Connect to Quickbase Data in RapidMiner

This article shows how you can easily integrate the CData JDBC driver for Quickbase into your processes in RapidMiner. This article uses the CData JDBC Driver for Quickbase to transfer Quickbase data to a process in RapidMiner.

Connect to Quickbase in RapidMiner as a JDBC Data Source

You can follow the procedure below to establish a JDBC connection to Quickbase:

1. Add a new database driver for Quickbase: Click Connections -> Manage Database Drivers.
2. In the resulting wizard, click the Add button and enter a name for the connection.
3. Enter the prefix for the JDBC URL: jdbc:quickbase:
4. Enter the path to the cdata.jdbc.quickbase.jar file, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
5. Enter the driver class: cdata.jdbc.quickbase.QuickBaseDriver
6. Create a new Quickbase connection: Click Connections -> Manage Database Connections.
7. Enter a name for your connection.
8. For Database System, select the Quickbase driver you configured previously.
9. Enter your connection string in the Host box.

   User Authentication Method

   To authenticate with user credentials, specify the following connection properties:

   1. Set the User and Password.
   2. If your application requires an ApplicationToken;, you must provide it otherwise an error will be thrown. You can find the ApplicationToken under SpecificApp > Settings > App management > App properties > Advanced settings > Security options > Manage Application Token.

   User Token Authentication

   To authenticate with a user token, specify the following connection properties:

   1. Set UserToken and you are ready to connect. You can find the UserToken under Quick Base > My Preferences > My User Information > Manage User Tokens.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

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

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.quickbase.jar

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

   A typical connection string is below:

   User=user@domain.com;Password=password;Domain=myinstance.quickbase.com;ApplicationToken=bwkxrb5da2wn57bzfh9xn24
10. Enter your username and password if necessary.

You can now use your Quickbase connection with the various RapidMiner operators in your process. To retrieve Quickbase data, drag the Retrieve operator from the Operators view. With the Retrieve operator selected, you can then define which table to retrieve in the Parameters view by clicking the folder icon next to the "repository entry." In the resulting Repository Browser, you can expand your connection node to select the desired example set.

Finally, wire the output to the Retrieve process to a result, and run the process to see the Quickbase data.