How to Query Live Anaplan Data in Natural Language in Python using LlamaIndex

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Use LlamaIndex to query live Anaplan data data in natural language using Python.

Start querying live data from Anaplan using the CData Python Connector for Anaplan. Leverage the power of AI with LlamaIndex and retrieve insights using simple English, eliminating the need for complex SQL queries. Benefit from real-time data access that enhances your decision-making process, while easily integrating with your existing Python applications.

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

Whether you're analyzing trends, generating reports, or visualizing data, our Python connectors enable you to harness the full potential of your live data source with ease.

Overview

Here's how to query live data with CData's Python connector for Anaplan data using LlamaIndex:

  • Import required Python, CData, and LlamaIndex modules for logging, database connectivity, and NLP.
  • Retrieve your OpenAI API key for authenticating API requests from your application.
  • Connect to live Anaplan data using the CData Python Connector.
  • Initialize OpenAI and create instances of SQLDatabase and NLSQLTableQueryEngine for handling natural language queries.
  • Create the query engine and specific database instance.
  • Execute natural language queries (e.g., "Who are the top-earning employees?") to get structured responses from the database.
  • Analyze retrieved data to gain insights and inform data-driven decisions.

Import Required Modules

Import the necessary modules CData, database connections, and natural language querying.

import os
import logging
import sys

# Configure logging
logging.basicConfig(stream=sys.stdout, level=logging.INFO, force=True)
logging.getLogger().addHandler(logging.StreamHandler(stream=sys.stdout))

# Import required modules for CData and LlamaIndex
import cdata.anaplan as mod
from sqlalchemy import create_engine
from llama_index.core.query_engine import NLSQLTableQueryEngine
from llama_index.core import SQLDatabase
from llama_index.llms.openai import OpenAI

Set Your OpenAI API Key

To use OpenAI's language model, you need to set your API key as an environment variable. Make sure you have your OpenAI API key available in your system's environment variables.

# Retrieve the OpenAI API key from the environment variables
OPENAI_API_KEY = os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"]

''as an alternative, you can also add your API key directly within your code (though this method is not recommended for production environments due to security risks):''

# Directly set the API key (not recommended for production use)
OPENAI_API_KEY = "your-api-key-here"

Create a Database Connection

Next, establish a connection to Anaplan using the CData connector using a connection string with the required connection properties.

Authenticating to Anaplan

The driver supports authenticating with Basic, Certificate, or OAuth. In every case, set Region to the region where your Anaplan account data is hosted (e.g., US1, which is the default).

Using Basic Authentication

Set AuthScheme to Basic, then supply your Anaplan User and Password. If your workspace uses single sign-on (SSO), you must be assigned as an Exception User to use Basic authentication.

Using Certificate Authentication

Set AuthScheme to Certificate, then supply the Certificate, CertificateType, and PrivateKey properties (and the matching CertificatePassword / PrivateKeyPassword if either is encrypted). The certificate must be a CA-issued X.509 certificate registered with your Anaplan tenant administrator.

Using OAuth Authentication

Register a custom OAuth application in Anaplan, then set the following properties:

  • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • CallbackURL: The redirect URI defined when you registered your application.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set to GETANDREFRESH to have the driver manage the OAuth token exchange and refresh automatically.

See the Getting Started chapter of the help documentation for a guide to creating a custom OAuth app and using OAuth.

Connecting to Anaplan

# Create a database engine using the CData Python Connector for Anaplan
engine = create_engine("cdata_anaplan_2:///?User=OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackURL=your_callback_url;Region=US1;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;")

Initialize the OpenAI Instance

Create an instance of the OpenAI language model. Here, you can specify parameters like temperature and the model version.

# Initialize the OpenAI language model instance
llm = OpenAI(temperature=0.0, model="gpt-3.5-turbo")

Set Up the Database and Query Engine

Now, set up the SQL database and the query engine. The NLSQLTableQueryEngine allows you to perform natural language queries against your SQL database.

# Create a SQL database instance
sql_db = SQLDatabase(engine)  # This includes all tables

# Initialize the query engine for natural language SQL queries
query_engine = NLSQLTableQueryEngine(sql_database=sql_db)

Execute a Query

Now, you can execute a natural language query against your live data source. In this example, we will query for the top two earning employees.

# Define your query string
query_str = "Who are the top earning employees?"

# Get the response from the query engine
response = query_engine.query(query_str)

# Print the response
print(response)

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData Python Connector for Anaplan and start querying your live data seamlessly. Experience the power of natural language processing and unlock valuable insights from your data today.

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