Getting Started with the CData Power BI Connector for Amazon Athena

This guide explains everything you need to get started with the CData Power BI Connector for Amazon Athena. You'll learn how to install and license the connector, configure your first connection, and explore next steps for working with Amazon Athena data in your applications.

Getting Started

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Installation & Licensing

The CData Power BI Connector for Amazon Athena enables Power BI Desktop and the Power BI On-premises Data Gateway to connect directly to live Amazon Athena data. This section details installation prerequisites, platform support, connector deployment, and licensing requirements.

System Requirements

The connector is supported in environments where Microsoft Power BI Desktop and Power BI Gateway are available. Because these components are Windows-only, the Power BI Connector is supported exclusively on Windows platforms.

Operating System Support

• Windows 10 (64-bit)
• Windows 11 (64-bit)
• Windows Server 2016, 2019, or 2022 (recommended for Power BI Gateway deployments)

Power BI Components

• Power BI Desktop (latest version recommended): Used for report design, data modeling, and connector configuration.
• Power BI On-premises Data Gateway: Required for scheduled refresh or cloud-published datasets.

Software Dependencies

Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (installed automatically if not already present).

Installing the Power BI Connector

Windows

1. Download the CData Power BI Connector for Amazon Athena.
2. Run the installer and follow the installation wizard.
3. The installer will guide you through the setup process and deploy the connector to the default installation directory.
4. During installation, you may be prompted to enter your license key.
   • You should have received your license key via email from the CData Orders Team.
   • The license key looks like this: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.

     Note: If you are running a trial, select the Trial Key option.

5. After installation, locate the connector file in the given location: C:\Program Files\CData\CData Power BI Connector for AmazonAthena\CData.AmazonAthena.pqx
6. Copy the .pqx file into the Power BI Desktop Custom Connectors folder (one-time process): Documents\Power BI Desktop\Custom Connectors
7. Restart Power BI Desktop. If prompted to enable custom extensions:
   • Go to File -> Options and Settings -> Options
   • Select Security
   • Under Data Extensions, choose "Allow any extension to load without validation"
   • Restart Power BI Desktop
8. For Power BI Gateway deployments, copy the same .pqx file to the gateway's custom connectors directory and restart the gateway service to load it.

Activating Your License

You should have received your license key via email from the CData Orders Team. The license key looks like this: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Windows License Activation

Your license will typically be activated during installation. However, there are cases where you may need to activate it manually. The steps below walk you through manual activation for the Power BI Connector:

• Open the ODBC driver application (DSN) from the Start menu.
• Select User DSN or System DSN, and open CData PBI Amazon Athena Source/Sys.
• Navigate to the About tab.
• Enter the license key in the Activation field under the License Information section, and click Activate!.
• Once activation succeeds, the connector will display a "Licensed" status. Click OK.

Common Licensing Questions

Can I use my license on multiple machines?

Yes, depending on your subscription tier. Check your order confirmation or contact your account representative for details. If you are unsure of who your account representative is, contact [email protected].

I lost my license key. How do I retrieve it?

Email [email protected] with your order number, and we'll resend your license key.

Can I transfer my license to a different machine?

Yes. When transferring the license to a different machine, you will need to submit a License Transfer Request on our site linked below:

https://www.cdata.com/lic/transfer/

After the License Transfer Request is submitted and successfully processed, an activation will be added to your Product Key, and you will be able to activate the full license on the other machine. Once this process is finished, the license on the previous machine will be invalid.

For additional licensing questions, contact [email protected]. Viewing and upgrading your license can now be done through our self-service portal at portal.cdata.com.

Connection Configuration

Once your driver is installed and licensed, you're ready to configure a connection to Amazon Athena. The CData Power BI Connector for Amazon Athena is built on top of an ODBC driver, so it uses a DSN (Data Source Name) to store connection properties.

Creating a DSN

Windows: Using ODBC Data Source Administrator

1. Open the ODBC Data Source Administrator (64-bit)

   Note: CData Power BI connectors use the 64-bit version.

