How to Visualize Presto Data in Python with pandas via CData Connect AI

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Use the CData Connect AI Python SDK with pandas and Matplotlib to analyze and visualize live Presto data in Python.

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 and Matplotlib modules, you can build Presto-connected Python applications and scripts for visualizing Presto data. This article shows how to connect to Connect AI and use the pandas and Matplotlib built-in functions to query Presto data and visualize the results.

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 and no SQLAlchemy engine to configure: connect with a Personal Access Token and pass the connection straight to pandas.read_sql.

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.

  1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
  2. Adding a Connection
  3. Select "Presto" from the Add Connection panel
  4. Selecting a data source
  5. 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.
    Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
  6. Click Save & Test
  7. Navigate to the Permissions tab and update the user-based permissions. Updating 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.

  1. Click the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the Settings page.
  2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
  3. Give the PAT a name and click Create. Creating a new PAT
  4. The PAT is only visible at creation, so copy it and store it securely.

Install Required Modules

Install the SDK (with the pandas extra) and Matplotlib using the pip utility:

pip install "cdata-connect-ai[full]"
pip install matplotlib

Visualize Presto Data in Python

Import the modules, then connect to Connect AI with your account email and PAT. Identifiers are three-part: <Connection>.<Schema>.<Table>, where the connection name defaults to the source name (for example, Presto1).

import pandas
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import cdata_connect_ai

conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
    username="[email protected]",
    password="<your_pat>",
)

Query Presto with pandas

Use the read_sql function from pandas to execute a SQL statement and store the result set in a DataFrame. Pass the SDK connection directly, no engine required.

df = pandas.read_sql(
    "SELECT FirstName, LastName "
    "FROM [Presto1].[Presto].[Customer] "
    "WHERE Id = '123456789'",
    conn,
)

Note: pandas may print a UserWarning stating that it only officially supports SQLAlchemy connectables. This is expected when passing a DB-API connection directly—the query runs correctly and the warning is safe to ignore.

Visualize Presto Data

With the query results stored in a DataFrame, use the plot function to build a chart. The show method displays the chart in a new window.

df.plot(kind="bar", x="FirstName", y="LastName")
plt.show()

conn.close()
The Matplotlib chart of the query results (Salesforce is shown)

More Information and Free Trial

Now you can read live Presto data into pandas through 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 working with live Presto data in Python.



Full Source Code

import pandas
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import cdata_connect_ai

conn = cdata_connect_ai.connect(
    username="[email protected]",
    password="<your_pat>",
)

df = pandas.read_sql(
    "SELECT FirstName, LastName "
    "FROM [Presto1].[Presto].[Customer] "
    "WHERE Id = '123456789'",
    conn,
)

df.plot(kind="bar", x="FirstName", y="LastName")
plt.show()

conn.close()

Ready to get started?

Learn more about CData Connect AI or sign up for free trial access:

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