How to Access Live NASA Data in Power Automate Desktop via ODBC
The CData ODBC Driver for NASA enables you to access live NASA data in workflow automation tools like Power Automate. This article shows how to integrate NASA data into a simple workflow, moving NASA data into a CSV file.
Through optimized data processing, CData ODBC Drivers offer unmatched performance for interacting with live NASA data in Microsoft Power Automate. When you issue complex SQL queries from Power Automate to NASA, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to NASA and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (e.g. SQL functions and JOIN operations).
Connect to NASA as an ODBC Data Source
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.
Using API Key Authentication
Most NASA API endpoints (APOD, NeoWS, DONKI, TechTransfer) require a NASA API key. Register for a free key at https://api.nasa.gov. The default DEMO_KEY provides limited access (30 requests/hour, 50 requests/day); a registered key allows 1,000 requests/hour.
The following endpoints do not require an API key and work without authentication: EONET (Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker), EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera), NASA Image and Video Library, and TechPort.
After obtaining your API key, set the following connection properties:
- AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
- APIKey: Set this to your NASA API key. Use DEMO_KEY for limited testing.
Example Connection String
Profile=C:\profiles\NASA.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;APIKey=YOUR_NASA_API_KEY
Connecting to NASA
Once the authentication is configured, you can connect to NASA and query data from any of the available tables such as AstronomyPictureOfDay, NearEarthObjectFeed, EonetEvents, and NasaImageLibrary.
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 workflows.
Integrate NASA Data into Power Automate Workflows
After configuring the DSN for NASA, you are ready to integrate NASA data into your Power Automate workflows. Open Microsoft Power Automate, add a new flow, and name the flow.
In the flow editor, you can add the actions to connect to NASA, query NASA using SQL, and write the query results to a CSV document.
Add an Open SQL Connection Action
Add an "Open SQL connection" action (Actions -> Database) and configure the properties.
- Connection string: DSN=CData NASA Source
After configuring the action, click Save.
Add an Execute SQL Statement Action
Add an "Execute SQL statement" action (Actions -> Database) and configure the properties.
- Get connection by: SQL connection variable
- SQL connection: %SQLConnection% (the variable from the "Open SQL connection" action above)
- SQL statement: SELECT * FROM AstronomyPictureOfDay
After configuring the action, click Save.
Add a Write to CSV File Action
Add a "Write to CSV file" action (Actions -> File) and configure the properties.
- Variable to write to: %QueryResult% (the variable from the "Execute SQL statement" action above)
- File path: set to a file on disk
- Configure Advanced settings as needed.
After configuring the action, click Save.
Add a Close SQL Connection Action
Add a "Close SQL connection" action (Actions -> Database) and configure the properties.
- SQL Connection: %SQLConnection% (the variable from the "Open SQL connection" action above)
After configuring the action, click Save.
Save & Run the Flow
Once you have configured all the actions for the flow, click the disk icon to save the flow. Click the play icon to run the flow.
Now you have a workflow to move NASA data into a CSV file.
With the CData ODBC Driver for NASA, you get live connectivity to NASA data within your Microsoft Power Automate workflows.
Related Power Automate Articles
This article explains how to use the CData ODBC Driver for NASA with Power Automate Desktop. Check out our other articles for more ways to work with Power Automate (Desktop & Online):