How to integrate Amazon S3 CSV File using Alteryx

Integrate Alteryx and Amazon S3 CSV File
Integrate Alteryx and Amazon S3 CSV File

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect Amazon S3 CSV File with Alteryx for smooth data access.

Read and write CSV files in Amazon S3 effortlessly. Streamline, manage, and automate CSV files in S3 buckets for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance Amazon S3 CSV File ODBC Driver for Alteryx (often referred to as the Amazon S3 CSV File Connector). We'll walk you through the entire setup.

Ready to dive in? Download the product to jump right in, or follow the step-by-step guide below to see how it works.

Create data source using Amazon S3 CSV File ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Amazon S3 CSV File using Alteryx, we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in Alteryx. Perform these steps:

  1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).

  2. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

    Open ODBC Data Source

  3. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV Driver driver:

    ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV Driver
    Create new User DSN for ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV Driver
    • Create and use a User DSN if the client application runs under a User Account. This is the ideal option at design time (e.g., when developing in Visual Studio). Use it for both types of applications (64-bit and 32-bit).
    • Create and use a System DSN if the client application runs under a System Account (e.g., as a Windows Service). This is usually the required option in a production environment. If your Windows Service is a 32-bit application, you must use the 32-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator to configure this

  4. Create and configure a connection for the Amazon S3 storage account.

    Create Amazon S3 Storage Connection

  5. You can use select your desired single file by clicking [...] path button.

    mybucket/dbo.tblNames.csv
    dbo.tblNames.csv
    Read Amazon S3 CSV File data


    ----------OR----------

    You can also read the multiple files stored in Amazon S3 Storage using wildcard pattern supported e.g. dbo.tblNames*.csv. 

    Note: If you want to operation with multiple files then use wild card pattern as below 
(when you use wild card pattern in source path then system will treat target path as folder regardless you end with slash)

mybucket/dbo.tblNames.csv (will read only single .CSV file)
mybucket/dbo.tbl*.csv (all files starting with file name)
mybucket/*.csv (all files with .csv Extension and located under folder subfolder)

    mybucket/dbo.tblNames*.csv
    Use wildcard pattern .* to read multiple Amazon S3 Files data


    ----------OR----------

    You can also read the zip and gzip compressed files also without extracting it in using Amazon S3 CSV Source File Task.

    mybucket/dbo.tblNames*.gz
    Reading zip and gzip compressed files (stream mode)

  6. Navigate to the Preview Tab and let's explore the different modes available to access the data.

    1. --- Using Direct Query ---

      Click on Preview Tab, Select Table from Tables Dropdown and select [value] and click Preview.
      ZappySys ODBC Driver - Preview Data

    2. --- Using Stored Procedure ---

      Note : For this you have to Save ODBC Driver configuration and then again reopen to configure same driver. For more information click here.
      Click on the Custom Objects Tab, Click on Add button and select Add Procedure and Enter an appropriate name and Click on OK button to create.
      ZappySys ODBC Driver - Custom Objects

      1. --- Without Parameters ---

        Now Stored Procedure can be created with or without parameters (see example below). If you use parameters then Set default value otherwise it may fail to compilation)
        ZappySys ODBC Driver : Without Parameters

      2. --- With Parameters ---

        Note : Here you can use Placeholder with Paramters in Stored Procedure.
Example : SELECT * FROM $ WHERE OrderID = '<@OrderID, FUN_TRIM>' or CustId = '<@CustId>' and Total >= '<@Total>'
        ZappySys ODBC Driver : With Parameters

    3. --- Using Virtual Table ---

      Note : For this you have to Save ODBC Driver configuration and then again reopen to configure same driver. For more information click here.

      ZappySys APi Drivers support flexible Query language so you can override Default Properties you configured on Data Source such as URL, Body. This way you don't have to create multiple Data Sources if you like to read data from multiple EndPoints. However not every application support supplying custom SQL to driver so you can only select Table from list returned from driver.

      Many applications like MS Access, Informatica Designer wont give you option to specify custom SQL when you import Objects. In such case Virtual Table is very useful. You can create many Virtual Tables on the same Data Source (e.g. If you have 50 Buckets with slight variations you can create virtual tables with just URL as Parameter setting). 

      vt__Customers
DataPath=mybucket_1/customers.csv

vt__Orders
DataPath=mybucket_2/orders.csv

vt__Products
DataPath=mybucket_3/products.csv
      1. Click on the Custom Objects Tab, Click on Add button and select Add Table and Enter an appropriate name and Click on OK button to create.
        ZappySys ODBC Driver - Custom Objects
      2. Once you see Query Builder Window on screen Configure it.
        ZappySys ODBC Driver - Custom Objects : Virtual Table Query Builder
      3. Click on Preview Tab, Select Virtual Table(prefix with vt__) from Tables Dropdown or write SQL query with Virtual Table name and click Preview.
        ZappySys ODBC Driver - Custom Objects : Virtual Table Query Execute

  7. Click OK to finish creating the data source

  8. That's it; we are done. In a few clicks we configured the to Read the Amazon S3 CSV File data using ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV File Connector

Read Amazon S3 CSV File data in Alteryx Designer (workstation)

Here we will be reading Amazon S3 CSV File data on your workstation using Alteryx Designer. Follow the steps below to connect via ODBC and run your workflow locally.

