How to connect to Avalara AvaTax Data with Squirrel SQL client

The CData JDBC Driver for Avalara AvaTax enables you to execute queries to Avalara AvaTax data in tools like Squirrel SQL Client. In this article, you will create a JDBC data source for Avalara AvaTax data and execute queries.

Add the JDBC Driver for Avalara AvaTax

Follow the steps below to add the driver JAR.

1. In Squirrel SQL, click Windows -> View Drivers.
2. Click the plus icon to open the Add Driver wizard.
3. In the Name box, enter a user-friendly name for the driver; for example, CData JDBC Driver for Avalara AvaTax.
4. In the Example URL box, enter jdbc:avalaraavatax:
5. In the Extra Class Path tab, click Add.
6. In the file explorer dialog that opens, select the JAR file for the driver, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
7. Click List Drivers to populate the Class Name menu with the class name for the driver, cdata.jdbc.avalaraavatax.AvalaraAvataxDriver.

Define Connection Properties

Follow the steps below to save connection properties in the driver alias.

1. Click Windows -> View Aliases.
2. In the pane that lists the aliases, click the plus icon.

3. In the Add Alias wizard that opens, the following fields are required for the JDBC driver:

   • Name: Enter a name for the alias; for example, CData Avalara AvaTax Source.
   • Driver: Select the CData JDBC Driver for Avalara AvaTax.
   • URL: Enter jdbc:avalaraavatax:
4. If you want to define any additional properties, click Properties.
5. In the Driver properties tab of the dialog that appears, select the Use driver properties checkbox.
6. In the Specify column, select the checkboxes for the required connection properties.

   The primary method for performing basic authentication is to provide your login credentials, as follows:

   • User: Set this to your username.
   • Password: Set this to your password.

   Optionally, if you are making use of a sandbox environment, set the following:

   • UseSandbox: Set this to true if you are authenticating with a sandbox account.

   Authenticating Using Account Number and License Key

   Alternatively, you can authenticate using your account number and license key. Connect to data using the following:

   • AccountId: Set this to your Account Id. The Account Id is listed in the upper right hand corner of the admin console.
   • LicenseKey: Set this to your Avalara Avatax license key. You can generate a license key by logging into Avalara Avatax as an account administrator and navigating to Settings -> Reset License Key.

   Below is a typical connection string:

   jdbc:avalaraavatax:User=MyUser;Password=MyPassword;
7. In the dialog that appears after you click OK, click connect to test the connection.

Discover Schemas and Query Avalara AvaTax Data

After the metadata has loaded, a new tab for the Avalara AvaTax data source is displayed. On the Objects subtab, you can discover schema information, such as the available tables and views.

To view table data, select the table on the Objects tab. The table data is then loaded in a grid on the Content tab.

To execute an SQL query, enter the query on the SQL tab and then click Run SQL (the runner icon). For example: