Build SFTP-Connected ETL Processes in Google Data Fusion

Google Data Fusion allows users to perform self-service data integration to consolidate disparate data. Uploading the CData JDBC Driver for SFTP enables users to access live SFTP data from within their Google Data Fusion pipelines. While the CData JDBC Driver enables piping SFTP data to any data source natively supported in Google Data Fusion, this article walks through piping data from SFTP to Google BigQuery,

Upload the CData JDBC Driver for SFTP to Google Data Fusion

Upload the CData JDBC Driver for SFTP to your Google Data Fusion instance to work with live SFTP data. Due to the naming restrictions for JDBC drivers in Google Data Fusion, create a copy or rename the JAR file to match the following format driver-version.jar. For example: cdatasftp-2020.jar

1. Open your Google Data Fusion instance
2. Click the to add an entity and upload a driver
3. On the "Upload driver" tab, drag or browse to the renamed JAR file.
4. On the "Driver configuration" tab:
   • Name: Create a name for the driver (cdata.jdbc.sftp) and make note of the name
   • Class name: Set the JDBC class name: (cdata.jdbc.sftp.SFTPDriver)
5. Click "Finish"

Connect to SFTP Data in Google Data Fusion

With the JDBC Driver uploaded, you are ready to work with live SFTP data in Google Data Fusion Pipelines.

1. Navigate to the Pipeline Studio to create a new Pipeline
2. From the "Source" options, click "Database" to add a source for the JDBC Driver
3. Click "Properties" on the Database source to edit the properties

   NOTE: To use the JDBC Driver in Google Data Fusion, you will need a license (full or trial) and a Runtime Key (RTK). For more information on obtaining this license (or a trial), contact our sales team.

   • Set the Label
   • Set Reference Name to a value for any future references (i.e.: cdata-sftp)
   • Set Plugin Type to "jdbc"
   • Set Connection String to the JDBC URL for SFTP. For example:
     
     jdbc:sftp:RTK=5246...;RemoteHost=MyFTPServer;

     SFTP can be used to transfer files to and from SFTP servers using the SFTP Protocol. To connect, specify the RemoteHost;. service uses the User and Password and public key authentication (SSHClientCert). Choose an SSHAuthMode and specify connection values based on your selection.

     Set the following connection properties to control the relational view of the file system:

     • RemotePath: Set this to the current working directory.
     • TableDepth: Set this to control the depth of subfolders to report as views.
     • FileRetrievalDepth: Set this to retrieve files recursively and list them in the Root table.
     Stored Procedures are available to download files, upload files, and send protocol commands. See gdatamodel for more on using SQL to interact with the server.

     Built-in Connection String Designer

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

     java -jar cdata.jdbc.sftp.jar

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

   • Set Import Query to a SQL query that will extract the data you want from SFTP, i.e.:
     SELECT * FROM MyDirectory
4. From the "Sink" tab, click to add a destination sink (we use Google BigQuery in this example)
5. Click "Properties" on the BigQuery sink to edit the properties
   • Set the Label
   • Set Reference Name to a value like sftp-bigquery
   • Set Project ID to a specific Google BigQuery Project ID (or leave as the default, "auto-detect")
   • Set Dataset to a specific Google BigQuery dataset
   • Set Table to the name of the table you wish to insert SFTP data into

With the Source and Sink configured, you are ready to pipe SFTP data into Google BigQuery. Save and deploy the pipeline. When you run the pipeline, Google Data Fusion will request live data from SFTP and import it into Google BigQuery.

While this is a simple pipeline, you can create more complex SFTP pipelines with transforms, analytics, conditions, and more. Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for SFTP and start working with your live SFTP data in Google Data Fusion today.