Amazon Athena Connector for SSAS

Amazon Athena Connector allows to connect to serverless, interactive analytics service that provides a simplified and flexible way to analyze petabytes of data where it lives.

In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate Amazon Athena data in SSAS without coding. We will use high-performance Amazon Athena Connector to easily connect to Amazon Athena and then access the data inside SSAS.

Let's follow the steps below to see how we can accomplish that!

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Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you meet the following prerequisite: Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or Java Development Kit (JDK) must be installed on your system.

If your JDBC Driver targets a different Java version (e.g., 11 / 17 / 21), install the corresponding or newer Java version.

If you already have a JRE installed, you can try using it too. However, if you experience any issues, we recommend using one of the distributions mentioned above (you can install an additional JRE next to the existing one; just don't forget to configure the default Java in the Windows Environment Variables).

Download Amazon Athena JDBC driver

To connect to Amazon Athena in SSAS, you will have to download JDBC driver for it, which we will use in later steps. Let's perform these little steps right away:

  1. Visit Amazon Athena official website.
  2. Download the JDBC driver, and save it locally, e.g. to D:\Drivers\JDBC\athena-jdbc.jar.
  3. Done! That was easy, wasn't it? Let's proceed to the next step.

Create Data Source in ZappySys Data Gateway based on JDBC Bridge Driver

  1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack.

  2. Search for gateway in start menu and Open ZappySys Data Gateway:
    Open ZappySys Data Gateway

  3. Go to Users Tab to add our first Gateway user. Click Add; we will give it a name tdsuser and enter password you like to give. Check Admin option and click OK to save. We will use these details later when we create linked server:
    ZappySys Data Gateway - Add User

  4. Now we are ready to add a data source. Click Add, give data source a name (Copy this name somewhere, we will need it later) and then select Native - ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver. Finally, click OK, and it will create the Data Set for it and open the ZS driver UI.

    AmazonAthenaDSN
    Native - ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver
    ZappySys Data Gateway - ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver

  5. Now, we need to configure the JDBC connection in the new ODBC data source. Simply enter the Connection string, credentials, configure other settings, and then click Test Connection button to test the connection:

    AmazonAthenaDSN
    jdbc:athena://WorkGroup=primary;Region=us-east-1;Catalog=MyAwsDataCatalog;OutputLocation=s3://my-s3-bucket/;
    com.amazon.athena.jdbc.AthenaDriver
    D:\Drivers\JDBC\athena-jdbc.jar
    AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
    ******************************
    []
    JDBC-ODBC Bridge driver data source settings

    Use these values when setting parameters:

    • Connection string: jdbc:athena://WorkGroup=primary;Region=us-east-1;Catalog=MyAwsDataCatalog;OutputLocation=s3://my-s3-bucket/;
    • Driver class: com.amazon.athena.jdbc.AthenaDriver
    • JDBC driver file(s): D:\Drivers\JDBC\athena-jdbc.jar
    • User name: AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
    • User password: ******************************
    • Connection parameters: []

  6. You should see a message saying that connection test is successful:

    ODBC connection test is successful

    Otherwise, if you are getting an error, check out our Community for troubleshooting tips.

  7. We are at the point where we can preview a SQL query. For more SQL query examples visit JDBC Bridge documentation:

    AmazonAthenaDSN
    SELECT * FROM "r53_rlogs"
ORDER BY query_timestamp DESC
    JDBC ODBC Bridge data source preview 
    SELECT * FROM "r53_rlogs"
ORDER BY query_timestamp DESC
    You can also click on the <Select Table> dropdown and select a table from the list.

    The ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver acts as a transparent intermediary, passing SQL queries directly to the JDBC driver, which then handles the query execution. This means the Bridge Driver simply relays the SQL query without altering it.

    Some JDBC drivers don't support INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE statements, so you may get an error saying "action is not supported" or a similar one. Please, be aware, this is not the limitation of ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver, but is a limitation of the specific JDBC driver you are using.

  8. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

  9. Most Important Step: Now, After creating or modifying a data source in ZappySys Data Gateway, make sure to click the SAVE button to preserve your changes.
    Then, RESTART the Data Gateway service to ensure all changes are properly applied.

