Import Kafka Data into Microsoft Power Query



The CData Connect Server offers standards-based Web service endpoints that allow a variety of applications to access Kafka data. In this article, you will use the OData format to import Kafka data into Microsoft Power Query.

The Connect Server enables you to use Web services to connect to and query Kafka data. This article details how to import an OData feed of Kafka data into Microsoft Power Query.

Connect to Kafka from Power Query

To work with live Kafka data in Microsoft Power Query, we need to connect to Kafka from Connect Server, provide user access to the new virtual database, and create OData endpoints for the Kafka data.

Add a Connect Server User

Create a User to connect to Kafka from Microsoft Power Query through Connect Server.

  1. Click Users -> Add
  2. Configure a User
  3. Click Save Changes and make note of the Authtoken for the new user

Connect to Kafka from Connect Server

CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.

  1. Open Connect Server and click Connections
  2. Select "Kafka" from Available Data Sources
  3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Kafka.

    Set BootstrapServers and the Topic properties to specify the address of your Apache Kafka server, as well as the topic you would like to interact with.

    Authorization Mechanisms

    • SASL Plain: The User and Password properties should be specified. AuthScheme should be set to 'Plain'.
    • SASL SSL: The User and Password properties should be specified. AuthScheme should be set to 'Scram'. UseSSL should be set to true.
    • SSL: The SSLCert and SSLCertPassword properties should be specified. UseSSL should be set to true.
    • Kerberos: The User and Password properties should be specified. AuthScheme should be set to 'Kerberos'.

    You may be required to trust the server certificate. In such cases, specify the TrustStorePath and the TrustStorePassword if necessary.

  4. Click Save Changes
  5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions (SELECT is all that is required for Reveal).

Add Kafka OData Endpoints in Connect Server

After connecting to Kafka, create OData Endpoints for the desired table(s).

  1. Click OData -> Tables -> Add Tables
  2. Select the Kafka database
  3. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Next
  4. (Optional) Edit the resource to select specific fields and more
  5. Save the settings

(Optional) Configure Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)

When accessing and connecting to multiple domains from an application such as Ajax, there is a possibility of violating the limitations of cross-site scripting. In that case, configure the CORS settings in OData -> Settings.

  • Enable cross-origin resource sharing (CORS): ON
  • Allow all domains without '*': ON
  • Access-Control-Allow-Methods: GET, PUT, POST, OPTIONS
  • Access-Control-Allow-Headers: Authorization

Save the changes to the settings.

Connect to Kafka Data from Power Query

Follow the steps below to import tables that can be refreshed on demand:

  1. Configure the Connect Server to use a version of the OData protocol that is recognized by Power Query. In the Connect Server administration console, click Settings -> Server and change the value of the Default Version property to 3.0.
  2. From the ribbon in Excel, click Power Query -> From Other Data Sources -> From OData Feed, and enter the OData URL:

    https://your-server:8032/api.rsc
  3. Next, define authentication credentials and set privacy levels. Select Basic authentication and enter the credentials for a user authorized to make requests. Specify the Username field and enter the user's authtoken in the Password field.

    To change the authentication scheme that Power Query will use, click Power Query -> Data Source Settings. Select the OData feed from the list and then click "Edit Permissions..." Select the privacy level from the menu.

  4. You can now access Kafka data in Power Query. In the Navigator expand the node for the OData feed, right-click a table, and click Edit to open the Query Editor. This will display the table data.

Free Trial & More Information

If you are interested in connecting to your Kafka data (or data from any of our other supported data sources) from Power Query, sign up for a free trial of CData Connect Server today! For more information on Connect Server and to see what other data sources we support, refer to our CData Connect page.

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Learn more or sign up for a free trial:

CData Connect Server