Bridge Redshift Connectivity with Apache NiFi

Apache NiFi supports powerful and scalable directed graphs of data routing, transformation, and system mediation logic. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Redshift, NiFi can work with live Redshift data. This article describes how to connect to and query Redshift data from an Apache NiFi Flow.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Redshift data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Redshift, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Redshift and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying allows you to work with and analyze Redshift data using native data types.

Connecting to Redshift Data in Apache NiFi

1. Download the CData JDBC Driver for Redshift installer, unzip the package, and run the JAR file to install the driver.

2. Copy the CData JDBC Driver JAR file (and license file if it exists), cdata.jdbc.redshift.jar (and cdata.jdbc.redshift.lic), to the Apache NiFi lib subfolder, for example, C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\lib.

   On Windows, the default location for the CData JDBC Driver is C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Redshift.

3. Start Apache NiFi. For example:

   cd C:\nifi-1.3.0-bin\nifi-1.3.0\bin
   run-nifi.bat
   

4. Navigate to the Apache NiFi UI in your web browser: typically http://localhost:8080/nifi
5. Click the (Configuration) button from the Operate sidebar.
6. In the NiFi Flow Configuration page, navigate to the Controller Services tab.
7. Click the button to create a new controller service.
8. In the Add Controller Service page, select DBCPConnection Pool, and then click Add.
9. Click the gear button to configure the new DBCPConnection Pool.

10. In the Configure Controller Service page, navigate to the Properties tab. Fill in the properties:

    Property	Value
    Database Connection URL	jdbc:redshift:User=admin;Password=admin;Database=dev;Server=examplecluster.my.us-west-2.redshift.amazonaws.com;Port=5439;
    Database Driver Class Name	cdata.jdbc.redshift.RedshiftDriver

    Built-in Connection String Designer

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

    java -jar cdata.jdbc.redshift.jar

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

    To connect to Redshift, set the following:

    • Server: Set this to the host name or IP address of the cluster hosting the Database you want to connect to.
    • Port: Set this to the port of the cluster.
    • Database: Set this to the name of the database. Or, leave this blank to use the default database of the authenticated user.
    • User: Set this to the username you want to use to authenticate to the Server.
    • Password: Set this to the password you want to use to authenticate to the Server.

    You can obtain the Server and Port values in the AWS Management Console:

    1. Open the Amazon Redshift console (http://console.aws.amazon.com/redshift).
    2. On the Clusters page, click the name of the cluster.
    3. On the Configuration tab for the cluster, copy the cluster URL from the connection strings displayed.
11. Click the button to enable the new DBCPConnection Pool.

Your Redshift data is now available for use in Apache NiFi. For example, you can use the DBCPConnection Pool as the source for a QueryDatabaseTable processor.

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Redshift and start working with your live Redshift data in Apache NiFi. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.