How to connect and process Dynamics NAV Data from Azure Databricks

Databricks is a cloud-based service that provides data processing capabilities through Apache Spark. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver, customers can use Databricks to perform data engineering and data science on live Dynamics NAV data. This article walks through hosting the CData JDBC Driver in Azure, as well as connecting to and processing live Dynamics NAV data in Databricks.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Dynamics NAV data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Dynamics NAV, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Dynamics NAV and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying allows you to work with and analyze Dynamics NAV data using native data types.

Install the CData JDBC Driver in Azure

To work with live Dynamics NAV data in Databricks, install the driver on your Azure cluster.

1. Navigate to your Databricks administration screen and select the target cluster.
2. On the Libraries tab, click "Install New."
3. Select "Upload" as the Library Source and "Jar" as the Library Type.
4. Upload the JDBC JAR file (cdata.jdbc.dynamicsnav.jar) from the installation location (typically C:\Program Files\CData[product_name]\lib).

Connect to Dynamics NAV from Databricks

With the JAR file installed, we are ready to work with live Dynamics NAV data in Databricks. Start by creating a new notebook in your workspace. Name the notebook, select Python as the language (though Scala is available as well), and choose the cluster where you installed the JDBC driver. When the notebook launches, we can configure the connection, query Dynamics NAV, and create a basic report.

Configure the Connection to Dynamics NAV

Connect to Dynamics NAV by referencing the class for the JDBC Driver and constructing a connection string to use in the JDBC URL. Additionally, you will need to set the RTK property in the JDBC URL (unless you are using a Beta driver). You can view the licensing file included in the installation for information on how to set this property.

driver = "cdata.jdbc.dynamicsnav.DynamicsNAVDriver"
url = "jdbc:dynamicsnav:RTK=5246...;http://myserver:7048;User=myserver\Administrator;Password=admin;ServerInstance=DYNAMICSNAV71;"

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Dynamics NAV JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

Before you can connect, OData Services will need to be enabled on the server. Once OData Services are enabled, you will be able to query any Services that are published on the server.

The User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid Dynamics NAV user credentials. In addition, you will need to specify a URL to a valid Dynamics NAV server organization root and a ServerInstance. If there is not a Service Default Company for the server, you will need to set the Company as well.

Load Dynamics NAV Data

Once the connection is configured, you can load Dynamics NAV data as a dataframe using the CData JDBC Driver and the connection information.

remote_table = spark.read.format ( "jdbc" ) \
	.option ( "driver" , driver) \
	.option ( "url" , url) \
	.option ( "dbtable" , "Customer") \
	.load ()

Display Dynamics NAV Data

Check the loaded Dynamics NAV data by calling the display function.

display (remote_table.select ("Name"))

Analyze Dynamics NAV Data in Azure Databricks

If you want to process data with Databricks SparkSQL, register the loaded data as a Temp View.

remote_table.createOrReplaceTempView ( "SAMPLE_VIEW" )

The SparkSQL below retrieves the Dynamics NAV data for analysis.

% sql

SELECT Name, Prices_Including_VAT FROM Customer

The data from Dynamics NAV is only available in the target notebook. If you want to use it with other users, save it as a table.

remote_table.write.format ( "parquet" ) .saveAsTable ( "SAMPLE_TABLE" )

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Dynamics NAV and start working with your live Dynamics NAV data in Azure Databricks. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.