Cosmos DB Connector for SQL Server

In this article you will learn how to integrate Cosmos DB data in SQL Server 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 SQL Server. Follow the steps below to see how we would accomplish that.

Download Documentation

Video Tutorial - Integrate Cosmos DB data in SQL Server

This video covers following and more so watch carefully. After watching this video follow the steps described in this article.

  • How to download / install required driver for Cosmos DB integration in SQL Server
  • How to configure connection for Cosmos DB
  • Features about API Driver (Authentication / Query Language / Examples / Driver UI)
  • Using Cosmos DB Connection in SQL Server

Create Data Source in ZappySys Data Gateway based on API Driver

  1. Download and install ZappySys 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 API Driver. Finally, click OK. And it will create the Data Set for it and open the ZS driver UI.

    CosmosDbDSN

    ZappySys Data Gateway - Add Data Source

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Read data in SQL Server from the ZappySys Data Gateway

  1. To read the data in SQL Server the first thing you have to do is create a Linked Server. Go to SQL Server Management Studio and configure it in a similar way:
    SSMS SQL Server Configure Linked Server

  2. Then click on Security option and configure username we created in ZappySys Data Gateway in one of the previous steps:
    SSMS SQL Server Configure Linked Server User Name

  3. Optional: Under the Server Options, Enable RPC and RPC Out and Disable Promotion of Distributed Transactions(MSDTC).

    RPC and MSDTC Settings

    You need to enable RPC Out if you plan to use EXEC(...) AT [MY_LINKED_SERVER_NAME] rather than OPENQUERY.
    If don't enabled it, you will encounter the Server 'MY_LINKED_SERVER_NAME' is not configured for RPC error.

    Query Example:

    EXEC('Select * from Products') AT [MY_LINKED_SERVER_NAME]


    If you plan to use 'INSERT INTO...EXEC(....) AT [MY_LINKED_SERVER_NAME]' in that case you need to Disable Promotion of Distributed Transactions(MSDTC).
    If don't disabled it, you will encounter the The operation could not be performed because OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI11" for linked server "MY_LINKED_SERVER_NAME" was unable to begin a distributed transaction. error.

    Query Example:

    Insert Into dbo.Products
     EXEC('Select * from Products') AT [MY_LINKED_SERVER_NAME]
    


  4. Finally, open a new query and execute a query we saved in one of the previous steps:

    SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([MY_LINKED_SERVER_NAME], 'SELECT * FROM Products');

    SSMS SQL Server Query Data Results

Create Linked Server using Code

In previous section you saw how to create a Linked Server from UI. You can do similar action by code too (see below). Run below script after changing necessary parameters. Assuming your Data Source name on ZappySys Data Gateway UI is 'CosmosDbDSN'

    USE [master]
    GO
    --///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    --Run below code in SSMS to create Linked Server and use ZappySys Drivers in SQL Server
    --///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    //Replace YOUR_GATEWAY_USER, YOUR_GATEWAY_PASSWORD
    //Replace localhost with IP/Machine name if ZappySys Gateway Running on different machine other than SQL Server
    //Replace Port 5000 if you configured gateway on a different port


    --1. Configure your gateway service as per this article https://zappysys.com/links?id=10036

    --2. Make sure you have SQL Server Installed. You can download FREE SQL Server Express Edition from here if you dont want to buy Paid version https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-editions-express

    --Uncomment below if you like to drop linked server if it already exists
    --EXEC master.dbo.sp_dropserver @server=N'LS_CosmosDbDSN', @droplogins='droplogins'

    --3. Create new linked server

    EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedserver
      @server = N'LS_CosmosDbDSN'  --Linked server name (this will be used in OPENQUERY sql
    , @srvproduct=N''
    ---- For MSSQL 2012,2014,2016 and 2019 use below (SQL Server Native Client 11.0)---
    , @provider=N'SQLNCLI11'
    ---- For MSSQL 2022 or higher use below (Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server)---
    --, @provider=N'MSOLEDBSQL'
    , @datasrc=N'localhost,5000' --//Machine / Port where Gateway service is running
    , @provstr=N'Network Library=DBMSSOCN;'
    , @catalog=N'CosmosDbDSN' --Data source name you gave on Gateway service settings

    --4. Attach gateway login with linked server

    EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedsrvlogin
    @rmtsrvname=N'LS_CosmosDbDSN'  --linked server name
    , @useself=N'False'
    , @locallogin=NULL
    , @rmtuser=N'YOUR_GATEWAY_USER' --enter your Gateway user name
    , @rmtpassword='YOUR_GATEWAY_PASSWORD'  --enter your Gateway user's password
    GO