   • Search for "ODBC" in the Windows Start menu
   • Or navigate to: Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> ODBC Data Sources
2. Click the System DSN or User DSN tab
   • System DSN: Available to all users on the machine (recommended for services)
   • User DSN: Available only to the current user
3. Select CData PBI Amazon Athena Source or Sys from the list (depending on User DSN or System DSN) or click Add to create a new data source.
4. Click Finish to open the connection configuration dialog.

Configuring Connection Properties

Authenticating to Amazon Athena

To authorize Amazon Athena requests, provide the credentials for an administrator account or for an IAM user with custom permissions: Set AccessKey to the access key Id. Set SecretKey to the secret access key.

Note: Though you can connect as the AWS account administrator, it is recommended to use IAM user credentials to access AWS services.

Obtaining the Access Key

To obtain the credentials for an IAM user, follow the steps below:

1. Sign into the IAM console.
2. In the navigation pane, select Users.
3. To create or manage the access keys for a user, select the user and then select the Security Credentials tab.

To obtain the credentials for your AWS root account, follow the steps below:

1. Sign into the AWS Management console with the credentials for your root account.
2. Select your account name or number and select My Security Credentials in the menu that is displayed.
3. Click Continue to Security Credentials and expand the Access Keys section to manage or create root account access keys.

Authenticating from an EC2 Instance

If you are using the CData Data Provider for Amazon Athena 2018 from an EC2 Instance and have an IAM Role assigned to the instance, you can use the IAM Role to authenticate. To do so, set UseEC2Roles to true and leave AccessKey and SecretKey empty. The CData Data Provider for Amazon Athena 2018 will automatically obtain your IAM Role credentials and authenticate with them.

Authenticating as an AWS Role

In many situations it may be preferable to use an IAM role for authentication instead of the direct security credentials of an AWS root user. An AWS role may be used instead by specifying the RoleARN. This will cause the CData Data Provider for Amazon Athena 2018 to attempt to retrieve credentials for the specified role. If you are connecting to AWS (instead of already being connected such as on an EC2 instance), you must additionally specify the AccessKey and SecretKey of an IAM user to assume the role for. Roles may not be used when specifying the AccessKey and SecretKey of an AWS root user.

Authenticating with MFA

For users and roles that require Multi-factor Authentication, specify the MFASerialNumber and MFAToken connection properties. This will cause the CData Data Provider for Amazon Athena 2018 to submit the MFA credentials in a request to retrieve temporary authentication credentials. Note that the duration of the temporary credentials may be controlled via the TemporaryTokenDuration (default 3600 seconds).

Connecting to Amazon Athena

In addition to the AccessKey and SecretKey properties, specify Database, S3StagingDirectory and Region. Set Region to the region where your Amazon Athena data is hosted. Set S3StagingDirectory to a folder in S3 where you would like to store the results of queries.

If Database is not set in the connection, the data provider connects to the default database set in Amazon Athena.

Testing Your Connection

1. After entering your connection properties, click Test Connection.
2. A successful test confirms:
   • Authentication credentials are correct.
   • Network connectivity is established.
   • Required permissions are in place.
3. If the test fails, the error message will indicate what needs to be corrected.
4. Click OK to save your DSN.

Creating a Connection in Power BI Desktop

1. Open Power BI Desktop.
2. Select Get Data -> More.
3. In the search box, type CData Amazon Athena.
4. Select the CData Amazon Athena connector and click Connect.
5. Enter the Data Source Name, in this case CData PBI Amazon Athena Sys.
6. Select Import if you want to import a copy of the data into your project. You can refresh this data on demand. Or select DirectQuery if you want to work with the remote data.
7. Select the required tables in the Navigator dialog. Click Load to see the Amazon Athena data in Power BI.

Common Connection Issues

Authentication Failed

Solution: Verify your credentials are current. For OAuth applications, you may need to authorize CData in your application's security settings. Contact [email protected] for authorization assistance.

