Connect to Parallel Data in RapidMiner

This article shows how you can easily integrate the CData JDBC driver for Parallel into your processes in RapidMiner. This article uses the CData JDBC Driver for Parallel to transfer Parallel data to a process in RapidMiner.

Connect to Parallel in RapidMiner as a JDBC Data Source

You can follow the procedure below to establish a JDBC connection to Parallel:

1. Add a new database driver for Parallel: Click Connections -> Manage Database Drivers.
2. In the resulting wizard, click the Add button and enter a name for the connection.
3. Enter the prefix for the JDBC URL:

   jdbc:api:
   

4. Enter the path to the cdata.jdbc.api.jar file, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
5. Enter the driver class:

   cdata.jdbc.api.APIDriver
   

   
6. Create a new Parallel connection: Click Connections -> Manage Database Connections.
7. Enter a name for your connection.
8. For Database System, select the Parallel driver you configured previously.
9. Enter your connection string in the Host box.

   The Parallel API uses API Key authentication via the x-api-key request header.

   Using API Key Authentication

   Your Parallel API key is required to create a connection. To obtain your API key:

   1. Log into your Parallel account at app.parallel.ai.
   2. Navigate to Settings or API Keys in your account dashboard.
   3. Generate or copy your API key.

   After obtaining your API key, set the following connection properties:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
   • APIKey: Set this to your Parallel API key.

   Example connection string:

   Profile=C:\profiles\Parallel.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';
   

   Built-in Connection String Designer

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

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar
   

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

   

   A typical connection string is below:

   Profile=C:\profiles\Parallel.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';
   

10. Enter your username and password if necessary.

You can now use your Parallel connection with the various RapidMiner operators in your process. To retrieve Parallel data, drag the Retrieve operator from the Operators view. With the Retrieve operator selected, you can then define which table to retrieve in the Parameters view by clicking the folder icon next to the "repository entry." In the resulting Repository Browser, you can expand your connection node to select the desired example set.

Finally, wire the output to the Retrieve process to a result, and run the process to see the Parallel data.