Getting Started with the CData Connect AI Python SDK for FTP

The CData Connect AI Python SDK (cdata-connect-ai) is a DB-API 2.0 (PEP 249) compliant client that lets you fetch and act on live FTP data with standard Python database code. Because Connect AI provides the connectivity: you install one package, authenticate with a Personal Access Token, and query FTP (and every other source connected in Connect AI) using the same familiar connect() / cursor() / fetchall() pattern you already know from libraries like sqlite3 and psycopg2.

This guide walks through connecting FTP in Connect AI, generating a Personal Access Token, installing the SDK, and reading (and, where supported, writing) live FTP data.

Prerequisites

• An account in CData Connect AI
• Python 3.8 or higher
• An active FTP account with valid credentials

Connect to FTP 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. Select "FTP" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to FTP.

   To connect to FTP or SFTP servers, specify at least RemoteHost and FileProtocol. Specify the port with RemotePort.

   Set User and Password to perform Basic authentication. Set SSHAuthMode to use SSH authentication. See the Getting Started section of the data provider help documentation for more information on authenticating via SSH.

   Set SSLMode and SSLServerCert to secure connections with SSL.

   The data provider lists the tables based on the available folders in your FTP server. Set the following connection properties to control the relational view of the file system:

   • RemotePath: Set this to the current working directory.
   • TableDepth: Set this to control the depth of folders to list as views.
   • FileRetrievalDepth: Set this to retrieve and list files recursively from the root table.

   Stored Procedures are available to download files, upload files, and send protocol commands. See the Data Model chapter of the FTP data provider documentation for more information.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab and update the user-based 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.
4. The PAT is only visible at creation, so copy it and store it securely.

Install the SDK

Install the SDK from PyPI with pip:

pip install cdata-connect-ai

Connect and Run Your First Query

Connect with your account email and PAT, then query sys_tables to discover every table available across your connected sources. Identifiers in Connect AI are three-part: <Connection>.<Schema>.<Table>, where the connection name defaults to the source name (for example, FTP1).

import cdata_connect_ai

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

# Discover what's available across your connected sources
cur.execute("SELECT CatalogName, SchemaName, TableName FROM sys_tables LIMIT 25")

for row in cur.fetchall():
    print(row)

Pick any table from the results and query it directly:

cur.execute(
    "SELECT Filesize, Filename "
    "FROM [FTP1].[FTP].[MyDirectory] "
    "LIMIT 10"
)

for row in cur.fetchall():
    print(row)

Write Back to FTP

When the data source and your connection permissions allow it, the same cursor runs INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements. Bind values with pyformat (%(name)s) parameters, exactly as you would for a filtered read, and check cursor.rowcount for the number of affected rows.

# Insert a new record
cur.execute(
    "INSERT INTO [FTP1].[FTP].[MyDirectory] (Filesize) "
    "VALUES (%(newvalue)s)",
    {"newvalue": "Example value"},
)
print(f"Rows inserted: {cur.rowcount}")

# Update existing records
cur.execute(
    "UPDATE [FTP1].[FTP].[MyDirectory] "
    "SET Filename = %(newvalue)s "
    "WHERE FilePath = '/documents/doc.txt'",
    {"newvalue": "Updated value"},
)
print(f"Rows updated: {cur.rowcount}")

conn.close()

Note: Even for writable sources, a read-only PAT or connection permission will reject write operations. The same parameterized pattern also covers DELETE statements and stored procedures through cursor.callproc().

That is the entire workflow: one package, a PAT, and standard DB-API calls. Because the SDK returns a normal DB-API connection, it drops straight into the rest of the Python data ecosystem. From here you can load FTP data into pandas, build ETL pipelines with petl, or power a Dash web app, all using this same connection.

More Information and Free Trial

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