (SSHClientCert). Choose an SSHAuthMode and specify connection values based on your selection.

Set the following connection properties to control the relational view of the file system:

• RemotePath: Set this to the current working directory.
• TableDepth: Set this to control the depth of subfolders to report as views.
• FileRetrievalDepth: Set this to retrieve files recursively and list them in the Root table.

Stored Procedures are available to download files, upload files, and send protocol commands. See gdatamodel for more on using SQL to interact with the server.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.sftp.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.)

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for SFTP:

jdbc:sftp:RemoteHost=MyFTPServer;

Load SFTP Data in Embulk

After installing the CData JDBC Driver and creating a JDBC connection string, install the required Embulk plugins.

Install Embulk Input & Output Plugins

1. Install the JDBC Input Plugin in Embulk.
   https://github.com/embulk/embulk-input-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-input-jdbc

embulk gem install embulk-input-jdbc

2. In this article, we use MySQL as the destination database. You can also choose SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or Google BigQuery as the destination using the output Plugins.
   https://github.com/embulk/embulk-output-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-output-mysql

   embulk gem install embulk-output-mysql
   

With the input and output plugins installed, we are ready to load SFTP data into MySQL using Embulk.

Create a Job to Load SFTP Data

Start by creating a config file in Embulk, using a name like sftp-mysql.yml.

1. For the input plugin options, use the CData JDBC Driver for SFTP, including the path to the driver JAR file, the driver class (e.g. cdata.jdbc.sftp.SFTPDriver), and the JDBC URL from above
2. For the output plugin options, use the values and credentials for the MySQL database

Sample Config File (sftp-mysql.yml)

in:
	type: jdbc
	driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.sftp.jar
	driver_class: cdata.jdbc.sftp.SFTPDriver
	url: jdbc:sftp:RemoteHost=MyFTPServer;
	table: "MyDirectory"
out: 
	type: mysql
	host: localhost
	database: DatabaseName
	user: UserId
	password: UserPassword
	table: "MyDirectory"
	mode: insert

After creating the file, run the Embulk job.

embulk run sftp-mysql.yml

After running the the Embulk job, find the Salesforce data in the MySQL table.

Load Filtered SFTP Data

In addition to loading data directly from a table, you can use a custom SQL query to have more granular control of the data loaded. You can also perform increment loads by setting a last updated column in a SQL WHERE clause in the query field.

in:
	type: jdbc
	driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.sftp.jar
	driver_class: cdata.jdbc.sftp.SFTPDriver
	url: jdbc:sftp:RemoteHost=MyFTPServer;
	query: "SELECT Filesize, Filename FROM MyDirectory WHERE [RecordId] = 1"
out: 
	type: mysql
	host: localhost
	database: DatabaseName
	user: UserId
	password: UserPassword
	table: "MyDirectory"
	mode: insert

More Information & Free Trial

By using CData JDBC Driver for SFTP as a connector, Embulk can integrate SFTP data into your data load jobs. And with drivers for more than 200+ other enterprise sources, you can integrate any enterprise SaaS, big data, or NoSQL source as well. Download a 30-day free trial and get started today.