Use JayDeBeApi to access Autopilot Data in Python

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Use standard Python scripting and the development environment of your choice to access live Autopilot data.

Access Autopilot data with Python scripts and standard SQL on any machine where Python and Java can be installed. You can use the CData API Driver for JDBC and the JayDeBeApi module to work with remote Autopilot data in Python. By using the CData Driver, you are leveraging a driver written for industry-proven standards to access your data in the popular Python language. This article shows how to use the driver to execute SQL queries to Autopilot and visualize Autopilot data with standard Python.

Use the JayDeBeApi module

JayDeBeApi is a Python library that serves as a JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) bridge, allowing Python programs to interact with Java databases, including CData JDBC Drivers. Use the pip install command to install the module:

pip install JayDeBeApi

Create the JDBC URL

Once you have JayDeBeApi installed, you are ready to work with Autopilot data in Python using SQL.

Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the Autopilot Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\Autopilot.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for Autopilot (see below).

Autopilot API Profile Settings

Locate your Autopilot API key by navigating to My Account > Autopilot API > Generate and copying the generated key.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar

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

Below is a sample variable assignment, including a typical JDBC connection string:

jdbc_url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Autopilot.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';"

Access Autopilot data in Python

With the JDBC URL configured, you only need the absolute path to the JDBC driver JAR file, which is in the "lib" folder in the installation directory ("C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20XX\lib\cdata.jdbc.api.jar" on Windows).

NOTE: If you haven't already, set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the Java installation directory.

Use code similar to the follow to read and print data from Autopilot:

import jaydebeapi

#The JDBC connection string
jdbc_url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Autopilot.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';"

username = "****"
password = "****"

#The absolute Path to the JDBC driver JAR file, typically:
jdbc_driver_jar = "C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20XX\lib\cdata.jdbc.api.jar"

conn = jaydebeapi.connect(
   "cdata.jdbc.api.APIDriver",
   jdbc_url,
   [username, password],
   jdbc_driver_jar,
)

cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM Account;")


results = cursor.fetchall()
for row in results:
    print(row)

cursor.close()
conn.close()

Free trial & more information

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData API Driver for JDBC and start working with your live Autopilot data in Python. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

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