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Connectors → Microsoft SQL Server

About Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDMS). The primary function of Microsoft SQL Server, as a database server, is storing and retrieving data requested by other software applications. Similar to other common RDMSs, Microsoft SQL Server uses Transact Structured Query Language (T-SQL) statements to perform tasks such as inserting, updating, deleting, or retrieving data from a database.

Microsoft SQL Server Connector Updates

This section is to explore the updates in the newer versions of the Microsoft SQL Server connector available on the Incorta connectors marketplace.

In order to get the newer version of the connector, please update the connector using the marketplace.

VersionUpdates
2.0.2.0Introduce log-based incremental load support with a known limitation that in case of deleting records and performing full load, you must reconfigure the Debezium connector to avoid retrieving deleted records from the snapshot.
2.0.2.2Fixed the known limitation in 2.0.2.0.
Recommendation

Keep your connector up-to-date with the latest connector version released to get all introduced fixes and enhancements.

About The Microsoft SQL Server Connector

The Microsoft SQL connector uses the Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) driver to connect to a SQL database and get data. You obtain a JDBC connection from the driver connection pool in order to perform queries to retrieve the table description, table schema, and actual data. The response is in the form of a record set. Incorta loads data from a SQL database using the SQL Server connector. The SQL Server Connector uses the sqljdbc42.jar driver.

The Microsoft SQL Server connector supports the following Incorta specific functionality:

FeatureSupported
Chunking✔
Data Agent✔
Encryption at Ingest
Incremental Load✔
Multi-Source✔
OAuth
Performance Optimized✔
Remote
Single-Source✔
Spark Extraction
Webhook Callbacks✔
Note

The Microsoft SQL Server Connector supports two types of incremental loads, including support for using a numeric column. To learn more, see Types of Incremental Loads.

Steps to connect Microsoft SQL Server and Incorta

To connect Microsoft SQL Server and Incorta, here are the high-level steps, tools, and procedures:

Create an external data source

Here are the steps to create an external data source with the SQL Server connector:

  1. Sign in to the Incorta Direct Data Platform™.
  2. In the Navigation bar, select Data.
  3. In the Action bar, select + New → Add Data Source.
  4. In the Choose a Data Source dialog, in Database, select SQL Server.
  5. In the New Data Source dialog, specify the applicable connector properties.
  6. To test, select Test Connection.
  7. Select Ok to save your changes.

SQL Server connector properties

Here are the properties for the SQL Server connector:

PropertyControlDescription
Data Source Nametext boxEnter the name of the data source
Usernametext boxEnter the database username
Passwordtext boxEnter the database user password
Connection Pooltext boxEnter the connection pool. The default is 30.
Connection Stringtext boxEnter the connection string for the SQL Server JDBC driver. The format is:
jdbc:sqlserver://<HOST>:<PORT>;databaseName=<DATABASE\_NAME>;
The <HOST> is the host DNS name or IPv4 address. The <PORT> is the TCP port number. The default is 1433.
Connection Propertiestext boxOptional. Customized string input of key/value pair properties. See below for details on connection properties.
Use Data AgenttoggleEnable using a data agent to securely ingest data from an external data source that is behind a firewall.
For more information, please review Tools → Data Agent and Tools → Data Manager.
Data Agentdrop down listEnable Use Data Agent to configure this property. Select from the data agents created in the tenant, if any.
Important: Data Agent

A data agent is a service that runs on a remote host. It is also a data agent object in the Data Manager for a given tenant. An authentication file shared between the data agent object and the data agent service enables an authorized connection without using a VPN or SSH tunnel. With a data agent, you can securely extract data from one or more databases behind a firewall to an Incorta cluster. Your Incorta cluster can reside on-premises or in the cloud. A CMC Administrator must enable and configure an Incorta cluster to support the use of Data Agents. Only a Tenant Administrator (Super User) or user that belongs to a group with the SuperRole role for a given tenant can create a data agent that connects to a data agent service. To learn more, see Concepts → Data Agent and Tools → Data Agent.

Connection Properties

The connection properties allow for customized connection to your SQL Server database. The properties are accepted in a key=value format. The type of connector properties can range from username and password to SSL settings. The sqljdbc42.jar driver determines the available connection properties. For a list of connection properties available with Incorta and a SQL Server database, refer to Setting the connection properties.

