Query Avalara AvaTax Data in DataGrip

DataGrip is a database IDE that allows SQL developers to query, create, and manage databases. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Avalara, DataGrip can work with live Avalara AvaTax data. This article shows how to establish a connection to Avalara AvaTax data in DataGrip and use the table editor to load Avalara AvaTax data.

Create a New Driver Definition for Avalara AvaTax

The steps below describe how to create a new Data Source in DataGrip for Avalara AvaTax.

1. In DataGrip, click File -> New > Project and name the project
2. In the Database Explorer, click the plus icon () and select Driver.
3. In the Driver tab:
   • Set Name to a user-friendly name (e.g. "CData Avalara AvaTax Driver")
   • Set Driver Files to the appropriate JAR file. To add the file, click the plus (), select "Add Files," navigate to the "lib" folder in the driver's installation directory and select the JAR file (e.g. cdata.jdbc.avalaraavatax.jar).
   • Set Class to cdata.jdbc.avalaraavatax.AvalaraAvatax.jar
   Additionally, in the advanced tab you can change driver properties and some other settings like VM Options, VM environment, VM home path, DBMS, etc
   • For most cases, change the DBMS type to "Unknown" in Expert options to avoid native SQL Server queries (Transact-SQL), which might result in an invalid function error
4. Click "Apply" then "OK" to save the Connection

Configure a Connection to Avalara AvaTax

1. Once the connection is saved, click the plus (), then "Data Source" then "CData Avalara AvaTax Driver" to create a new Avalara AvaTax Data Source.
2. In the new window, configure the connection to Avalara AvaTax with a JDBC URL.

   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.

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.avalaraavatax.jar

   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.
3. Set URL to the connection string, e.g., jdbc:avalaraavatax:User=MyUser;Password=MyPassword;
4. Click "Apply" and "OK" to save the connection string

At this point, you will see the data source in the Data Explorer.

Execute SQL Queries Against Avalara AvaTax

To browse through the Avalara AvaTax entities (available as tables) accessible through the JDBC Driver, expand the Data Source.

To execute queries, right click on any table and select "New" -> "Query Console."

In the Console, write the SQL query you wish to execute. For example: SELECT Id, TotalTax FROM Transactions WHERE Code = '051349'

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