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Use JayDeBeApi to access Facebook Data in Python


Use standard Python scripting and the development environment of your choice to access live Facebook data.

Access Facebook data with Python scripts and standard SQL on any machine where Python and Java can be installed. You can use the CData JDBC Driver for Facebook and the JayDeBeApi module to work with remote Facebook data in Python. By using the CData Driver, you are leveraging a driver written for industry-proven standards to access your data in the popular Python language. This article shows how to use the driver to execute SQL queries to Facebook and visualize Facebook data with standard Python.

Use the JayDeBeApi module

JayDeBeApi is a Python library that serves as a JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) bridge, allowing Python programs to interact with Java databases, including CData JDBC Drivers. Use the pip install command to install the module:

pip install JayDeBeApi

Create the JDBC URL

Once you have JayDeBeApi installed, you are ready to work with Facebook data in Python using SQL.

Most tables require user authentication as well as application authentication. Facebook uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate to Facebook, you can use the embedded OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL or you can obtain your own by registering an app with Facebook.

See the Getting Started chapter of the help documentation for a guide to using OAuth.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Facebook JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

java -jar cdata.jdbc.facebook.jar

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

Below is a sample variable assignment, including a typical JDBC connection string:

jdbc_url = "jdbc:facebook:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH"

Access Facebook data in Python

With the JDBC URL configured, you only need the absolute path to the JDBC driver JAR file, which is in the "lib" folder in the installation directory ("C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20XX\lib\cdata.jdbc.facebook.jar" on Windows).

NOTE: If you haven't already, set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the Java installation directory.

Use code similar to the follow to read and print data from Facebook:

import jaydebeapi #The JDBC connection string jdbc_url = "jdbc:facebook:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH" username = "****" password = "****" #The absolute Path to the JDBC driver JAR file, typically: jdbc_driver_jar = "C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20XX\lib\cdata.jdbc.facebook.jar" conn = jaydebeapi.connect( "cdata.jdbc.facebook.FacebookDriver", jdbc_url, [username, password], jdbc_driver_jar, ) cursor = conn.cursor() cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM Posts;") results = cursor.fetchall() for row in results: print(row) cursor.close() conn.close()

Free trial & more information

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Facebook and start working with your live Facebook data in Python. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

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