    --5. Enable RPC OUT (This is Optional - Only needed if you plan to use EXEC(...) AT YourLinkedServerName rather than OPENQUERY
    EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_CosmosDbDSN', 'rpc', true;
    EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_CosmosDbDSN', 'rpc out', true;

    --Disable MSDTC - Below needed to support INSERT INTO from EXEC AT statement
    EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_CosmosDbDSN', 'remote proc transaction promotion', false;

    --Increase query timeout if query is going to take longer than 10 mins (Default timeout is 600 seconds)
    --EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_CosmosDbDSN', 'query timeout', 1200;
    GO

Firewall settings

So far we have assumed that Gateway is running on the same machine as SQL Server. However there will be a case when ZappySys ODBC PowerPack is installed on a different machine than SQL Server. In such case you may have to perform additional Firewall configurations. On most computers firewall settings wont allow outside traffic to ZappySys Data Gateway. In such case perform following steps to allow other machines to connect to Gateway.

Method-1 (Preferred)

If you are using newer version of ZappySys Data Gateway then adding firewall rule is just a single click.

  1. Search for gateway in start menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway.
  2. Go to Firewall Tab and click Add Firewall Rule button like below. This will create Firewall rule to all Inbound Traffic on Port 5000 (Unless you changed it). Allow Inbound Traffic - Add Firewall Rule for ZappySys Data Gateway

Method-2 Here is another way to add / edit Inbound Traffic rule in windows firewall. Use below method if you choose to customize your rule (for advanced users).
  1. Search for Windows Firewall Advanced Security in start menu.
  2. Under Inbound Rules > Right click and click [New Rule] >> Click Next
  3. Select Port on Rule Type >> Click Next
  4. Click on TCP and enter port number under specified local port as 5000 (use different one if you changed Default port) >> Click Next
  5. Select Profile (i.e. Private, Public) >> Click Next
  6. Enter Rule name [i.e. ZappySys Data Gateway – Allow Inbound ] >> Click Next
  7. Click OK to save the rule
SQL Server Firewall Allow Inbound Data Gateway

OPENQUERY vs EXEC (handling larger SQL text)

So far we have seen examples of using OPENQUERY. It allows us to send pass-through query at remote server. The biggest limitation of OPENQUERY is it doesn't allow you to use variables inside SQL so often we have to use unpleasant looking dynamic SQL (Lots of tick, tick …. and escape hell). Well there is good news. With SQL 2005 and later you can use EXEC(your_sql) AT your_linked_server syntax . Disadvantage of EXEC AT is you cannot do SELECT INTO like OPENQUERY. Also you cannot perform JOIN like below in EXEC AT


    SELECT a.* FROM OPENQUERY([ls_CosmosDbDSN],'select * from Customers') a
    JOIN OPENQUERY([ls_CosmosDbDSN],'select * from Orders') b ON a.CustomerId=b.CustomerId;

However you can always do INSERT INTO SomeTable EXEC(…) AT your_linked_server. So table must exists when you do that way. Here is how to use it. To use EXEC(..) AT {linked-server} you must turn on RPC OUT option. Notice how we used variable in SQL to make it dynamic. This is much cleaner than previous approach we saw.

    USE [master]
    GO
    --Replace YOUR_GATEWAY_USER, YOUR_GATEWAY_PASSWORD
    --Replace localhost with IP/Machine name if ZappySys Gateway Running on different machine other than SQL Server

    --Create new linked server
    EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedserver
    @server = N'LS_CosmosDbDSN'  --Linked server name (this will be used in OPENQUERY sql)
    , @srvproduct=N''
    ---- For MSSQL 2012,2014,2016 and 2019 use below (SQL Server Native Client 11.0)---
    , @provider=N'SQLNCLI11'
    ---- For MSSQL 2022 or higher use below (Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server)---
    --, @provider=N'MSOLEDBSQL'
    , @datasrc=N'localhost,5000' --//Machine / Port where Gateway service is running
    , @provstr=N'Network Library=DBMSSOCN;'
    , @catalog=N'CosmosDbDSN' --Data source name you gave on Gateway service settings

    --Attach gateway login with linked server
    EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedsrvlogin
    @rmtsrvname=N'LS_CosmosDbDSN'  --linked server name
    , @useself=N'False'
    , @locallogin=NULL
    , @rmtuser=N'YOUR_GATEWAY_USER' --enter your Gateway user name
    , @rmtpassword='YOUR_GATEWAY_PASSWORD'  --enter your Gateway user's password
    GO

