Use Dash to Build Web Apps on Presto Data via CData Connect AI
The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems more effectively. With the CData Connect AI Python SDK, the pandas module, and the Dash framework, you can build Presto-connected web applications for Presto data. This article shows how to connect to Connect AI and use pandas and Dash to build a simple web app for visualizing Presto data.
The Connect AI Python SDK (cdata-connect-ai) is a DB-API 2.0 (PEP 249) compliant client, so pandas can read query results directly from the SDK connection object. There is no driver to install per source: connect with a Personal Access Token and build your app.
About Presto Data Integration
Accessing and integrating live data from Trino and Presto SQL engines has never been easier with CData. Customers rely on CData connectivity to:
- Access data from Trino v345 and above (formerly PrestoSQL) and Presto v0.242 and above (formerly PrestoDB)
- Read and write access all of the data underlying your Trino or Presto instances
- Optimized query generation for maximum throughput.
Presto and Trino allow users to access a variety of underlying data sources through a single endpoint. When paired with CData connectivity, users get pure, SQL-92 access to their instances, allowing them to integrate business data with a data warehouse or easily access live data directly from their preferred tools, like Power BI and Tableau.
In many cases, CData's live connectivity surpasses the native import functionality available in tools. One customer was unable to effectively use Power BI due to the size of the datasets needed for reporting. When the company implemented the CData Power BI Connector for Presto they were able to generate reports in real-time using the DirectQuery connection mode.
Getting Started
Connect to Presto in Connect AI
CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.
- Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
- Select "Presto" from the Add Connection panel
-
Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Presto.
Set the Server and Port connection properties to connect, in addition to any authentication properties that may be required.
To enable TLS/SSL, set UseSSL to true.
Authenticating with LDAP
In order to authenticate with LDAP, set the following connection properties:
- AuthScheme: Set this to LDAP.
- User: The username being authenticated with in LDAP.
- Password: The password associated with the User you are authenticating against LDAP with.
Authenticating with Kerberos
In order to authenticate with KERBEROS, set the following connection properties:
- AuthScheme: Set this to KERBEROS.
- KerberosKDC: The Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) service used to authenticate the user.
- KerberosRealm: The Kerberos Realm used to authenticate the user with.
- KerberosSPN: The Service Principal Name for the Kerberos Domain Controller.
- KerberosKeytabFile: The Keytab file containing your pairs of Kerberos principals and encrypted keys.
- User: The user who is authenticating to Kerberos.
- Password: The password used to authenticate to Kerberos.
- Click Save & Test
- 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.
- Click the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the Settings page.
- On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
- Give the PAT a name and click Create.

- The PAT is only visible at creation, so copy it and store it securely.
Install Required Modules
Install the SDK (with the pandas extra), Dash, and Plotly using the pip utility:
pip install "cdata-connect-ai[full]" pip install dash pip install plotly
Build a Web App on Presto Data in Python
Once the required modules are installed, you are ready to build the web app. Code snippets follow, but the full source code is available at the end of the article.
First, import the modules, then connect to Connect AI with your account email and PAT and read Presto data into a DataFrame. Identifiers are three-part: <Connection>.<Schema>.<Table>, where the connection name defaults to the source name (for example, Presto1).
import dash
from dash import dcc, html
import pandas as pd
import plotly.graph_objs as go
import cdata_connect_ai
conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
username="[email protected]",
password="<your_pat>",
)
df = pd.read_sql(
"SELECT FirstName, LastName "
"FROM [Presto1].[Presto].[Customer] "
"WHERE Id = '123456789'",
conn,
)
conn.close()
Configure the App and Layout
With the query results stored in a DataFrame, build a bar graph from the Presto data and configure the app layout.
app = dash.Dash(__name__)
app.title = 'CData Connect AI + Dash'
trace = go.Bar(x=df['FirstName'], y=df['LastName'], name='FirstName')
app.layout = html.Div(
children=[
html.H1("CData Connect AI + Dash", style={'textAlign': 'center'}),
dcc.Graph(
id='example-graph',
figure={
'data': [trace],
'layout': go.Layout(title='Presto Customer Data', barmode='stack'),
},
),
],
className="container",
)
Set the App to Run
With the connection, app, and layout configured, you are ready to run the app.
if __name__ == '__main__':
app.run(debug=True)
Now, use Python to run the web app and a browser to view the Presto data.
python presto-dash.py
More Information and Free Trial
Now you can build interactive Dash web apps on live Presto data using the CData Connect AI Python SDK. For more information on connecting to Presto (and hundreds of other data sources), visit the Connect AI page. Sign up for a free trial and start building web apps on live Presto data in Python.
Full Source Code
import dash
from dash import dcc, html
import pandas as pd
import plotly.graph_objs as go
import cdata_connect_ai
conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
username="[email protected]",
password="<your_pat>",
)
df = pd.read_sql(
"SELECT FirstName, LastName "
"FROM [Presto1].[Presto].[Customer] "
"WHERE Id = '123456789'",
conn,
)
conn.close()
app = dash.Dash(__name__)
app.title = 'CData Connect AI + Dash'
trace = go.Bar(x=df['FirstName'], y=df['LastName'], name='FirstName')
app.layout = html.Div(
children=[
html.H1("CData Connect AI + Dash", style={'textAlign': 'center'}),
dcc.Graph(
id='example-graph',
figure={
'data': [trace],
'layout': go.Layout(title='Presto Customer Data', barmode='stack'),
},
),
],
className="container",
)
if __name__ == '__main__':
app.run(debug=True)