How to Use CData Connect to Access Live Avro Data in Power Automate

CData Connect enables you to access live Avro data in workflow automation tools like Power Automate. This article shows how to integrate Avro data into a simple workflow, moving Avro data into a CSV file.

CData Connect provides a pure SQL interface for Avro, allowing you to easily integrate with live Avro data in Power Automate — without replicating the data. Connect looks exactly like a SQL Server database to Power Automate and uses optimized data processing out of the box to push all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to Avro, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return Avro data.

Create a Virtual SQL Database for Avro Data

CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.

1. Log into Connect Server and click Connections.
2. Select "Avro" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Avro. Connect to your local Avro file(s) by setting the URI connection property to the location of the Avro file.
4. Click Save Changes
5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions.

How to Integrate Avro Data into Power Automate Workflows

After configuring CData Connect with Avro, you are ready to integrate Avro data into your Power Automate workflows. Open Microsoft Power Automate, add a new flow, and name the flow.

In the flow editor, you can add the actions to connect to Avro, query Avro using SQL, and write the query results to a CSV document.

Add an Open SQL Connection Action

Add an "Open SQL connection" action (Actions -> Database) and click the option to build the Connection string. In the Data Link Properties wizard:

1. On the Provider tab: select Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server
2. On the Connection tab:
   1. Select or enter a server name: set to the address and port of the SQL (TDS) endpoint of CData Connect, separated by a comma (e.g. localhost,8033)
   2. Enter information to log onto the server: select "Use a specific username and password" and use CData Connect credentials
   3. Select the database: use the database configured above (e.g. Avro1)
3. Click "Test Connection" to ensure the connection is configured properly
4. Click "OK"

After building the connection string in the Data Link Properties wizard, save the action.

Add an Execute SQL Statement Action

Add an "Execute SQL statement" action (Actions -> Database) and configure the properties.

• Get connection by: SQL connection variable
• SQL connection: %SQLConnection% (the variable from the "Open SQL connection" action above)
• SQL statement: SELECT * FROM SampleTable_1

After configuring the properties, save the action.

Add a Write to CSV File Action

Add a "Write to CSV file" action (Actions -> File) and configure the properties.

• Variable to write to: %QueryResult% (the variable from the "Execute SQL statement" action above)
• File path: set to a file on disk
• Configure Advanced settings as needed.

After configuring the properties, save the action.

Add a Close SQL Connection Action

Add a "Close SQL connection" action (Actions -> Database) and configure the properties.

• SQL Connection: %SQLConnection% (the variable from the "Open SQL connection" action above)

After configuring the properties, save the action.

Save & Run the Flow

Once you have configured all the actions for the flow, click the disk icon to save the flow. Click the play icon to run the flow.

Now you have a workflow to move Avro data into a CSV file.

With CData Connect, you get live connectivity to Avro data within your Microsoft Power Automate workflows.

Related Power Automate Articles

This article walks through using CData Connect Server with Power Automate Desktop. Check out our other articles for more ways to work with Power Automate (Desktop & Online):

• Avro Data in Power Automate Desktop via ODBC
• Avro Data in Power Automate (Online) using CData Connect Server