    --5. Enable RPC OUT (This is Optional - Only needed if you plan to use EXEC(...) AT YourLinkedServerName rather than OPENQUERY
    EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_CosmosDbDSN', 'rpc', true;
    EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_CosmosDbDSN', 'rpc out', true;
    --Disable MSDTC - Below needed to support INSERT INTO from EXEC AT statement
    EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_CosmosDbDSN', 'remote proc transaction promotion', false;
    --Increase query timeout if query is going to take longer than 10 mins (Default timeout is 600 seconds)
    --EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_CosmosDbDSN', 'query timeout', 1200;
    GO

Here is the difference between OPENQUERY vs EXEC approaches: OPENQUERY vs EXEC

Fetching Tables / Columns using metadata stored procs

ZappySys Data Gateway emulates certains system procs you might find in real SQL Server. You can call using below syntax using 4-Parts syntax
exec [linked-server-name].[gateway-datasource-name].[DATA].sp_tables
exec [linked-server-name].[gateway-datasource-name].[DATA].sp_columns_90 N'your-table-name'
Example:

    //List all tables
    exec [ls_CosmosDbDSN].[CosmosDbDSN].[DATA].sp_tables

    //List all columns and its type for specified table
    exec [ls_CosmosDbDSN].[CosmosDbDSN].[DATA].sp_columns_90 N'Account'

Known Issues

Let's explore some common problems that can occur when using OPENQUERY or Data Gateway connectivity.


SQL Native Client 11.0 not visible in the Providers dropdown (Linked Server Creation)

If you are following some screenshots / steps from our article it might say use SQL Native Client to create Linked Server to ZappySys Gateway but for some users they dont see that driver entry in the dropdown. This is due to the fact that Microsoft has deprecated SQL Native Client OLEDB Driver (SQLNCLI and SQLNCLI11) going forward after SQL 2022. So you need to use [Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server] instead (MSOLEDBSQL). Please follow all other instructions except the driver type selection, use new suggested driver instead if you dont see SQL Native Client.

Error: The data is invalid

There will be a time when, you may encounter unexpected errors like the ones listed below. These can include:

OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI11" for linked server "Zs_Csv" returned message "Deferred prepare could not be completed.".
OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI11" for linked server "Zs_Csv" returned message "Communication link failure".
Msg 13, Level 16, State 1, Line 0

Session Provider: The data is invalid.
Possible Cause:

There are few reasons for such error but below are two main reasons

  • If the query length exceeds 2000 characters, as shown below, you might encounter this error.

    SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY(LS, '--some really long text more than 2000 chars--')
  • If a query contains multiple OPENQUERY statements for JOINs or UNIONs, as shown below, it might fail due to a MARS compatibility issue where the gateway doesn't support parallel queries on a single connection.

    SELECT a.id, b.name from OPENQUERY(LS, 'select * from tbl1') a join OPENQUERY(LS, 'select * from tbl2') b on a.id=b.id
Possible Fix:

There are few ways to fix above error based on reason why you getting this error (i.e. Query Length issue OR JOIN/UNION in the same statement)

  • If your query has long SQL (more than 2000 chars ) then reduce SQL length using different techniques
    • e.g. use SELECT * FROM MyTable rather than SELECT col1,col2… FROM MyTable
    • Use Meta Option in WITH clause if you must use column name. (e.g. SELECT * FROM MyTable WITH(META=’c:\meta.txt’) this way you can define column in Meta file rather than SELECT query. Check this article
    • Consider using EXECT (….) AT [Linked_Server_name] option rather than OPENQUERY so you can use very long SQL (See next section on EXEC..AT usecase)
    • Consider using Virtual Table / Stored Proc to wrap long SQL so your call is very small (where usp_GetOrdersByYear is custom proc created on ZappySys Driver UI)
      SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY(LS, 'EXEC usp_GetOrdersByYear 2021')
  • If your query uses JOIN  / UNION with multiple OPENQUERY in same SQL then use multiple Linked servers (one for each OPENQUERY clause) as below.
    select a.id, b.name from OPENQUERY(LS_1, 'select * from tbl1') a join OPENQUERY(LS_2, 'select * from tbl2') b on a.id=b.id

Error: Unable to begin a distributed transaction (When INSERT + EXEC used)

If you try to use the EXEC statement to insert data into a table, as shown below, you might encounter the following error unless the MSDTC option is turned off.

