ODBC Cosmos DB Connector

In this article you will learn how to integrate Cosmos DB data to ODBC without coding in just a few clicks (live / bi-directional connection to Cosmos DB). Connect to your Azure Cosmos DB databases to read, query, create, update, and delete documents and more!.

Using Cosmos DB Connector you will be able to connect, read, and write data from within ODBC. Follow the steps below to see how we would accomplish that.

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Create ODBC Data Source (DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

To get data from CosmosDb using ODBC we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from CosmosDb. We will later be able to read data using ODBC. Perform these steps:

  1. Install ZappySys ODBC PowerPack.

  2. Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):
    Open ODBC Data Source

  3. Create a User Data Source (User DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

    ZappySys API Driver
    Create new System DSN for ZappySys API Driver
    You should create a System DSN (instead of a User DSN) if the client application is launched under a Windows System Account, e.g. as a Windows Service. If the client application is 32-bit (x86) running with a System DSN, use ODBC Data Sources (32-bit) instead of the 64-bit version.
  4. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Cosmos DB" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Cosmos DB" is not present in the list, then click "Search Online" and download it. Then set the path to the location where you downloaded it. Finally, click Continue >> to proceed with configuring the DSN:

    CosmosDbDSN
    Cosmos DB
    ODBC DSN Template Selection

  5. Now it's time to configure the Connection Manager. Select Authentication Type, e.g. Token Authentication. Then select API Base URL (in most cases, the default one is the right one). More info is available in the Authentication section.

    Steps to get Cosmos DB Credentials : ApiKey [Http]
    Connecting to your Azure Cosmos DB data requires you to authenticate your REST API access. Follow the instructions below:
    1. Go to your Azure portal homepage: https://portal.azure.com/
    2. In the search bar at the top of the homepage, enter Azure Cosmos DB. In the dropdown that appears, select Azure Cosmos DB.
    3. Click on the name of the database account you want to connect to. (Also copy and paste the name of the database account for later use.)
    4. On the next page where you can see all of the database account information, look along the left side and select Keys.
    5. On the Keys page, you will have two tabs: Read-write Keys and Read-only Keys. If you are going to write data to your database, you need to remain on the Read-write Keys tab. If you are only going to read data from your database, you should select the Read-only Keys tab.
    6. On the Keys page, copy the PRIMARY KEY value and paste it somewhere for later use. (The SECONDARY KEY value may also be copied and pasted instead of PRIMARY KEY.)
    7. Back at the connector screen, enter the primary or secondary key you recorded in step 6 into the Primary or Secondary Key field.
    8. Enter the database account you recorded in step 3 into the Database Account field.
    9. Enter or select the default database you want to connect to using the Defualt Database field.
    10. Enter or select the default table (i.e. container/collection) you want to connect to using the Default Table (Container/Collection) field.
    11. Select the Test Connection button at the bottom of the window to verify proper connectivity with your Azure Devops account.
    12. If the connection test succeeds, select OK.

    Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

    CosmosDbDSN
    Cosmos DB
    ApiKey [Http]
    https://[$Account$].documents.azure.com
    Required Parameters
    Primary or Secondary Key Fill in the parameter...
    Account Name (Case-Sensitive) Fill in the parameter...
    Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Fill in the parameter...
    API Version Fill in the parameter...
    Optional Parameters
    Default Table (needed to invoke #DirectSQL) Fill in the parameter...
    ODBC DSN HTTP Connection Configuration

  6. Once the data source has been configured, you can preview data. Select the Preview tab and use settings similar to the following to preview data:
    ODBC ZappySys Data Source Preview

  7. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Create Custom Store Procedure in ZappySys Driver

You can create procedures to encapsulate custom logic and then only pass handful parameters rather than long SQL to execute your API call.

Steps to create Custom Store Procedure in ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders anywhere inside Procedure Body. Read more about placeholders here

  1. Go to Custom Objects Tab and Click on Add button and Select Add Procedure:
    ZappySys Driver - Add Store Procedure

  2. Enter the desired Procedure name and click on OK:
    ZappySys Driver - Add Store Procedure Name

  3. Select the created Store Procedure and write the your desired store procedure and Save it and it will create the custom store procedure in the ZappySys Driver:
    Here is an example stored procedure for ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders anywhere inside Procedure Body. Read more about placeholders here

    CREATE PROCEDURE [usp_get_orders]
        @fromdate = '<<yyyy-MM-dd,FUN_TODAY>>'
     AS
        SELECT * FROM Orders where OrderDate >= '<@fromdate>';
    

