Replicate Azure Blob Storage Data to Multiple Databases

Always-on applications rely on automatic failover capabilities and real-time access to data. CData Sync integrates live Azure Blob Storage data into your mirrored databases, always-on cloud databases, and other databases such as your reporting server: Automatically synchronize with remote Azure Blob Storage data from Windows.

Configure Replication Destinations

Using CData Sync, you can replicate data from Azure Blob Storage to any number of databases, both cloud-based and on-premises. In this example, we use SQLite as the replication destination to demonstrate the process. To add it as a destination, navigate to the Connections tab.

For each destination database:

1. Click Add Connection.
2. Select the Destinations tab and locate the SQLite connector.
3. Click the Configure Connection icon at the end of that row to open the New Connection page. If the Configure Connection icon is not available, click the Download Connector icon to install the SQLite connector. For more information about installing new connectors, see Connections in the Help documentation.
4. To connect to SQLite, set the following connection properties:
   • Connection Name: Enter a connection name of your choice.
   • Data Source: Enter the path to the database. You can replicate to an existing database or to a new one. The application must have permission to access the database.

5. Once connected, click Create & Test to create, test and save the connection.

You are now connected to SQLite and can use it as both a source and a destination.

NOTE: You can use the Label feature to add a label for a source or a destination.

Configure the Azure Blob Storage Connection

You can configure a connection to Azure Blob Storage from the Connections tab. To add a connection to your Azure Blob Storage account, navigate to the Connections tab.

1. Click Add Connection.
2. Select a source (Azure Blob Storage).
3. Configure the connection properties.
   
   

   To connect with Azure Blog Storage, set the following connection properties:

   • Connection Name - Enter a connection name of your choice.
   • File Format - Select the file format that you want to use. Sync supports the CSV, PARQUET, and AVRO file formats.
   • Azure Storage Account - Enter the name of your Azure storage account.
   • URI - Enter the path of the file system and folder that contains your files. For example, azureblob://MyContainer/MyBlob

   CData Sync supports authenticating to Microsoft OneLake in several ways. For Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), please see the instructions below.

   Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)

   To connect with an Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) user account, select "Entra ID" (formerly Azure AD) for Auth Scheme. CData Sync provides an embedded OAuth application with which to connect so no additional properties are required.

   For other authentication methods (see below), refer to the Help documentation.

   Other Supported Authentication Methods

   • Azure Service Principal
   • Azure Service Principal Certificate
   • Azure Managed Service Identity
   • Azure Access Key (default)
   • Azure Storage SAS
   
4. Click Connect to Azure Blob Storage to ensure that the connection is configured properly.
5. Click Save & Test to save the changes.

Configure Replication Queries

CData Sync enables you to control replication with a point-and-click interface and with SQL queries. For each replication you wish to configure, navigate to the Jobs tab and click Add Job. Select the Source and Destination for your replication.

Replicate Entire Tables

To replicate an entire table, navigate to the Task tab in the Job, click Add Tasks, choose the table(s) from the list of Azure Blob Storage tables you wish to replicate into SQLite, and click Add Tasks again.

Customize Your Replication

The statement below caches and incrementally updates a table of Azure Blob Storage data:

REPLICATE MyFolder;

You can specify a file containing the replication queries you want to use to update a particular database. Separate the replication statements with semicolons. The following options are useful when replicating multiple Azure Blob Storage accounts into the same database:

• Use a different table prefix in the REPLICATE SELECT statement:

  REPLICATE PROD_MyFolder SELECT * FROM MyFolder;
  

• Alternatively, use a different schema:

  REPLICATE PROD.MyFolder SELECT * FROM MyFolder;
  

Schedule Your Replication

Select the Overview tab in the Job, and click Configure under Schedule. You can schedule a job to run automatically by configuring it to run at specified intervals, ranging from once every 10 minutes to once every month.

Once you have configured the replication job, click Save Changes. You can configure any number of jobs to manage the replication of your Azure Blob Storage data to disparate on-premises, cloud-based, and other databases.

Run the Replication Job

Once all the required configurations are made for the job, select the Azure Blob Storage table you wish to replicate and click Run. After the replication completes successfully, a notification appears, showing the time taken to run the job and the number of rows replicated.

Free Trial & More Information

Now that you've seen how to replicate and configure multiple jobs to manage the replication of your Azure Blob Storage data to various on-premises, cloud-based, and other databases, visit our CData Sync page to learn more and download a free 30-day trial. Start consolidating your enterprise data today!

As always, our world-class Support Team is ready to answer any questions you may have.