How to use SQLAlchemy ORM to access Discourse Data in Python

The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems effectively. With the CData API Driver for Python and the SQLAlchemy toolkit, you can build Discourse-connected Python applications and scripts. This article shows how to use SQLAlchemy to connect to Discourse data to query Discourse data.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData Python Connector offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Discourse data in Python. When you issue complex SQL queries from Discourse, the CData Connector pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Discourse and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).

Connecting to Discourse Data

Connecting to Discourse data looks just like connecting to any relational data source. Create a connection string using the required connection properties. For this article, you will pass the connection string as a parameter to the create_engine function.

The Discourse API uses API Key authentication.

Using API Key Authentication

Discourse requires API Key and Username for authentication. API Keys are generated in the Discourse Admin panel under the API section. You can create user-specific API keys or all-users API keys. Once you have obtained the API Key, set it along with the Domain and Username in the ProfileSettings connection property.

Example Connection string

Profile=C:\profiles\Discourse.apip;ProfileSettings='Domain=forum.example.com;APIKey=your_api_key;Username=your_username;'AuthScheme=APIKey;

Follow the procedure below to install SQLAlchemy and start accessing Discourse through Python objects.

Install Required Modules

Use the pip utility to install the SQLAlchemy toolkit and SQLAlchemy ORM package:

pip install sqlalchemy
pip install sqlalchemy.orm

Be sure to import the appropriate modules:

from sqlalchemy import create_engine, String, Column
from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker

Model Discourse Data in Python

You can now connect with a connection string. Use the create_engine function to create an Engine for working with Discourse data.

NOTE: Users should URL encode the any connection string properties that include special characters. For more information, refer to the SQL Alchemy documentation.

engine = create_engine("api:///?Profile=C:\profiles\Discourse.apip&ProfileSettings='Domain=forum.example.com&APIKey=your_api_key&Username=your_username&'AuthScheme=APIKey")

Declare a Mapping Class for Discourse Data

After establishing the connection, declare a mapping class for the table you wish to model in the ORM (in this article, we will model the Backups table). Use the sqlalchemy.ext.declarative.declarative_base function and create a new class with some or all of the fields (columns) defined.

base = declarative_base()
class Backups(base):
	__tablename__ = "Backups"
	 = Column(String,primary_key=True)
	 = Column(String)
	...

Query Discourse Data

With the mapping class prepared, you can use a session object to query the data source. After binding the Engine to the session, provide the mapping class to the session query method.

Using the query Method

engine = create_engine("api:///?Profile=C:\profiles\Discourse.apip&ProfileSettings='Domain=forum.example.com&APIKey=your_api_key&Username=your_username&'AuthScheme=APIKey")
factory = sessionmaker(bind=engine)
session = factory()
for instance in session.query(Backups).filter_by(=""):
	print(": ", instance.)
	print(": ", instance.)
	print("---------")

Alternatively, you can use the execute method with the appropriate table object. The code below works with an active session.

Using the execute Method

Backups_table = Backups.metadata.tables["Backups"]
for instance in session.execute(Backups_table.select().where(Backups_table.c. == "")):
	print(": ", instance.)
	print(": ", instance.)
	print("---------")

For examples of more complex querying, including JOINs, aggregations, limits, and more, refer to the Help documentation for the extension.

Free Trial & More Information

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData API Driver for Python to start building Python apps and scripts with connectivity to Discourse data. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.