    ZappySys Driver - Create Custom Store Procedure

  4. That's it now go to Preview Tab and Execute your Store Procedure using Exec Command. In this example it will extract the orders from the date 1996-01-01:

    Exec usp_get_orders '1996-01-01';

    ZappySys Driver - Execute Custom Store Procedure

  5. Let's generate the SQL Server Query Code to make the API call using store procedure. Go to Code Generator Tab, select language as SQL Server and click on Generate button the generate the code.
    As we already created the linked server for this Data Source, in that you just need to copy the Select Query and need to use the linked server name which we have apply on the place of [MY_API_SERVICE] placeholder.

    SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([MY_API_SERVICE], 'EXEC usp_get_orders @fromdate=''1996-07-30''')

    ZappySys Driver - Generate SQL Server Query

  6. Now go to SQL served and execute that query and it will make the API call using store procedure and provide you the response.
    ZappySys Driver - Generate SQL Server Query

Create Custom Virtual Table in ZappySys Driver

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.

If you're dealing with Microsoft Access and need to import data from an SQL query, it's important to note that Access doesn't allow direct import of SQL queries. Instead, you can create custom objects (Virtual Tables) to handle the import process.

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 URLs with slight variations you can create virtual tables with just URL as Parameter setting.

  1. Go to Custom Objects Tab and Click on Add button and Select Add Table:
    ZappySys Driver - Add Table

  2. Enter the desired Table name and click on OK:
    ZappySys Driver - Add Table Name

  3. And it will open the New Query Window Click on Cancel to close that window and go to Custom Objects Tab.

  4. Select the created table, Select Text Type AS SQL and write the your desired SQL Query and Save it and it will create the custom table in the ZappySys Driver:
    Here is an example SQL query for ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders also. Read more about placeholders here

    SELECT
      "ShipCountry",
      "OrderID",
      "CustomerID",
      "EmployeeID",
      "OrderDate",
      "RequiredDate",
      "ShippedDate",
      "ShipVia",
      "Freight",
      "ShipName",
      "ShipAddress",
      "ShipCity",
      "ShipRegion",
      "ShipPostalCode"
    FROM "Orders"
    Where "ShipCountry"='USA'

    ZappySys Driver - Create Custom Table

  5. That's it now go to Preview Tab and Execute your custom virtual table query. In this example it will extract the orders for the USA Shipping Country only:

    SELECT * FROM "vt__usa_orders_only"

    ZappySys Driver - Execute Custom Virtual Table Query

  6. Let's generate the SQL Server Query Code to make the API call using store procedure. Go to Code Generator Tab, select language as SQL Server and click on Generate button the generate the code.
    As we already created the linked server for this Data Source, in that you just need to copy the Select Query and need to use the linked server name which we have apply on the place of [MY_API_SERVICE] placeholder.

    SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([MY_API_SERVICE], 'EXEC [usp_get_orders] ''1996-01-01''')

    ZappySys Driver - Generate SQL Server Query

  7. Now go to SQL served and execute that query and it will make the API call using store procedure and provide you the response.
    ZappySys Driver - Generate SQL Server Query

Conclusion

In this article we discussed how to connect to Cosmos DB in ODBC and integrate data without any coding. Click here to Download Cosmos DB Connector for ODBC and try yourself see how easy it is. If you still have any question(s) then ask here or simply click on live chat icon below and ask our expert (see bottom-right corner of this page).

