Connect to Snowflake Data in JRuby

JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for Snowflake makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Snowflake data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to Snowflake data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Getting Started

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Configure a JDBC Connection to Snowflake Data

Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Snowflake\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to Snowflake and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.

To connect to Snowflake:

1. Set User and Password to your Snowflake credentials and set the AuthScheme property to PASSWORD or OKTA.
2. Set URL to the URL of the Snowflake instance (i.e.: https://myaccount.snowflakecomputing.com).
3. Set Warehouse to the Snowflake warehouse.
4. (Optional) Set Account to your Snowflake account if your URL does not conform to the format above.
5. (Optional) Set Database and Schema to restrict the tables and views exposed.
6. (Optional) If MFA is enabled on your Snowflake account (via Duo Security), set MFACode to the passcode generated by your Duo authenticator app.

See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for more information.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.snowflake.jar

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

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Snowflake:

jdbc:snowflake:Authscheme=Password;URL=https://myaccount.snowflakecomputing.com;User=Admin;Password=test123;Server=localhost;Database=Northwind;Warehouse=TestWarehouse;Account=Tester1;MFACode=YourMFACode

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Snowflake Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: SnowflakeSelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for Snowflake 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.snowflake.jar'

url = "jdbc:snowflake:Authscheme=Password;URL=https://myaccount.snowflakecomputing.com;User=Admin;Password=test123;Server=localhost;Database=Northwind;Warehouse=TestWarehouse;Account=Tester1;MFACode=YourMFACode"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Id, ProductName FROM Products")
while (rs.next) do
 puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Snowflake data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

jruby -S SnowflakeSelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to Snowflake allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Snowflake data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!