Important

If the SQL Server uses TLS/SSL encryption, you need to add the following two connection properties to the data source :

encrypt=true;
trustServerCertificate=true

Create a schema with the Schema Wizard

Here are the steps to create a SQL Server schema with the Schema Wizard:

  • Sign in to the Incorta Direct Data Platform™.
  • In the Navigation bar, select Schema.
  • In the Action bar, select + New → Schema Wizard.
  • In (1) Choose a Source, specify the following:
    • For Enter a name, enter the schema name.
    • For Select a Datasource, select the SQL Server external data source.
    • Optionally, enter a description.
  • In the Schema Wizard footer, select Next.
  • In (2) Manage Tables, in the Data Panel, first select the name of the Data Source, and then check the Select All checkbox.
  • In the Schema Wizard footer, select Next.
  • In (3) Finalize, in the Schema Wizard footer, select Create Schema.

Create a schema with the Schema Designer

Here are the steps to create a SQL Server schema using the Schema Designer:

  • Sign in to the Incorta Direct Data Platform™.
  • In the Navigation bar, select Schema.
  • In the Action bar, select + New → Create Schema.
  • In the Create Schema dialog, in Name, specify the schema name, and then select Save.
  • In Start adding tables to your schema, select SQL Database.
  • In the Data Source dialog, specify the SQL Server table data source properties.
  • Select Add.
  • In the Table Editor, in the Table Summary section, enter the table name.
  • To save your changes, in the Action bar, select Done.

SQL Server table data source properties

For a schema table in Incorta, you can define the following SQL-Server-specific data source properties as follows:

PropertyControlDescription
Typedrop down listDefault is SQL Database
Data Sourcedrop down listSelect the Microsoft SQL Server external data source
IncrementaltoggleEnable the incremental load configuration for the schema table. See Types of Incremental Loads.
Incremental Extract Usingdrop down listEnable Incremental to configure this property. Select between Last Successful Extract Time and Maximum Value of a Column. See Types of Incremental Loads.
Incremental Columndrop down listEnable Incremental and select Maximum Value of a Column to configure this property. Select the column to be used for Maximum Value of a Column. The Loader will track and use the greatest value or most recent timestamp for each load operation.
Fetch Sizetext boxFor performance improvement, define the number of records that will be retrieved from the database in each batch until all records are retrieved. The default is 5000.
Querytext boxEnter the SQL query to retrieve data from the SQL database using the Microsoft JDBC driver for SQL Server
Update Querytext boxEnable Incremental to configure this property. Define the SQL update query to use during an incremental load. The query and update query should be of the same structure, that is, the same selected columns.
Incremental Field Typedrop down listEnable Incremental to configure this property. Select the format of the incremental field:
  ●   Timestamp
  ●   Unix Epoch (seconds)
  ●   Unix Epoch (milliseconds)
Chunking Methoddrop down listChunking methods allow for parallel extraction of large tables. The default is No Chunking. There are two chunking methods:
  ●   By Size of Chunking (Single Table)
  ●   By Date/Timestamp
Chunk Sizetext boxSelect By Size of Chunking for the Chunking Method to set this property. Enter the number of records to extract in each chunk in relation to the Fetch Size. The default is 3 times the Fetch Size.
Order Columndrop down listSelect By Size of Chunking for the Chunking Method to set this property. Select a column in the source table you want to order by before chunking. It's typically an ID column and it must be numeric.
Upper Bound for Order Columntext boxOptional. Enter the maximum value for the order column.
Lower Bound for Order Columntext boxOptional. Enter the minimum value for the order column.
Order Column [Date/Timestamp]drop down listSelect By Date/Timestamp for the Chunking Method to set this property. Select a column in the source table you want to order by before chunking. It should be a Date/Timestamp column.
Chunk Perioddrop down listSelect the chunk period that will be used in dividing chunks:
  ●   Daily
  ●   Weekly (default)
  ●  Monthly
  ●  Yearly
  ●  Custom
Number of daystext boxSelect Custom for the Chunk Period to set this property. Enter the chunking period in days
CallbacktoggleEnable post extraction callback, that is, enabling callback on the data source data set(s) by invoking a certain callback URL with parameters containing details about the load job
Callback URLtext boxEnable Callback to configure this property. Specify the callback URL.

