Build a Simple VCL Application for Presto Data



How to build a simple VCL Application to view Presto data in RAD Studio using the CData ODBC Driver for Presto.

Embarcadero RAD Studio provides a development environment for Delphi and C++Builder applications. With the CData ODBC Driver for Presto, you gain access to live Presto data within RAD Studio, abstracting the data into tables, views, and stored procedures that can be used to retrieve and update Presto data. This article will walk through connecting to Presto and creating a simple VCL application with the Form Designer.

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


Create a Connection to Presto Data

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

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.

You can then follow the steps below to use the Data Explorer to create a FireDAC connection to Presto data.

  1. In a new VCL Forms application, expand the FireDAC node in the Data Explorer.
  2. Right-click the ODBC Data Source node in the Data Explorer.
  3. Click Add New Connection.
  4. Enter a name for the connection.
  5. In the FireDAC Connection Editor that appears, set the DataSource property to the name of the ODBC DSN for Presto.

Create VCL Applications with Connectivity to Presto Data

Follow the procedure below to start executing queries to Presto data from a simple VCL application that displays the results of a query in a grid.

  1. Drop a TFDConnection component onto the form and set the following properties:

    • ConnectionDefName: Select the FireDAC connection to Presto data.
    • Connected: Select True from the menu and, in the dialog that appears, enter your credentials.
  2. Drop a TFDQuery component onto the form and set the properties below:

    • Connection: Set this property to the TFDConnection component, if this component is not already specified.
    • SQL: Click the button in the SQL property and enter a query. For example:

      SELECT FirstName, LastName FROM Customer WHERE Id = '123456789'
      
    • Active: Set this property to true.
  3. Drop a TDataSource component onto the form and set the following property:

    • DataSet: In the menu for this property, select the name of the TFDQuery component.
  4. Drop a TDBGrid control onto the form and set the following property:

    • DataSource: Select the name of the TDataSource.
  5. Drop a TFDGUIxWaitCursor onto the form — this is required to avoid a run-time error.

You now have an executable application that displays the results of the SQL Query set in the TFDQuery object.

Related Articles

Below you can find other articles for using the CData ODBC Driver with RAD Studio, Delphi, and C++ Builder.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the Presto ODBC Driver to get started:

 Download Now

Learn more:

Presto Icon Presto ODBC Driver

The Presto ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from Presto, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Presto data like you would a database - read, write, and update Presto Tables, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.