Cannot Reach Server

Solution: Check firewall & proxy settings. Contact [email protected] for specific port requirements.

Table Not Found

Solution: Verify database and schema names. Use the Data Model tab in the DSN configuration to browse available tables.

For additional connection troubleshooting, contact [email protected] with your specific error message.

What's Next

Now that you have installed, licensed, and configured the driver, here are some scenarios you can use to explore our Power BI Connectors:

Installation & Licensing

Do I need administrator rights to install the connector?

Yes. Administrator rights are required to install the CData Power BI Connector because the installer writes to system directories and registers required components.

Is the connector available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions?

No. Power BI Desktop is 64-bit only, and all CData Power BI Connectors are distributed as 64-bit only MSI installers.

Get Support

If you need assistance at any point:

• Technical Support: [email protected]
• Community Forum: CData Community Site
• Help Documentation: Installed locally and available online

Connecting

What's the difference between System DSN and User DSN?

System DSNs are available to all users on a machine and are required when using the Power BI On-premises Data Gateway. User DSNs are only available to the Windows user who created them and are suitable for local Power BI Desktop use.

Can I use a DSN-less connection string instead of creating a DSN?

Yes. The underlying ODBC driver supports DSN-less connection strings, and Power BI can use DSN-less configuration when connecting through the ODBC connector.

Example:

Driver={CData Power BI Connector for AmazonAthena};User=Value1;Password=Value2;SecurityToken=Value3;

(Exact properties depend on your Amazon Athena authentication method.)

How do I connect to multiple Amazon Athena accounts?

Create separate DSNs, one for each Amazon Athena account, or create separate connection entries inside Power BI using different authentication credentials. Each DSN or connection stores its own settings.

Can I connect through a proxy server?

Yes. Proxy settings can be configured in the connection properties of your DSN or through the connector's Advanced Settings in Power BI.

Refer to the Firewall & Proxy section of the documentation for required properties and supported proxy scenarios.

Performance & Troubleshooting

Why are my queries slow?

Check the following:

• Use Import mode if you are working with large datasets or performing heavy transformations. Import mode caches data locally and reduces the number of live API calls.
• Use DirectQuery only when required, as it sends every query to Amazon Athena in real time.
• Apply filters in Power Query to reduce the size of the dataset before loading.
• Avoid selecting all columns if only a subset is needed.
• Monitor Amazon Athena API limits, which can throttle performance.
• Contact [email protected] for help with query optimization and best practices.

How do I enable logging for troubleshooting?

Logging can be enabled through the connector's advanced connection properties in Power BI Desktop.

In the connection dialog:

• Expand Advanced Options
• Set:
  • Logfile = path to a writable log file
  • Verbosity = 3 (or higher for detailed logs)

Be prepared to upload the log file when contacting [email protected] for analysis securely.

What ports does the connector need access to?

Most Amazon Athena connections require outbound HTTPS (port 443) access. Ensure your firewall allows outbound secure traffic to Amazon Athena endpoints.

For environments using proxies or additional security layers, consult the Firewall & Proxy section of the connector documentation.

Can I use the connector in a Linux container or Docker?

No. The CData Power BI Connector cannot be used in Linux containers because:

• Power BI Desktop runs only on Windows
• Power BI Gateway runs only on Windows
• Custom connector .pqx files are supported only on Windows

The Power BI Connector is a Windows-only component.

General

Where can I find the complete list of supported SQL operations?

Refer to the SQL Compliance section of the Amazon Athena connector documentation. Note that available SQL features may differ between Import and DirectQuery mode due to Power BI engine limitations.

How often is the connector updated?

CData releases major updates to the Power BI Connector annually, with periodic maintenance updates as needed.

Check your CData Account Portal or contact [email protected] for the latest version.

Where can I find examples of using the connector?

Refer to the Power BI Getting Started and Examples sections in the help documentation.

(Note: Power BI connectors do not use programming-language code samples like ODBC or JDBC drivers.)

For questions not covered in this FAQ, contact [email protected].