Query Google Cloud Storage Data through ODBC in Node.js

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment that allows you to run JavaScript code outside of a browser. With the CData ODBC Driver for Google Cloud Storage, you can access live Google Cloud Storage data from Node.js apps and scripts. In this article, we walk through installing node-odbc and the required tools to create a simple Node.js app with access to live Google Cloud Storage data.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Google Cloud Storage data in Node.js. When you issue complex SQL queries from Node.js to Google Cloud Storage, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Google Cloud Storage and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).

Connecting to Google Cloud Storage Data

If you have not already done so, provide values for the required connection properties in the data source name (DSN). You can use the built-in Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to configure the DSN. This is also the last step of the driver installation. See the "Getting Started" chapter in the help documentation for a guide to using the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure a DSN.

Authenticate with a User Account

You can connect without setting any connection properties for your user credentials. After setting InitiateOAuth to GETANDREFRESH, you are ready to connect.

When you connect, the Google Cloud Storage OAuth endpoint opens in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions, then the OAuth process completes

Authenticate with a Service Account

Service accounts have silent authentication, without user authentication in the browser. You can also use a service account to delegate enterprise-wide access scopes.

You need to create an OAuth application in this flow. See the Help documentation for more information. After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH.
• OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to "PFXFILE".
• OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the path to the .p12 file you generated.
• OAuthJWTCertPassword: Set this to the password of the .p12 file.
• OAuthJWTCertSubject: Set this to "*" to pick the first certificate in the certificate store.
• OAuthJWTIssuer: In the service accounts section, click Manage Service Accounts and set this field to the email address displayed in the service account Id field.
• OAuthJWTSubject: Set this to your enterprise Id if your subject type is set to "enterprise" or your app user Id if your subject type is set to "user".
• ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to.

The OAuth flow for a service account then completes.

Building node-odbc

In order to connect to Google Cloud Storage through the CData ODBC Driver, you need to build node-odbc manually (after installing the required tools).

Installing the Required Tools

The following commands install the tools required to build node-odbc (note the -g parameter, which installs the tools globally).

npm i -g windows-build-tools
npm i -g node-gyp

Building node-odbc

After installing the required tools, create a directory for the Node.js app and install odbc (which builds the binary for us to use in our Node.js script).

mkdir nodeodbc
cd nodeodbc
npm i -g node

Querying Google Cloud Storage from Node.js

With the ODBC Driver installed, a DSN Configured, and node-odbc built, we are ready to query live Google Cloud Storage data from a Node.js app. The sample code below connects to a specific DSN and queries the Buckets table.

myscript.js

const odbc = require('odbc');

async function queryGoogleCloudStorage() {
    const connection = await odbc.connect(`DSN=CData GoogleCloudStorage Source`);
    const data = await connection.query('SELECT Name, OwnerId FROM Buckets');
    console.log(data);
}

queryGoogleCloudStorage();

Once you write the app, use node to execute the script:

node myscript.js

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData ODBC Driver for Google Cloud Storage and start working with your live Google Cloud Storage data in Node.js. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.