Connect to FTP Data in CloverDX (formerly CloverETL)



Transfer FTP data using the visual workflow in the CloverDX data integration tool.

The CData JDBC Driver for FTP enables you to use the data transformation components in CloverDX (formerly CloverETL) to work with FTP as sources and destinations. In this article, you will use the JDBC Driver for FTP to set up a simple transfer into a flat file. The CData JDBC Driver for FTP enables you to use the data transformation components in CloverDX (formerly CloverETL) to work with FTP as sources and destinations. In this article, you will use the JDBC Driver for FTP to set up a simple transfer into a flat file.

Connect to FTP as a JDBC Data Source

  1. Create the connection to FTP data. In a new CloverDX graph, right-click the Connections node in the Outline pane and click Connections -> Create Connection. The Database Connection wizard is displayed.
  2. Click the plus icon to load a driver from a JAR. Browse to the lib subfolder of the installation directory and select the cdata.jdbc.ftp.jar file.
  3. Enter the JDBC URL.

    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.

    Built-in Connection String Designer

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

    java -jar cdata.jdbc.ftp.jar

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

    A typical JDBC URL is below:

    jdbc:ftp:RemoteHost=MyFTPServer;

Query FTP Data with the DBInputTable Component

  1. Drag a DBInputTable from the Readers selection of the Palette onto the job flow and double-click it to open the configuration editor.
  2. In the DB connection property, select the FTP JDBC data source from the drop-down menu.
  3. Enter the SQL query. For example: SELECT Filesize, Filename FROM MyDirectory

Write the Output of the Query to a UniversalDataWriter

  1. Drag a UniversalDataWriter from the Writers selection onto the jobflow.
  2. Double-click the UniversalDataWriter to open the configuration editor and add a file URL.
  3. Right-click the DBInputTable and then click Extract Metadata.
  4. Connect the output port of the DBInputTable to the UniversalDataWriter.
  5. In the resulting Select Metadata menu for the UniversalDataWriter, choose the MyDirectory table. (You can also open this menu by right-clicking the input port for the UniversalDataWriter.)
  6. Click Run to write to the file.

Ready to get started?

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FTP Icon FTP JDBC Driver

An easy-to-use database-like interface for Java based applications and reporting tools access to remote files and directories.