    Skipping either step may result in the new settings not taking effect.

    ZappySys Data Gateway - Save Changes

Read Amazon Athena data in SSAS cube

With the data source created in the Data Gateway (previous step), we're now ready to read Amazon Athena data in an SSAS cube. Before we dive in, open Visual Studio and create a new Analysis Services project. Then, you're all set!

In the example below, we use Multidimensional and Data Mining Analysis Services project, but it should work with Tabular project too.

Create data source based on ZappySys Data Gateway

Let's start by creating a data source for a cube, based on the Data Gateway's data source we created earlier. So, what are we waiting for? Let's do it!

  1. Create a new data source: Create new data source in SSAS to read API data
  2. Once a window opens, select Create a data source based on an existing or new connection option and click New...: Connect to ZappySys Data Gateway in SSAS to read API data
  3. Here things become a little complicated, but do not despair, it's only for a little while. Just perform these little steps:
    • Select Native OLE DB\SQL Server Native Client 11.0 as provider.
    • Enter your Server name (or IP address) and Port, separated by a comma.
    • Select SQL Server Authentication option for authentication.
    • Input User name which has admin permissions in the ZappySys Data Gateway.
    • In Database name field enter the same data source name you use in the ZappySys Data Gateway.
    • Hopefully, our hard work is done, when we Test Connection.
    AmazonAthenaDSN
    AmazonAthenaDSN
    Configure new data source in SSAS to read API data
    If SQL Server Native Client 11.0 is not listed as Native OLE DB provider, try using these:
    • Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server
    • Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server
  4. Indeed, life is easy again: Test connection to ZappySys Data Gateway in SSAS to read API data

Add data source view

We have data source in place, it's now time to add a data source view. Let's not waste a single second and get on to it!

  1. Start by right-clicking on Data Source Views and then choosing New Data Source View...: Create new data source view in SSAS to read API data
  2. Select the previously created data source and click Next: Connect to ZappySys Data Gateway in SSAS to read API data
  3. Ignore the Name Matching window and click Next.
  4. Add the tables you will use in your SSAS cube: Select tables to read API data in SSAS cube
    For cube dimensions, consider creating a Virtual Table in the Data Gateway's data source. Use the DISTINCT keyword in the SELECT statement to get unique values from the facts table, like this: 
    SELECT DISTINCT Country FROM Customers
    For demonstration purposes we are using sample tables which may not be available in Amazon Athena.
  5. Review your data source view and click Finish: Successful data source view creation in SSAS
  6. Add the missing table relationships and you're done! Create additional table relationships in SSAS to read API data

Create cube

We have a data source view ready to be used by our cube. Let's create one!

  1. Start by right-clicking on Cubes and selecting New Cube... menu item: Create new SSAS cube to read API data
  2. Select tables you will use for the measures: Choose measure tables in SSAS to read API data
  3. And then select the measures themselves: Selecting measures for SSAS cube to read API data
  4. Don't stop and select the dimensions too: Choosing dimensions for SSAS cube to read API data
  5. Move along and click Finish before the final steps: Read API data in SSAS cube
  6. Review your cube before processing it: Read API data in SSAS cube
  7. It's time for the grand finale! Hit Process... to create the cube: Process SSAS cube to read API data
  8. A splendid success! SSAS cube processed to read API data

Execute MDX query

The cube is created and processed. It's time to reap what we sow! Just execute an MDX query and get Amazon Athena data in your SSAS cube:

Execute MDX in SSAS cube to read API data

Helpful Links (JDBC Driver)

Below are some useful community articles to help you troubleshoot and configure the ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver:

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Amazon Athena in SSAS and integrate data without any coding, saving you time and effort. It's worth noting that ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver allows you to connect not only to Amazon Athena, but to any Java application that supports JDBC (just use a different JDBC driver and configure it appropriately).

We encourage you to download Amazon Athena Connector for SSAS and see how easy it is to use it for yourself or your team.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact ZappySys support team. You can also open a live chat immediately by clicking on the chat icon below.

Download Amazon Athena Connector for SSAS Documentation

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Download Amazon Athena Connector for SSAS Documentation