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Create Apps from Databricks Data in Qlik Sense Cloud
Use CData Connect Cloud to connect to Databricks Data and build apps from live Databricks data in Qlik Sense Cloud.
Qlik Sense Cloud allows you to create and share data visualizations and interact with information in new ways. CData Connect Cloud creates a live connection to Databricks. By pairing Qlik Sense Cloud with CData Connect Cloud, you get true cloud-to-cloud connectivity to all of your SaaS and cloud-based Big Data and NoSQL sources — no need to migrate your data or write your integrations. Simply connect to Connect Cloud from Qlik Sense Cloud and get instant, live access to your Databricks data.
In this article, we walk through two connections:
- Connecting to Databricks in Connect Cloud
- Connecting to Connect Cloud from Qlik Sense Cloud to create a model and build a simple dashboard
About Databricks Data Integration
Accessing and integrating live data from Databricks has never been easier with CData. Customers rely on CData connectivity to:
- Access all versions of Databricks from Runtime Versions 9.1 - 13.X to both the Pro and Classic Databricks SQL versions.
- Leave Databricks in their preferred environment thanks to compatibility with any hosting solution.
- Secure authenticate in a variety of ways, including personal access token, Azure Service Principal, and Azure AD.
- Upload data to Databricks using Databricks File System, Azure Blog Storage, and AWS S3 Storage.
While many customers are using CData's solutions to migrate data from different systems into their Databricks data lakehouse, several customers use our live connectivity solutions to federate connectivity between their databases and Databricks. These customers are using SQL Server Linked Servers or Polybase to get live access to Databricks from within their existing RDBMs.
Read more about common Databricks use-cases and how CData's solutions help solve data problems in our blog: What is Databricks Used For? 6 Use Cases.
Getting Started
Configure Databricks Connectivity for Qlik Sense Cloud
Connectivity to Databricks from Qlik Cloud is made possible through CData Connect Cloud. To work with Databricks data from Qlik Cloud, we start by creating and configuring a Databricks connection.
- Log into Connect Cloud, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
- Select "Databricks" from the Add Connection panel
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Databricks.
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, and 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).
- Click Create & Test
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Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Databricks Connection page and update the User-based permissions.
Add a Personal Access Token
When connecting to Connect Cloud through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect Cloud. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.
- Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect Cloud app to open the settings page.
- On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
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Give the PAT a name and click Create.
- The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.
With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to Databricks data from Qlik Sense Cloud.
Create a Qlik Sense App from Databricks Data
This section walks through adding Databricks data to a Qlik Sense app for visualizations, analytics, reporting, and more.
Create a New App and Upload Data
- Log into your Qlik Sense instance and click the button to create a new app
- Name and configure the new app and click "Create"
- In the workspace, click to open the new app
- Click to add data from files and other sources
- Select the Microsoft SQL Server connector and set the configuration properties.
- Set Server to tds.cdata.com
- Set Port to 14333
- Set Database to the connection you created (e.g. Databricks1)
- Set User name to the Connect Cloud user (e.g. [email protected])
- Set Password to the PAT for the above user
- Select an owner for the connection
- Select a Databricks entity (Table) to view
- Click Next, configure the model, and load the data into Qlik Sense.
Generate Insights or Customize Your App
With the data loaded into Qlik Sense, you are ready to begin discovering insights. You can build custom visualizations, reports, and dashboards engineered to gain actionable insights into your Databricks data.
More Information & Free Trial
Now, you have created a simple but powerful dashboard from live Databricks data. For more information on creating OData feeds from Databricks (and more than 100 other data sources), visit the Connect Cloud page. Sign up for a free trial and start working with live Databricks data in Qlik Sense Cloud.