INSERT INTO MyTable EXEC('select * from tbl') AT MyLinkedServer
"Protocol error in TDS stream"
The operation could not be performed because OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI11" for linked server "ls_Json2" was unable to begin a distributed transaction.
--OR--
The operation could not be performed because OLE DB provider "MSOLEDBSQL" for linked server "ls_Json" was unable to begin a distributed transaction.

Solution:
Method-1: Go to linked server properties | Server Options | Enable Promotion of Distributed Transaction | Change to false (Default is true)
Now your try your INSERT with EXEC AT and it should work

Method-2: Run the below command if you dont want to use UI

EXEC master.dbo.sp_serveroption @server=N'My_Linked_Server', @optname=N'remote proc transaction promotion', @optvalue=N'false'

Error: Cannot use OPENQUERY with JOIN / UNION

When you perform a JOIN or UNION ALL on the same Linked Server, it may fail to process sometimes because the Data Gateway doesn't support parallel query requests on the same connection. A workaround for that would be to create multiple linked servers for the same data source. Refer to the section above for the same workaround.


Error: Truncation errors due to data length mismatch

Many times, you may encounter truncation errors if a table column's length is less than the actual column size from the query column. To solve this issue, use the new version of Data Gateway and check the 'Use nvarchar(max) for string options' option found on the General Tab.


Performance Tips

Now, let's look at a few performance tips in this section.


Use INSERT INTO rather than SELECT INTO to avoid extra META request

We discussed some Pros and Cons of OPENQUERY vs EXEC (…) AT in previous section. One obvious advantage of EXEC (….) AT is it reduces number of requests to driver (It sends pass through query). With EXEC you cannot load data dynamically like SELECT INTO tmp FROM OPENQUERY. Table must exist before hand if you use EXEC.


INSERT INTO tmp_API_Report_Load(col1,col2)
EXEC('select col1,col2 from some_api_table') AT [API-LINKED-SERVER]
--OR--
INSERT INTO tmp_API_Report_Load(col1,col2)
select col1,col2 from OPENQUERY([API-LINKED-SERVER], 'select col1,col2 from some_api_table')

The advantage of this method is that your query speed will increase because the system only calls the API once when you use EXEC AT. In contrast, with OPENROWSET, the query needs to be called twice: once to obtain metadata and once to retrieve the data.


Use Cached Metadata if possible

By default, most SQL queries sent to the Data Gateway need to invoke two phases: first, to get metadata, and second, to fetch data. However, you can bypass the metadata API call by supplying static metadata. Use the META property in the WITH clause, as explained in this article, to speed up your SQL queries.

Advanced topics

Create Custom Stored 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 Stored 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 Stored Procedure

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

  3. Select the created Stored Procedure and write the your desired stored procedure and Save it and it will create the custom stored 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 Stored Procedure

  4. That's it now go to Preview Tab and Execute your Stored 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 Stored Procedure

  5. Let's generate the SQL Server Query Code to make the API call using stored 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 stored 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 stored 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 stored procedure and provide you the response.
    ZappySys Driver - Generate SQL Server Query

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 Set 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 SQL Server 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

Conclusion

In this article we discussed how to connect to Cosmos DB in SQL Server and integrate data without any coding. Click here to Download Cosmos DB Connector for SQL Server 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 SQL Server Documentation 

More integrations

Other application integration scenarios for Cosmos DB

Other connectors for SQL Server


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  • How to connect Cosmos DB in SQL Server?

  • How to get Cosmos DB data in SQL Server?

  • How to read Cosmos DB data in SQL Server?

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  • How to import Cosmos DB data in SQL Server?

  • How to pull Cosmos DB data in SQL Server?

  • How to push data to Cosmos DB in SQL Server?

  • How to write data to Cosmos DB in SQL Server?

  • How to POST data to Cosmos DB in SQL Server?

  • Call Cosmos DB API in SQL Server

  • Consume Cosmos DB API in SQL Server

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  • Cosmos DB SQL Server Integration

  • Integration Cosmos DB in SQL Server

  • Consume real-time Cosmos DB data in SQL Server

  • Consume real-time Cosmos DB API data in SQL Server

  • 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 SQL Server

  • Load Cosmos DB in SQL Server

  • Load Cosmos DB data in SQL Server

  • Read Cosmos DB data in SQL Server

  • Cosmos DB API Call in SQL Server