Add the ability to connect to data source using JDBC

Alteryx has the ability to connect to data sources using fat clients and ODBC but not JDBC. If the ability to use JDBC could be added to the product it could remove the need to install fat clients.

Under Review

Desktop Experience

Data Connectors

Category Input Output

Category Reporting

Category In Database

Comments

ARich

Hi All,

Thanks for the feedback. We don't currently have plans for this.

Best,

Alex

mestevez1

I hope Alteryx reconsider and add JCBD to the roadmap.

Kuehner

Any update on this?

LisaD

I am also interested in this feature.

Gavin-SS

A strong technical request to equip jdbc connection. we have issue with ODBC in alteryx and now we switch to use jdbc in Python since alteryx doesn't support it.

JamesCameron

JDBC would be super useful for me also

MsMilli

Our company just changed out new system to Informix which is JDBC driver. I wish Alteryx would have a configuration to connect this

DataPrepChad

@ARich is there any update on this? I've had several customers ask about this recently.

Thanks!

VictorLecato

Current status on this is "NOT PLANNED"

I'm assuming that means they will not be doing anything and this is a dead thread.

wottel

We are using Splice Machine and JDBC would be helpful.

DataRangler

Yea.. Splice Machine odbc driver seems bit flaky would be nice to use JDBC

belinna

Hello,

Will JDBC connector be added anytime soon?

KylieF

Hi @belinna,

This idea is in the status of Not Planned and no development work is being put into a JDBC connector at this time. While this could change in the future, dependent on the Alteryx road map and future updates, for the foreseeable future this connector will not be created by Alteryx.

SeanAdams

very very necessary!

NikBarter

This is definitely needed

dphipps

I have someone asking me if we can connect using JDBC for Informix. So I guess the answer is no and there is no plan to build this in so we need to use Python to connect instead?

SeanAdams

Hi there @ARich and @KylieF - can we please reconsider this request?
JDBC connections are becoming more and more common in the world of data analysis - so if we exclude JDBC then Alteryx will be very limited in the number of data sources that we can connect to.

SeanAdams

We are seeing this issue in particularly sharp relief on cloud databases; HDFS type platforms; Java-based databases etc.

In summary - having JDBC would further entrench Alteryx as a platform that is welcoming and capable of data anywhere!

cplewis90

I am with @SeanAdams. I have had several instances where we have needed JDBC connections and moving more to cloud based data sources this is a must.

Nick612Haylund

Making JDBC connections possible within Alteryx should definitely be re-looked at for the product.

DataRangler

Can someone from Alteryx respond as to the possibility?

Samanthaj_hughes

Yes yes a thousand times yes! Now working with snowflake and I have to say their ODBC driver just doesnt cut the mustard. Write 1 row at a time and is super slow. I had to create a bulk uploader in the end. So much fun and I now use it all the time. But this instead of a standard driver. Non technical people would struggle with this. A better way forward is this.

KylieF

Hi All!

At this point in time there are still no development plans for the ability to connect to data sources using JDBC on the road map. Should this change and we are able to include it on the road map, we'll be sure to update this idea accordingly.

wwatson

I agree this should be addressed.

bora_perusic

All, let me, please, write a longer response that I hope will get us into more detailed discussion.

Let me start with a provoking statement: I am the Product Manager for the connectors, and for me having jdbc connectivity in Alteryx Designer does not make much sense.

Alteryx Engine is written in C/C++, as are the ODBC libraries, for us this is the native environment, we are not Java-based
we do not have JVM part of our install; adding JVM installation would significantly bloat the installer, make the whole environment much more complex
in order to use jdbc, we would need to start a separate process with JVM, read the data there, then send it between the processes. Slow and complex
given that ODBC and jdbc drivers are often produced by the same company, I personally doubt there's any consistent significant performance advantage of one driver technology over another one; there are usually many other places to look in when chasing performance of data access (I do find some drivers more performant in some cases than others, I do, but I doubt it is caused by the framework)
it might be my ignorance, but I am not aware of any important data source that has a jdbc driver and not an ODBC one

However, I see this request heavily supported, and by people whose opinion I value highly, so, please: Accepting challenges for the above. If there's a business reason, we will find a way.

(Disclaimer: I have used both technologies in the past heavily and I am using both "simultaneously" right now)

Bora

MamaGidge

I can see this is still not planned, but it really should be considered. There are many databases that do not work well with ODBC connections. We have been advised against using Alteryx to connect to the DB. I would hate to see this be a trend.

bora_perusic

Hi @MamaGidge

do you , please, have some examples for the "There are many databases that do not work well with ODBC connections." and specifically "we have been advised against using Alteryx to connect to the DB"? What is the trouble that you (or the db admin) is experiencing?

Thanks, this could help us in the future a lot.

Bora

pastrybandit

We are exploring the use of Firebolt for our data lake and they do not support ODBC but only JDBC.

Jared

Josh_WI

Hello @born, current issue trying to connect to SolidDB over ODBC. JDBC works in SQuirrel and DBeaver for connecting. Alteryx and SSIS connects successfully over ODBC. However, When querying, the results from a Select * on any given table will return only one row in Alteryx, whereas all others receive the full output. SolidDB drivers come with ANSI/Unicode versions for both and 32/64 bit. I've tried every combination to get multiple rows. Therefore, potential use case here.

Always best to have options imo. As a workaround to your base installation, why not include Jython library in existing python installation? Create a python input connector to serve as passthrough for connecting over jdbc. Likely wouldn't be as robust as existing input connector, but functional.

rolaj

Any update here? Seems like several request have already been made. I hope Alteryx will listen.