Version requirement: Alteryx support was added in ODBC PowerPack v2.2.1. You must have ODBC PowerPack v2.2.1 or higher installed. How to check version of my ODBC PowerPack.

  1. Open Alteryx Designer.

  2. First, verify your DCM Settings to ensure you can access ODBC drivers. Go to Options > User Settings > Edit User Settings.

    If DCM Mode is set to DCM Only, change it to DCM Optional if you would like to access the legacy Generic ODBC Connection.

    Alteryx DCM User Settings for ODBC access
    After changing this setting, you may need to click Save and restart the connection window for the "Generic ODBC" icon to appear.

  3. Drag an Input Data tool onto your Alteryx canvas.

    Drag Input Data tool onto Alteryx canvas

  4. In the Configuration pane, click Set Up a Connection.

    Set Up a Connection in Alteryx Input Data configuration

  5. Note for DCM Users: If your environment has DCM (Data Connection Manager) enabled, the classic "Generic ODBC" icon may be hidden. To find it, select Data sources on the left and type "ODBC" in the search bar.

  6. Once the ODBC window opens, click Connect Asset and select your AmazonS3CsvFileDSN DSN from the list.

    Connect Asset and select ODBC DSN in Alteryx
    Ensure you have configured a 64-bit System DSN in the Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator before this step.

  7. After selecting your DSN, configure your SQL Query in the Input Data tool configuration:

    Configure SQL Query in Alteryx Input Data tool

  8. To save your data, drag an Output Data tool and connect it to the Input Data tool.

  9. Configure the Output Data tool to write to a CSV file:

    Configure Output Data to CSV in Alteryx

  10. Press Run (Ctrl+R) to execute the workflow. Verify the results in the Results Window at the bottom.

    Run Alteryx workflow and view results

Using DSN-less Connection String

If you prefer to use a DSN-less connection string instead of creating an ODBC data source in Alteryx, you can enter the connection string directly in the Input Data tool's connection setup:

Alteryx DSN-less connection string setup

Deploy workflow and run on server (e.g. Alteryx Server)

To run your Alteryx workflow on a server (e.g. Alteryx Server or a machine used for scheduled runs), install ZappySys ODBC PowerPack and configure the same DSN on that server so the workflow can connect to Amazon S3 CSV File data.

  1. On the server where the workflow will run, download and install ODBC PowerPack (v2.2.1 or higher for Alteryx support).
  2. Open ODBC Data Sources (64-bit) on the server and create a System DSN with the same name and settings as on your workstation (use the same driver and connection configuration). An easy way to copy your workstation DSN settings to the server is described in How to copy ODBC DSN or Data Gateway settings to another server (use Copy Settings on the workstation, then Load settings on the server).
  3. Deploy or publish your workflow to the server (e.g. upload to Alteryx Server or copy the workflow to the server).
  4. Run the workflow on the server; it will use the DSN you created in step 2 to connect to Amazon S3 CSV File.

Optional: Centralized data access via ZappySys Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide Amazon S3 CSV File data access to multiple users or services. Configuring the data source on a Data Gateway creates a single, centralized connection point for this purpose.

This configuration provides two primary advantages:

  • Centralized data access
    The data source is configured once on the gateway, eliminating the need to set it up individually on each user's machine or application. This significantly simplifies the management process.
  • Centralized access control
    Since all connections route through the gateway, access can be governed or revoked from a single location for all users.
Data Gateway
Local ODBC
data source
Simple configuration
Installation Single machine Per machine
Connectivity Local and remote Local only
Connections limit Limited by License Unlimited
Central data access
Central access control
More flexible cost

To achieve this, you must first create a data source in the Data Gateway (server-side) and then create an ODBC data source in Alteryx (client-side) to connect to it.

Let's not wait and get going!

