Migrating data from SAP SuccessFactors LMS to Databricks using CData SSIS Components.

Cameron Leblanc
Senior Technology Evangelist

Easily push SAP SuccessFactors LMS data to Databricks using the CData SSIS Tasks for SAP SuccessFactors LMS and Databricks.

Databricks is a unified data analytics platform that allows organizations to easily process, analyze, and visualize large amounts of data. It combines data engineering, data science, and machine learning capabilities in a single platform, making it easier for teams to collaborate and derive insights from their data.

The CData SSIS Components enhance SQL Server Integration Services by enabling users to easily import and export data from various sources and destinations.

In this article, we explore the data type mapping considerations when exporting to Databricks and walk through how to migrate SAP SuccessFactors LMS data to Databricks using the CData SSIS Components for SAP SuccessFactors LMS and Databricks.

Data Type Mapping

Databricks Schema	CData Schema
int, integer, int32	int
smallint, short, int16	smallint
double, float, real	float
date	date
datetime, timestamp	datetime
time, timespan	time
string, varchar	If length > 4000: nvarchar(max), Otherwise: nvarchar(length)
long, int64, bigint	bigint
boolean, bool	tinyint
decimal, numeric	decimal
uuid	nvarchar(length)
binary, varbinary, longvarbinary	binary(1000) or varbinary(max) after SQL Server 2000

Special Considerations

String/VARCHAR: String columns from Databricks can map to different data types depending on the length of the column. If the column length exceeds 4000, then the column is mapped to nvarchar (max). Otherwise, the column is mapped to nvarchar (length).
DECIMAL Databricks supports DECIMAL types up to 38 digits of precision, but any source column beyond that can cause load errors.

Prerequisites

Visual Studio 2022
SQL Server Integration Services Projects extension for Visual Studio 2022
CData SSIS Components for Databricks
CData SSIS Components for SAP SuccessFactors LMS

Create the project and add components

Open Visual Studio and create a new Integration Services Project.
Add a new Data Flow Task to the Control Flow screen and open the Data Flow Task.
Add a CData SAP SuccessFactors LMS Source control and a CData Databricks Destination control to the data flow task.

Configure the SAP SuccessFactors LMS source

Follow the steps below to specify properties required to connect to SAP SuccessFactors LMS.

Double-click the CData SAP SuccessFactors LMS Source to open the source component editor and add a new connection.
In the CData SAP SuccessFactors LMS Connection Manager, configure the connection properties, then test and save the connection.
SAP SuccessFactors LMS uses OAuth authentication. Before connecting, you must configure an OAuth application tied to your SAP SuccessFactors LMS account.

To establish a connection, set the following properties:
- User: Your SAP SuccessFactors LMS username.
- CompanyId: Your SAP SuccessFactors company identifier.
- Url: The SAP SuccessFactors API URL (e.g., https://api4.successfactors.com).
- OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
- OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
See the Getting Started chapter of the help documentation for a guide to creating a custom OAuth app and using OAuth.
After saving the connection, select "Table or view" and select the table or view to export into Databricks, then close the CData SAP SuccessFactors LMS Source Editor.

Configure the Databricks destination

With the SAP SuccessFactors LMS Source configured, we can configure the Databricks connection and map the columns.

Double-click the CData Databricks Destination to open the destination component editor and add a new connection.
In the CData Databricks Connection Manager, configure the connection properties, then test and save the connection. To connect to a Databricks cluster, set the properties as described below.
Note: The needed values can be found in your Databricks instance by navigating to Clusters, selecting the desired cluster, and selecting the JDBC/ODBC tab under Advanced Options.
- Server: Set to the Server Hostname of your Databricks cluster.
- HTTPPath: Set to the HTTP Path of your Databricks cluster.
- Token: Set to your personal access token (this value can be obtained by navigating to the User Settings page of your Databricks instance and selecting the Access Tokens tab).
Other helpful connection properties
- QueryPassthrough: When this is set to True, queries are passed through directly to Databricks.
- ConvertDateTimetoGMT: When this is set to True, the components will convert date-time values to GMT, instead of the local time of the machine.
- UseUploadApi: Setting this property to true will improve performance if there is a large amount of data in a Bulk INSERT operation.
- UseCloudFetch: This option specifies whether to use CloudFetch to improve query efficiency when the table contains over one million entries.
After saving the connection, select a table in the Use a Table menu and in the Action menu, select Insert.
On the Column Mappings tab, configure the mappings from the input columns to the destination columns.

Run the project

You can now run the project. After the SSIS Task has finished executing, data from your SQL table will be exported to the chosen table.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the SAP SuccessFactors LMS SSIS Component to get started:

Download Now

Learn more:

SAP SuccessFactors LMS SSIS Components

Powerful SSIS Source & Destination Components that allows you to easily connect SQL Server with SAP SuccessFactors LMS through SSIS Workflows.

Use the SAP SuccessFactors LMS Data Flow Components to synchronize with SAP SuccessFactors LMS 0, and more. Perfect for data synchronization, local back-ups, workflow automation, and more!