How to work with HCL Domino Data in Apache Spark using SQL

Apache Spark is a fast and general engine for large-scale data processing. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for HCL Domino, Spark can work with live HCL Domino data. This article describes how to connect to and query HCL Domino data from a Spark shell.

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

Install the CData JDBC Driver for HCL Domino

Download the CData JDBC Driver for HCL Domino installer, unzip the package, and run the JAR file to install the driver.

Start a Spark Shell and Connect to HCL Domino Data

1. Open a terminal and start the Spark shell with the CData JDBC Driver for HCL Domino JAR file as the jars parameter: $ spark-shell --jars /CData/CData JDBC Driver for HCL Domino/lib/cdata.jdbc.domino.jar
2. With the shell running, you can connect to HCL Domino with a JDBC URL and use the SQL Context load() function to read a table.

   Prerequisites

   The connector requires the Proton component to be installed. Normally, Proton is distributed as part of the AppDev pack. See the HCL documentation for instructions on acquiring and installing Proton or the AppDev pack.

   Once the Proton service is installed and running, you will also need to create a user account and download its Internet certificate. This certificate can be used to set the connector certificate connection properties.

   Authenticating to Domino

   • Server: The name or IP address of the server running Domino with the Proton service.
   • Port: The port number that the Proton service is listening on.
   • Database: The name of the database file, including the .nsf extension.
   • SSLClientCertType: This must match the format of the certificate file. Typically this will be either PEMKEY_FILE for .pem certificates or PFXFILE for .pfx certificates.
   • SSLClientCert: The path to the certificate file.
   • SSLServerCert: This can be set to (*) if you trust the server. This is usually the case, but if you want to perform SSL validation, you may provide a certificate or thumbprint instead. See the documentation for SSLServerCert for details.

   Additional Server Configuration

   The connector supports querying Domino views if any are defined. Before views can be queried by the connector they must be registered with the design catalog.

   Please refer to the Catalog Administration section of the AppDev pack documentation for details on how to do this.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

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

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.domino.jar

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

   Configure the connection to HCL Domino, using the connection string generated above.

   scala> val domino_df = spark.sqlContext.read.format("jdbc").option("url", "jdbc:domino:Server=https://domino.corp.com;Database=names.nsf;Port=3002;SSLClientCertType=PEMKEY_FILE;SSLClientCert=full_path_of_certificate.pem;SSLServerCert=*").option("dbtable","ByName").option("driver","cdata.jdbc.domino.DominoDriver").load()
3. Once you connect and the data is loaded you will see the table schema displayed.

4. Register the HCL Domino data as a temporary table:

   scala> domino_df.registerTable("byname")

5. Perform custom SQL queries against the Data using commands like the one below:

   scala> domino_df.sqlContext.sql("SELECT Name, Address FROM ByName WHERE City = Miami").collect.foreach(println)

   You will see the results displayed in the console, similar to the following:

Using the CData JDBC Driver for HCL Domino in Apache Spark, you are able to perform fast and complex analytics on HCL Domino data, combining the power and utility of Spark with your data. Download a free, 30 day trial of any of the 200+ CData JDBC Drivers and get started today.