Create Amazon S3 CSV File data source in the gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Amazon S3 CSV File in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

  1. Search for gateway in the Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:

    Open ZappySys Data Gateway Service Manager

  2. Go to the Users tab and follow these steps to add a Data Gateway user:

    • Click the Add button
    • In the Login field enter a username, e.g., john
    • Then enter a Password
    • Check the Is Administrator checkbox
    • Click OK to save
    Data Gateway - Add User

  3. Now we are ready to add a data source:

    • Click the Add button
    • Give the Data source a name (have it handy for later)
    • Then select Native - ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV Driver
    • Finally, click OK
    AmazonS3CsvFileDSN
    ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV Driver
    Data Gateway - Add data source

  4. When the ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV Driver configuration window opens, go back to ODBC Data Source Administrator where you already have the Amazon S3 CSV File ODBC data source created and configured, and follow these steps on how to Import data source configuration into the Gateway:

    • Open ODBC data source configuration and click Copy settings:
      ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV Driver - Amazon S3 CSV File
      Read and write CSV files in Amazon S3 effortlessly. Streamline, manage, and automate CSV files in S3 buckets for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required.
      AmazonS3CsvFileDSN
      Copy connection string for ODBC application
    • The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard: Successful connection string copying for ODBC application

    • Then go to Data Gateway configuration and in data source configuration window click Load settings:

      AmazonS3CsvFileDSN
      ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys Amazon S3 CSV Driver - Amazon S3 CSV File
      Read and write CSV files in Amazon S3 effortlessly. Streamline, manage, and automate CSV files in S3 buckets for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required.
      AmazonS3CsvFileDSN
      Load configuration in ZappySys Data Gateway data source
    • Once a window opens, just paste the settings by pressing CTRL+V or by clicking right mouse button and then Paste option.

  5. Once done, go to the Network Settings tab and Add a firewall rule for inbound traffic:

    Data Gateway - Add firewall rule for inbound connections
    • This will initially allow all inbound traffic.
    • Click Edit IP filters to restrict access to specific IP addresses or ranges.

  6. Crucial Step: After creating or modifying the data source, you must:

    • Click the Save button to persist your changes.
    • Hit Yes when prompted to restart the Data Gateway service.

    This ensures all changes are properly applied:

    ZappySys Data Gateway - Save Changes
    Skipping this step may cause the new settings to fail, preventing you from connecting to the data source.

Create ODBC data source to connect to the gateway

In this part we will create an ODBC data source to connect to the ZappySys Data Gateway from Alteryx. To achieve that, let's perform these steps:

  1. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

    Open ODBC Data Source

  2. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver:

    ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server
    Create new User DSN for ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server
    If you don't see the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver in the list, choose a similar version.

  3. Then set a Name for the data source (e.g. Gateway) and the address of the Data Gateway:

    ZappySysGatewayDSN
    localhost,5000
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Setting hostname and port
    Make sure you separate the hostname and port with a comma, e.g. localhost,5000.

  4. Proceed with the authentication part:

    • Select SQL Server authentication
    • In the Login ID field enter the user name you created in the Data Gateway, e.g., john
    • Set Password to the one you configured in the Data Gateway
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Selecting SQL Authentication

  5. Then set the default database property to AmazonS3CsvFileDSN (the one we used in the Data Gateway):

    AmazonS3CsvFileDSN
    AmazonS3CsvFileDSN
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Selecting database
    Make sure to type the data source name manually or copy/paste it directly into the field. Using the dropdown might fail because the Trust server certificate option is not enabled yet (next step).

  6. Continue by checking the Trust server certificate option:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Trusting certificate

  7. Once you do that, test the connection:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Testing connection

  8. If the connection is successful, everything is good:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Testing connection succeeded

  9. Done!

We are ready to move to the final step. Let's do it!

Access data in Alteryx via the gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from Amazon S3 CSV File in Alteryx via the Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

  1. Go back to Alteryx.

  2. Drag an Input Data tool onto your Alteryx canvas.

    Drag Input Data tool onto Alteryx canvas

  3. In the Configuration pane, click Set Up a Connection.

    Set Up a Connection in Alteryx Input Data configuration

  4. Note for DCM Users: If your environment has DCM (Data Connection Manager) enabled, the classic "Generic ODBC" icon may be hidden. To find it, select Data sources on the left and type "ODBC" in the search bar.

  5. Once the ODBC window opens, click Connect Asset and select your ZappySysGatewayDSN DSN from the list.

    Connect Asset and select ODBC DSN in Alteryx
    Ensure you have configured a 64-bit System DSN in the Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator before this step.

  6. Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.

  7. That's it!

Now you can connect to Amazon S3 CSV File data in Alteryx via the Data Gateway.

If you are asked for authentication details, use Database authentication, SQL authentication or Basic authentication option and enter the credentials you used when configuring the Data Gateway, e.g. john and your password.

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Amazon S3 CSV File in Alteryx and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by Amazon S3 CSV File ODBC Driver.

Download ODBC PowerPack now or ping us via chat if you have any questions or are looking for a specific feature (you can also reach out to us by submitting a ticket):

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