Process & Analyze DB2 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 DB2 data. This article walks through hosting the CData JDBC Driver in AWS, as well as connecting to and processing live DB2 data in Databricks.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live DB2 data. When you issue complex SQL queries to DB2, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to DB2 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 DB2 data using native data types.

Install the CData JDBC Driver in Databricks

To work with live DB2 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.db2.jar) from the installation location (typically C:\Program Files\CData[product_name]\lib).

Access DB2 Data in your Notebook: Python

With the JAR file installed, we are ready to work with live DB2 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 DB2, and create a basic report.

Configure the Connection to DB2

Connect to DB2 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.db2.DB2Driver"
url = "jdbc:db2:RTK=5246...;Server=10.0.1.2;Port=50000;User=admin;Password=admin;Database=test;"

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the DB2 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.

Set the following properties to connect to DB2:

• Server: Set this to the name of the server running DB2.
• Port: Set this to the port the DB2 server is listening on.
• Database: Set this to the name of the DB2 database.
• User: Set this to the username of a user allowed to access the database.
• Password: Set this to the password of a user allowed to access the database.

You will also need to install the corresponding DB2 driver:

• Windows: Install the IBM Data Server Provider for .NET.

  On Windows, installing the IBM Data Server Provider is sufficient, as the installation registers it in the machine.config.

• Java: Install the IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC.

  In the Java version, place the IBM Data Server Driver JAR in the www\WEB-INF\lib\ folder for this application.

Load DB2 Data

Once you configure the connection, you can load DB2 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" , "Orders") \
	.load ()

Display DB2 Data

Check the loaded DB2 data by calling the display function.

Step 3: Checking the result

display (remote_table.select ("OrderName"))

Analyze DB2 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 DB2 data for reporting, visualization, and analysis.

% sql

SELECT OrderName, Freight FROM SAMPLE_VIEW ORDER BY Freight DESC LIMIT 5

The data from DB2 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 IBM DB2 and start working with your live DB2 data in Databricks. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.