Process & Analyze Avalara AvaTax Data in Databricks (AWS)

Databricks is a cloud-based service that provides data processing capabilities through Apache Spark. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver, customers can use Databricks to perform data engineering and data science on live Avalara AvaTax data. This article walks through hosting the CData JDBC Driver in AWS, as well as connecting to and processing live Avalara AvaTax data in Databricks.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Avalara AvaTax data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Avalara AvaTax, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Avalara AvaTax and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying allows you to work with and analyze Avalara AvaTax data using native data types.

Install the CData JDBC Driver in Databricks

To work with live Avalara AvaTax data in Databricks, install the driver on your Databricks cluster.

1. Navigate to your Databricks administration screen and select the target cluster.
2. On the Libraries tab, click "Install New."
3. Select "Upload" as the Library Source and "Jar" as the Library Type.
4. Upload the JDBC JAR file (cdata.jdbc.avalaraavatax.jar) from the installation location (typically C:\Program Files\CData[product_name]\lib).

Access Avalara AvaTax Data in your Notebook: Python

With the JAR file installed, we are ready to work with live Avalara AvaTax data in Databricks. Start by creating a new notebook in your workspace. Name the notebook, select Python as the language (though Scala is available as well), and choose the cluster where you installed the JDBC driver. When the notebook launches, we can configure the connection, query Avalara AvaTax, and create a basic report.

Configure the Connection to Avalara AvaTax

Connect to Avalara AvaTax by referencing the JDBC Driver class and constructing a connection string to use in the JDBC URL. Additionally, you will need to set the RTK property in the JDBC URL (unless you are using a Beta driver). You can view the licensing file included in the installation for information on how to set this property.

Step 1: Connection Information

driver = "cdata.jdbc.avalaraavatax.AvalaraAvataxDriver"
url = "jdbc:avalaraavatax:RTK=5246...;User=MyUser;Password=MyPassword;"

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

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

The primary method for performing basic authentication is to provide your login credentials, as follows:

• User: Set this to your username.
• Password: Set this to your password.

Optionally, if you are making use of a sandbox environment, set the following:

• UseSandbox: Set this to true if you are authenticating with a sandbox account.

Authenticating Using Account Number and License Key

Alternatively, you can authenticate using your account number and license key. Connect to data using the following:

• AccountId: Set this to your Account Id. The Account Id is listed in the upper right hand corner of the admin console.
• LicenseKey: Set this to your Avalara Avatax license key. You can generate a license key by logging into Avalara Avatax as an account administrator and navigating to Settings -> Reset License Key.

Load Avalara AvaTax Data

Once you configure the connection, you can load Avalara AvaTax data as a dataframe using the CData JDBC Driver and the connection information.

Step 2: Reading the data

remote_table = spark.read.format ( "jdbc" ) \
	.option ( "driver" , driver) \
	.option ( "url" , url) \
	.option ( "dbtable" , "Transactions") \
	.load ()

Display Avalara AvaTax Data

Check the loaded Avalara AvaTax data by calling the display function.

Step 3: Checking the result

display (remote_table.select ("Id"))

Analyze Avalara AvaTax Data in Databricks

If you want to process data with Databricks SparkSQL, register the loaded data as a Temp View.

Step 4: Create a view or table

remote_table.createOrReplaceTempView ( "SAMPLE_VIEW" )

With the Temp View created, you can use SparkSQL to retrieve the Avalara AvaTax data for reporting, visualization, and analysis.

% sql

SELECT Id, TotalTax FROM SAMPLE_VIEW ORDER BY TotalTax DESC LIMIT 5

The data from Avalara AvaTax is only available in the target notebook. If you want to use it with other users, save it as a table.

remote_table.write.format ( "parquet" ) .saveAsTable ( "SAMPLE_TABLE" )

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Avalara and start working with your live Avalara AvaTax data in Databricks. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.