View the schema diagram with the Schema Diagram Viewer

Here are the steps to view the schema diagram using the Schema Diagram Viewer:

  • Sign in to the Incorta Direct Data Platform™.
  • In the Navigation bar, select Schema.
  • In the list of schemas, select the SQL Server schema.
  • In the Schema Designer, in the Action bar, select Diagram.

Load the schema

Here are the steps to perform a Full Load of the SQL Server schema using the Schema Designer:

  • Sign in to the Incorta Direct Data Platform™.
  • In the Navigation bar, select Schema.
  • In the list of schemas, select the SQL Server schema.
  • In the Schema Designer, in the Action bar, select Load → Full Load.
  • To review the load status, in Last Load Status, select the date.

Explore the schema

With the full load of the SQL schema complete, you can use the Analyzer to explore the schema, create your first insight, and save the insight to a new dashboard.

To open the Analyzer from the schema, follow these steps:

  • In the Navigation bar, select Schema.
  • In the Schema Manager, in the List view, select the SQL Server schema.
  • In the Schema Designer, in the Action bar, select Explore Data.

For more information about how to use the Analyzer to create insights, see Analyzer and Visualizations.

Additional Considerations

Types of Incremental Loads

You can enable Incremental Load for a Microsoft SQL Server data source. There are two types of incremental extracts:

Last Successful Extract Time

Fetch updates since the last time the tables were loaded. This is determined by the difference between the current time and the database timestamp.

Maximum Value of a Column

The column-based strategy depends on an extra column called "Incremental Column" in each table. The SQL Server connector supports both timestamp and numeric columns. A timestamp column is of the type date or timestamp. A numeric column is of the type int or long.

Note

Changing the incremental load strategy requires a full load to ensure data integrity.

Log-based incremental load

Starting the connector version 2.0.2.0, Incorta supports the log-based incremental load using the change data capture (CDC).

CDC is the process of identifying and capturing changes made to data in a database using logs and then delivering those changes in real time to a downstream process or system.

Note

Currently, the log-based incremental load is a preview feature.

Prerequisites

To be able to use the log-based incremental load, you need to be aware of and apply the following:

  1. Install and configure Apache Kafka and Kafka Connect.
  2. Configure Debezium connector, knowing that Incorta recommends using Debezium version 2.4.1.
  3. Disable snapshot while configuring Debezium.
  4. Make sure Debezium connector is configured to send data types to Incorta by adding the propagate property.
  5. Log-based incremental load only supports database physical tables.
  6. Tables must have primary keys.

Known limitations

  • For the time being, Incorta does not track deletion updates through the log-based incremental load (CDC).
  • Minimal mismatch in column INTERVAL data types.
  • This feature supports Kafka topics that use a single partition only.

Incremental Load Example

In this example, the invoices table must contain a column of the type Date or Timestamp in order to load the table incrementally with a last successful extract time strategy. In this case, the name of the date column is ModifiedDate and the format of the column is Timestamp.

Here are the data source property values for this example:

Incremental is enabled

Query contains SELECT * FROM invoices

Update Query contains SELECT * FROM invoices WHERE ModifiedDate > ?

Note

? is a variable in the update query that contains the last schema refresh date.

Incremental Field Type = Timestamp

Note

If running an update query for an incremental load, you are able to use the ? reference character. The ? character will be replaced with the last incremental reference to construct a valid query to the database. The ? reference character is not valid in a standard query.

Valid Query Types

When creating a query for the Microsoft SQL Server connector, only SELECT statements are valid.

Known Issues

  • If you are using OpenJDK 11 with the default driver sqljdbc42.jar, it will throw errors. You can either use the SQL Server (jTDS) connector instead, or remove the sqljdbc42.jar driver and manually add the mssql-jdbc-7.4.1.jre11.jar driver. Here are the steps to install the new driver.
    • In the <INCORTA_NODE_INSTALLATION_PATH>/runtime/lib directory, remove sqljdbc42.jar. The default installation path is IncortaAnalytics/IncortaNode
    • Add the mssql-jdbc-7.4.1.jre11.jar driver to this directory.
    • Restart the Loader and Analytics services.
  • If you try to connect to a SQL Server that has SSL/TLS certificates installed, the system may skip checking the certificate.