Download Cosmos DB Connector for ODBC Documentation 

Actions supported by Cosmos DB Connector

Cosmos DB Connector support following actions for REST API integration. If some actions are not listed below then you can easily edit Connector file and enhance out of the box functionality.
 Get List of Databases
Gets a list of the databases in the current database account.    [Read more...]
 Get Database Information by Id or Name
Gets a database by its Id.    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
 Get List of Tables
Gets a list of the tables in the database. (Tables are also called 'containers' or 'collections')    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
 Get table information by Id or Name
Gets a table by its Id. (Tables are also called 'containers' or 'collections')    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Table Name (Case-Sensitive)
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
 Get table partition key ranges
Gets Partition Key Ranges for a table. This is useful for query if you want to minimize scan to specific partition (Tables are also called 'containers' or 'collections')    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Table Name (Case-Sensitive)
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
 Query documents using Cosmos DB SQL query language
Gets data based on the specified SQL query.    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Table Name (Case-Sensitive)
SQL Query Query for Cosmos DB
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
Allow Query Scan
Option Value
true true
false false
Allow Cross Partition Query
Option Value
true true
false false
Cross Partition Key Range Id
 Get All Documents for a Table
Gets all documents for a Table.    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Table Name (Case-Sensitive)
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
 Get Document by Id
Gets Document by Id.    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Document Id
Table Name (Case-Sensitive)
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
EnableCrossPartition
Option Value
true true
false false
Partition Key Value (default is supplied Id) The partition key value for the document. Must be included if and only if the collection is created with a partitionKey definition
Option Value
Default .
SingleKeyValue ["someValue1"]
MultiKeyValue ["some_value1","some_value2" ]
ConsistencyLevel This is the consistency level override. The valid values are: Strong, Bounded, Session, or Eventual (in order of strongest to weakest). The override must be the same or weaker than the account’s configured consistency level.
Option Value
Strong Strong
Bounded Bounded
Session Session
Eventual Eventual
 Delete a Document by Id
Deletes a Document by Id.    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Document Id
Table Name (Case-Sensitive)
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
EnableCrossPartition
Option Value
true true
false false
Partition Key Value (default is supplied Id) The partition key value for the document. Must be included if and only if the collection is created with a partitionKey definition
Option Value
Default .
SingleKeyValue ["someValue1"]
MultiKeyValue ["some_value1","some_value2" ]
 Get All Users for a Database
Gets all users for a Database.    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
 Get User by Id or Name
Gets database user information for a specific Id    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
User Name (Case-Sensitive)
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
 Create User for Database
Create a new user which you can later use to create permission set and obtain resource token.    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
RequestBody
 Create a document in the container
Insert JSON document in Cosmos DB Container.    [Read more...]
 Upsert a document in the container
Insert JSON document in Cosmos DB Container.    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Upsert
 Update Document in the Container
Update full or part of the document in Cosmos DB Container.    [Read more...]
 Create Permission Token for a User (One Table)
Create a new user which you can later use to create permission set and obtain resource token.    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Permission Name (e.g. read_orders)
Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive Leave blank to use default DB set on connection screen
User Name (Case-Sensitive)
PermissionMode
Option Value
All All
Read Read
Write Write
Delete Delete
Table (Add Permission for this)
ExpiresInSecond The validity period of the resource token returned by the operation. By default, a resource token is valid for one hour. To override the default, set this header with the desired validity period in seconds. The max override value is 18000, which is five hours.
 Generic Request
This is generic endpoint. Use this endpoint when some actions are not implemented by connector. Just enter partial URL (Required), Body, Method, Header etc. Most parameters are optional except URL.    [Read more...]
Parameter Description
Url API URL goes here. You can enter full URL or Partial URL relative to Base URL. If it is full URL then domain name must be part of ServiceURL or part of TrustedDomains
Body Request Body content goes here
IsMultiPart Check this option if you want to upload file(s) (i.e. POST RAW file data) or send data using Multi-Part encoding method (i.e. Content-Type: multipart/form-data). Multi-Part request allows you to mix key/value and upload files in same request. On the other hand raw upload allows only single file upload (without any key/value) ==== Raw Upload (Content-Type: application/octet-stream) ===== To upload single file in raw mode check this option and specify full file path starting with @ sign in the Body (e.g. @c:\data\myfile.zip ) ==== Form-Data / Multipart Upload (Content-Type: multipart/form-data) ===== To treat your Request data as multi part fields you must specify key/value pairs separated by new lines into RequestData field (i.e. Body). Each key value pair is entered on new-line and key/value are separated using equal sign (=). Preceding and trailing spaces are ignored also blank lines are ignored. If field value has some any special character(s) then use escape sequence (e.g. For NewLine: \r\n, For Tab: \t, For at (@): \@). When value of any field starts with at sign (@) its automatically treated as File you want to upload. By default file content type is determined based on extension however you can supply content type manually for any field using this way [ YourFileFieldName.Content-Type=some-content-type ]. By default File Upload Field always includes Content-Type in the request (non file fields do not have content-type by default unless you supply manually). For some reason if you dont want to use Content-Type header in your request then supply blank Content-Type to exclude this header altogather [e.g. SomeFieldName.Content-Type= ]. In below example we have supplied Content-Type for file2 and SomeField1, all other fields are using default content-type. See below Example of uploading multiple files along with additional fields. If some API requires you to pass Content-Type: multipart/form-data rather than multipart/form-data then manually set Request Header => Content-Type: multipart/mixed (it must starts with multipart/ else will be ignored). file1=@c:\data\Myfile1.txt file2=@c:\data\Myfile2.json file2.Content-Type=application/json SomeField1=aaaaaaa SomeField1.Content-Type=text/plain SomeField2=12345 SomeFieldWithNewLineAndTab=This is line1\r\nThis is line2\r\nThis is \ttab \ttab \ttab SomeFieldStartingWithAtSign=\@MyTwitterHandle
Filter Enter filter to extract array from response. Example: $.rows[*] --OR-- $.customers[*].orders[*]. Check your response document and find out hierarchy you like to extract
Headers Headers for Request. To enter multiple headers use double pipe or new line after each {header-name}:{value} pair

