How to Visualize Bright Data Data in Python with pandas via CData Connect AI

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Use the CData Connect AI Python SDK with pandas and Matplotlib to analyze and visualize live Bright Data data in Python.

The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems more effectively. With the CData Connect AI Python SDK, the pandas and Matplotlib modules, you can build Bright Data-connected Python applications and scripts for visualizing Bright Data data. This article shows how to connect to Connect AI and use the pandas and Matplotlib built-in functions to query Bright Data data and visualize the results.

The Connect AI Python SDK (cdata-connect-ai) is a DB-API 2.0 (PEP 249) compliant client, so pandas can read query results directly from the SDK connection object. There is no driver to install per source and no SQLAlchemy engine to configure: connect with a Personal Access Token and pass the connection straight to pandas.read_sql.

Connect to Bright Data in Connect AI

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

  1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
  2. Adding a Connection
  3. Select "Bright Data" from the Add Connection panel
  4. Selecting a data source
  5. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Bright Data.

    Using API Key Authentication

    To use the Bright Data API, you need an API key from the Bright Data Control Panel. Navigate to Account Settings > API to generate or retrieve your API key.

    After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

    • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
    • APIKey: Set this to your Bright Data API key from the Control Panel.

    Example connection string:

    Profile=C:\profiles\BrightData.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings="APIKey=your_api_key"
    

    Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
  6. Click Save & Test
  7. Navigate to the Permissions tab and update the user-based permissions. Updating permissions

Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT)

The Python SDK authenticates to Connect AI with your account email and a Personal Access Token (PAT). It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each application to maintain granularity of access.

  1. Click the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the Settings page.
  2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
  3. Give the PAT a name and click Create. Creating a new PAT
  4. The PAT is only visible at creation, so copy it and store it securely.

Install Required Modules

Install the SDK (with the pandas extra) and Matplotlib using the pip utility:

pip install "cdata-connect-ai[full]"
pip install matplotlib

Visualize Bright Data Data in Python

Import the modules, then connect to Connect AI with your account email and PAT. Identifiers are three-part: <Connection>.<Schema>.<Table>, where the connection name defaults to the source name (for example, API1).

import pandas
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import cdata_connect_ai

conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
    username="[email protected]",
    password="<your_pat>",
)

Query Bright Data with pandas

Use the read_sql function from pandas to execute a SQL statement and store the result set in a DataFrame. Pass the SDK connection directly, no engine required.

df = pandas.read_sql(
    "SELECT ,  "
    "FROM [API1].[API].[AccountStatus] "
    "WHERE  = ''",
    conn,
)

Note: pandas may print a UserWarning stating that it only officially supports SQLAlchemy connectables. This is expected when passing a DB-API connection directly—the query runs correctly and the warning is safe to ignore.

Visualize Bright Data Data

With the query results stored in a DataFrame, use the plot function to build a chart. The show method displays the chart in a new window.

df.plot(kind="bar", x="", y="")
plt.show()

conn.close()
The Matplotlib chart of the query results (Salesforce is shown)

More Information and Free Trial

Now you can read live Bright Data data into pandas through the CData Connect AI Python SDK. For more information on connecting to Bright Data (and hundreds of other data sources), visit the Connect AI page. Sign up for a free trial and start working with live Bright Data data in Python.



Full Source Code

import pandas
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import cdata_connect_ai

conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
    username="[email protected]",
    password="<your_pat>",
)

df = pandas.read_sql(
    "SELECT ,  "
    "FROM [API1].[API].[AccountStatus] "
    "WHERE  = ''",
    conn,
)

df.plot(kind="bar", x="", y="")
plt.show()

conn.close()

Ready to get started?

Learn more about CData Connect AI or sign up for free trial access:

Free Trial