Use the CData ODBC Driver for Amazon DynamoDB in MicroStrategy Desktop

MicroStrategy is an analytics and mobility platform that enables data-driven innovation. When paired with the CData ODBC Driver for Amazon DynamoDB, you gain database-like access to live Amazon DynamoDB data from MicroStrategy, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. In this article, we walk through adding Amazon DynamoDB as a data source in MicroStrategy Desktop and creating a simple visualization of Amazon DynamoDB data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Amazon DynamoDB data in MicroStrategy due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from MicroStrategy to Amazon DynamoDB, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Amazon DynamoDB and utilizes the embedded SQL Engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can visualize and analyze Amazon DynamoDB data using native MicroStrategy data types.

Connect to Amazon DynamoDB as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to Amazon DynamoDB follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments.

The connection to Amazon DynamoDB is made using your AccessKey, SecretKey, and optionally your Domain and Region. Your AccessKey and SecretKey can be obtained on the security credentials page for your Amazon Web Services account. Your Region will be displayed in the upper left-hand corner when you are logged into DynamoDB.

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Windows

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Linux

If you are installing the CData ODBC Driver for Amazon DynamoDB in a Linux environment, the driver installation predefines a system DSN. You can modify the DSN by editing the system data sources file (/etc/odbc.ini) and defining the required connection properties.

/etc/odbc.ini

For specific information on using these configuration files, please refer to the help documentation (installed and found online).

Connect to and Visualize Amazon DynamoDB Data using MicroStrategy Desktop

In addition to connecting Amazon DynamoDB in MicroStrategy enterprise products, you can connect to Amazon DynamoDB in MicroStrategy Desktop. Follow the steps below to add Amazon DynamoDB data as a dataset and create visualizations and reports of Amazon DynamoDB data.

1. Open MicroStrategy Desktop and create a new dossier.
2. In the datasets panel, click New Data, select Databases, and select Type a Query as the Import Option.
3. Add a new data source and choose DSN data sources.
4. Choose the DSN you previously configured (likely CData AmazonDynamoDB Sys) and select Generic DBMS in the Version menu.
5. Set the User and Password properties for the DSN (or use placeholder values) and name the data source.
6. Select the new database instance to view the tables. You may need to manually click the search icon in the Available Tables section to see the tables.
7. Create a SQL query for the Amazon DynamoDB data (see below) and click Execute SQL to test the query. SELECT * FROM Lead NOTE: Since we create a live connection, we can execute a SELECT * query and utilize the filtering and aggregation features native to the MicroStrategy products.
8. Click Finish and choose to connect live.
9. Choose a visualization, choose fields to display (data types are discovered automatically through dynamic metadata discovery) and apply any filters to create a new visualization of Amazon DynamoDB data. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to Amazon DynamoDB, while any unsupported operations (which can include SQL functions and JOIN operations) will be managed client-side by the CData SQL Engine embedded in the driver.
10. Once you are finished configuring the dossier, click File -> Save.

Using the CData ODBC Driver for Amazon DynamoDB in MicroStrategy Desktop, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on Amazon DynamoDB data. Read our other articles on connecting to Amazon DynamoDB in MicroStrategy and connecting to Amazon DynamoDB in MicroStrategy Web for more examples.