How to integrate Neo4j with SSRS

Integrate SSRS and Neo4j
Integrate SSRS and Neo4j

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect Neo4j with SSRS for smooth data access.

Read and write Neo4j data effortlessly. Query, integrate, and manage nodes, relationships, and graph data — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance Neo4j ODBC Driver for SSRS (often referred to as the Neo4j 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.

Video Tutorial

This video covers the following topics and more, so please watch carefully. After watching the video, follow the steps outlined in this article:

  • How to download and install the required PowerPack for Neo4j integration in SSRS
  • How to configure the connection for Neo4j
  • Features of the ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver (Authentication / Query Language / Examples / Driver UI)
  • How to use the Neo4j in SSRS

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 Neo4j JDBC driver

To connect to Neo4j in , 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 MVN Repository.
  2. Download the JDBC driver, and save it locally, e.g. to E:\Drivers\JDBC\neo4j-jdbc-full-bundle.jar.
  3. Done! That was easy, wasn't it? Let's proceed to the next step.

Create data source in ZappySys Data Gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Neo4j in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

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

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

    Open ZappySys Data Gateway Service Manager
  3. 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
  4. 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 JDBC Bridge Driver
    • Finally, click OK
    Neo4jDSN
    ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver
    Data Gateway - Add data source
  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:

    Neo4jDSN
    jdbc:neo4j://neo4j-instance-host-name:7687?enableSQLTranslation=true
    E:\Drivers\JDBC\neo4j-jdbc-full-bundle.jar
    neo4j
    ***************
    []
    JDBC-ODBC Bridge driver data source settings

    For Non-SSL Connection (SQL queries), use these values when setting parameters:

    • Connection string: jdbc:neo4j://neo4j-instance-host-name:7687?enableSQLTranslation=true
    • JDBC driver file(s): E:\Drivers\JDBC\neo4j-jdbc-full-bundle.jar
    • User name: neo4j
    • User password: ***************
    • Connection parameters: []

      Use enableSQLTranslation=true attribute in the connection string to query Neo4j database using SQL queries, e.g.:

      SELECT * FROM Movie

    For Non-SSL Connection (Cypher queries), use these values when setting parameters:

    • Connection string: jdbc:neo4j://neo4j-instance-host-name:7687

      Excluding enableSQLTranslation=true from the connection allows you to query Neo4j database using Cypher queries, e.g.:

      MATCH (m:Movie) RETURN m.title AS Movie

    For SSL Connection (SQL queries), use these values when setting parameters:

    • Connection string: jdbc:neo4j+s://neo4j-instance-host-name:7687?enableSQLTranslation=true

    For SSL Connection (Cypher queries), use these values when setting parameters:

    • Connection string: jdbc:neo4j+s://neo4j-instance-host-name:7687

    For Neo4j AuraDB Connection (SQL queries), use these values when setting parameters:

    • Connection string: jdbc:neo4j+s://1234abcd.databases.neo4j.io?enableSQLTranslation=true

    For Neo4j Aura Connection (Cypher queries), use these values when setting parameters:

    • Connection string: jdbc:neo4j+s://1234abcd.databases.neo4j.io

  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:

    Neo4jDSN
    SELECT * FROM Movie
    JDBC ODBC Bridge data source preview
    SELECT * FROM Movie
    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. 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.
  10. 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.

Read data in SSRS from ZappySys Data Gateway

  1. Open Visual Studio and create a new SSRS project.

  2. Then add a new Shared Data Source (you can create a non-shared data source inside report too):

    Adding a Data Source in SSRS project
  3. Continue with creating the Shared Data Source. Select Microsoft SQL Server as Type and hit Build button to proceed further:

    Configuring a Data Source to access API data in SSRS project
  4. Once a window opens, configure it similarly. Configure "Neo4jDSN" as database name. Finally, hit Test Connection and OK:

    Neo4jDSN
    Configuring thoroughly a Data Source to access API data in SSRS project
  5. Another window opens, and it should look similarly to this one below which ends the creation of a Data Source:

    DataSource=localhost,5000;Initial Catalog=Neo4jDSN
    How Data Source in SSRS project looks like
  6. Now it's time to create a Dataset. If you don't have a report created, in one of the wizard's steps it will look like this:

    SELECT * FROM Movie
    Specifying a query in SSRS Dataset to access API data #1
  7. Finally, once you complete the report, similar results will show up:

    ZappySys Data Gateway API data source results

Passing Parameters to SSRS Report / Filter data

If you want to parameterize your report, then refer to this article

Troubleshooters & resources (JDBC Bridge 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 Neo4j in SSRS and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by Neo4j ODBC Driver. It's worth noting that ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver allows you to connect not only to Neo4j, but to any Java application that supports JDBC (just use a different JDBC driver and configure it appropriately).

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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