Connect to Databox Data in JRuby

JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for Databox makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Databox data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to Databox data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Configure a JDBC Connection to Databox Data

Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Databox\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to Databox and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.

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

Databox API Profile Settings

To use the Databox API, you need to generate a personal access key from your Databox account. Navigate to the Databox account settings under Data Manager and generate an API key (prefixed with pak_).

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

• AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
• APIKey: Set this to your Databox personal access key.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Databox 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 typical JDBC connection string for Databox:

jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Databox.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Databox Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: APISelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for Databox 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.api.jar'

url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Databox.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Id, Title FROM Datasets")
while (rs.next) do
  puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Databox data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

jruby -S APISelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to Databox allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Databox data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!