Cosmos DB Connector Examples for ODBC Connection

This page offers a collection of SQL examples designed for seamless integration with the ZappySys API ODBC Driver under ODBC Data Source (36/64) or ZappySys Data Gateway, enhancing your ability to connect and interact with Prebuilt Connectors effectively.

Query using Cosmos DB (Using Default Table)    [Read more...]

Lists all containers from the default database specified (Specified for the connection settings). Check this URL for more information on query syntax: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cosmos-db/nosql/query/select

#DirectSQL SELECT * FROM root where root.id !=null order by root._ts desc

Read all documents for a collection in Cosmos DB    [Read more...]

Read all documents for a collection in Cosmos DB.

SELECT * FROM TestContainer

Read a document by Id from a collection in Cosmos DB    [Read more...]

Read a single document by Id from a collection in Cosmos DB.

SELECT * FROM TestContainer Where Id='user2'

Query Documents from Cosmos DB Table (Container) using SQL    [Read more...]

Lists all users Cosmos DB Database

SELECT *
FROM query_documents
WITH(
  --  Database='TestDB', --if you dont supply connection level Default Database name is used
	  Table='TestContainer',  
	  Query='select * from root Where root.id!=null order by root._ts desc',
	  Meta='id:string(50);name:string(50);city;age'
	  --Meta='id; name; city; age' -- no types at all. Default is string(2000)
	  --Meta='id; name:string(50); city; age: int'   --Mixed types. If type is missing default string(2000) used
	  --check below URL for more information on Qyery Language Syntax
	  --https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cosmos-db/nosql/query/select
)

Create a new document with Partition Key supplied    [Read more...]

Loads a new document into specified container with partition key. If you created container with Partition Key requirement then must supply it. Partition Key must be valid value from Document Attribute used as Partition Key.

INSERT INTO TestContainer (PartitionKey, Document)
VALUES(
'["user2"]', --partition key value must match its attribute from document else it will throw error. In this example container PartitionKey is /id so we used its value. For multiple key use JSON array ["val1","val2"]
'{
  "id": "user2",
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "jdoe@contoso.com",
  "phone": ["12345"],
  "level": "platinum"
}'
)
WITH(Upsert='true')

Create a new document from a file path (Upload from local disk file)    [Read more...]

Loads a new document into specified container from local file path. File path must start with @ symbol

INSERT INTO TestContainer (PartitionKey, Document)
VALUES(
'["user2"]', --partition key value must match its attribute from document else it will throw error. In this example container PartitionKey is /id so we used its value. For multiple key use JSON array ["val1","val2"]
'@c:\data\order.json'   --path must start with @ symbol
)
WITH(Upsert='true', IsMultiPart=1)

Upsert a document (Insert or Update if exists)    [Read more...]

Upsert a document (Update if id exists else create new one).

INSERT INTO TestContainer (PartitionKey, Document)
VALUES(
'["user2"]', --partition key value must match its attribute from document else it will throw error. In this example container PartitionKey is /id so we used its value. For multiple key use JSON array ["val1","val2"]
'{
  "id": "user2",
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "jdoe@contoso.com",
  "phone": ["12345"],
  "level": "platinum"
}')
 WITH(Upsert='true')

Upsert a document (Insert or Update if exists) - Use UPSERT Keyword rather than WITH option    [Read more...]

Upsert a document (Update if id exists else create new one). This one uses UPSERT KEY word slight simpler syntax becuase you dont need WITH clause like INSERT... WITH(UPSERT='true') example.

UPSERT INTO TestContainer (PartitionKey, Document)
VALUES(
'["user2"]', --partition key value must match its attribute from document else it will throw error. In this example container PartitionKey is /id so we used its value. For multiple key use JSON array ["val1","val2"]
'{
  "id": "user2",
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "jdoe@contoso.com",
  "phone": ["12345"],
  "level": "platinum"
}')

Update (replace) a document (By default Full replace)    [Read more...]

