How to Import IBM Cloud Object Storage Data into SQL Server using SSIS

Using SQL Server as a backup for critical business data provides an essential safety net against loss. Backing up data to SQL Server enables business users to more easily connect that data with features like reporting, analytics, and more.

This example demonstrates how to use the CData SSIS Tasks for IBM Cloud Object Storage inside of a SQL Server SSIS workflow to transfer IBM Cloud Object Storage data into a Microsoft SQL Server database.

Add the Components

To get started, add a new IBM Cloud Object Storage source and SQL Server ADO.NET destination to a new data flow task.

Create a New Connection Manager

Follow the steps below to save IBM Cloud Object Storage connection properties in a connection manager.

1. In the Connection Manager window, right-click and then click New Connection. The Add SSIS Connection Manager dialog is displayed.
2. In the Connection Manager type menu, select IBMCloudObjectStorage. The CData IBM Cloud Object Storage Connection Manager is displayed.
3. Configure connection properties.

   Register a New Instance of Cloud Object Storage

   If you do not already have Cloud Object Storage in your IBM Cloud account, follow the procedure below to install an instance of SQL Query in your account:

   1. Log in to your IBM Cloud account.
   2. Navigate to the page, choose a name for your instance and click Create. You will be redirected to the instance of Cloud Object Storage you just created.

   Connecting using OAuth Authentication

   There are certain connection properties you need to set before you can connect. You can obtain these as follows:

   API Key

   To connect with IBM Cloud Object Storage, you need an API Key. You can obtain this as follows:

   1. Log in to your IBM Cloud account.
   2. Navigate to the Platform API Keys page.
   3. On the middle-right corner click "Create an IBM Cloud API Key" to create a new API Key.
   4. In the pop-up window, specify the API Key name and click "Create". Note the API Key as you can never access it again from the dashboard.

   Cloud Object Storage CRN

   If you have multiple accounts, you will need to specify the CloudObjectStorageCRN explicitly. To find the appropriate value, you can:

   • Query the Services view. This will list your IBM Cloud Object Storage instances along with the CRN for each.
   • Locate the CRN directly in IBM Cloud. To do so, navigate to your IBM Cloud Dashboard. In the Resource List, Under Storage, select your Cloud Object Storage resource to get its CRN.

   Connecting to Data

   You can now set the following to connect to data:

   • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
   • ApiKey: Set this to your API key which was noted during setup.
   • CloudObjectStorageCRN (Optional): Set this to the cloud object storage CRN you want to work with. While the connector attempts to retrieve this automatically, specifying this explicitly is recommended if you have more than Cloud Object Storage account.

   When you connect, the connector completes the OAuth process.

   1. Extracts the access token and authenticates requests.
   2. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.

Configure the IBM Cloud Object Storage Source

Follow the steps below to specify the query to be used to extract IBM Cloud Object Storage data.

1. Double-click the IBM Cloud Object Storage source to open the source component editor.
2. In the Connection Manager menu, select the connection manager previously created.
3. Specify the query to use for the data extraction. For example: SELECT Key, Etag FROM Objects WHERE Bucket = 'someBucket'
4. Close the IBM Cloud Object Storage Source control and connect it to the ADO.NET Destination.

Configure the SQL Server Destination

Follow the steps below to specify the SQL server table to load the IBM Cloud Object Storage data into.

1. Open the ADO.NET Destination and add a New Connection. Enter your server and database information here.
2. In the Data access mode menu, select "table or view".
3. In the Table Or View menu, select the table or view to populate.
4. Configure any properties you wish to on the Mappings screen.

Run the Project

You can now run the project. After the SSIS Task has finished executing, your database will be populated with IBM Cloud Object Storage data.