Update a document for a specified Document Id.

UPDATE TestContainer 
SET  
 PartitionKey='["user2"]'
,Document=
'{
  "id" : "user2",
  "name": "John Doe at <<FUN_NOW>>",
  "email": "jdoe@contoso.com",
  "phone": ["<<FUN_TODAY>>"],
  "level": "platinum"
}'
Where Id='user2'

Partial Update a document (Patch)    [Read more...]

Update one or more attributes in a document using PATCH method for a specified Document Id.

UPDATE TestContainer 
SET  
 PartitionKey='["user2"]'
,Document=
'{
  "operations": [
     { "op": "set", "path": "/name", "value": "updated name" }
	,{ "op": "set", "path": "/email", "value": "updated@email.com" }
  ]
}'
Where Id='user2'
WITH(
		RequestMethod='PATCH' --Partial Replace (change name and email only)
    )
	
/*
Example Document Operations
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cosmos-db/partial-document-update
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/cosmos-db/patch-a-document

[
  { "op": "add", "path": "/color", "value": "silver" },
  { "op": "remove", "path": "/used" },
  { "op": "set", "path": "/price", "value": 355.45 }
  { "op": "incr", "path": "/inventory/quantity", "value": 10 },
  { "op": "add", "path": "/tags/-", "value": "featured-bikes" },
  { "op": "move", "from": "/color", "path": "/inventory/color" }
]

*/

Partial Update a document (Patch) from a file path (Upload from local disk file)    [Read more...]

Update one or more attributes in a document using PATCH method for a specified Document Id read operations from local disk file.

UPDATE TestContainer 
SET  
 PartitionKey='["user2"]'
,Document='@c:\temp\b.txt'  --path must start with @ symbol
Where Id='user2'
WITH(
		 RequestMethod='PATCH' --Partial Replace (change name and email only)
	    ,IsMultiPart=1 --this enables file upload	
    )
	
/*
Example Document Operations
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cosmos-db/partial-document-update
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/cosmos-db/patch-a-document

[
  { "op": "add", "path": "/color", "value": "silver" },
  { "op": "remove", "path": "/used" },
  { "op": "set", "path": "/price", "value": 355.45 }
  { "op": "incr", "path": "/inventory/quantity", "value": 10 },
  { "op": "add", "path": "/tags/-", "value": "featured-bikes" },
  { "op": "move", "from": "/color", "path": "/inventory/color" }
]

*/

List Databases    [Read more...]

Lists all databases for specified Cosmos DB Account

SELECT * FROM SysDatabases

List Tables (i.e. Containers)    [Read more...]

Lists all containers from the default database specified (Specified for the connection settings)

SELECT * FROM SysTables

List Tables (i.e. Containers) for a specific database    [Read more...]

Lists all containers from the specified Database

SELECT * FROM SysTables WITH (Database='MyCosmos DB')

List Users for the Database    [Read more...]

Lists all users Cosmos DB Database

SELECT * FROM SysUsers

Other App Integration scenarios for Cosmos DB

Other Connectors for ODBC


Download Cosmos DB Connector for ODBC Documentation 

  • How to connect Cosmos DB in ODBC?

  • How to get Cosmos DB data in ODBC?

  • How to read Cosmos DB data in ODBC?

  • How to load Cosmos DB data in ODBC?

  • How to import Cosmos DB data in ODBC?

  • How to pull Cosmos DB data in ODBC?

  • How to push data to Cosmos DB in ODBC?

  • How to write data to Cosmos DB in ODBC?

  • How to POST data to Cosmos DB in ODBC?

  • Call Cosmos DB API in ODBC

  • Consume Cosmos DB API in ODBC

  • Cosmos DB ODBC Automate

  • Cosmos DB ODBC Integration

  • Integration Cosmos DB in ODBC

  • Consume real-time Cosmos DB data in ODBC

  • Consume realtime Cosmos DB API data in ODBC

  • Cosmos DB ODBC Driver | ODBC Driver for Cosmos DB | ODBC Cosmos DB Driver | SSIS Cosmos DB Source | SSIS Cosmos DB Destination

  • Connect Cosmos DB in ODBC

  • Load Cosmos DB in ODBC

  • Load Cosmos DB data in ODBC

  • Read Cosmos DB data in ODBC

  • Cosmos DB API Call in ODBC