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An easy-to-use database-like interface for Java based applications and reporting tools access to remote files and directories.

Create Informatica Mappings From/To a JDBC Data Source for SFTP



Create SFTP data objects in Informatica using the standard JDBC connection process: Copy the JAR and then connect.

Informatica provides a powerful, elegant means of transporting and transforming your data. By utilizing the CData JDBC Driver for SFTP, you are gaining access to a driver based on industry-proven standards that integrates seamlessly with Informatica's powerful data transportation and manipulation features. This tutorial shows how to transfer and browse SFTP data in Informatica PowerCenter.

Deploy the Driver

To deploy the driver to the Informatica PowerCenter server, copy the CData JAR and .lic file, located in the lib subfolder in the installation directory, to the following folder: Informatica-installation-directory\services\shared\jars\thirdparty.

To work with SFTP data in the Developer tool, you will need to copy the CData JAR and .lic file, located in the lib subfolder in the installation directory, into the following folders:

  • Informatica-installation-directory\client\externaljdbcjars
  • Informatica-installation-directory\externaljdbcjars

Create the JDBC Connection

Follow the steps below to connect from Informatica Developer:

  1. In the Connection Explorer pane, right-click your domain and click Create a Connection.
  2. In the New Database Connection wizard that is displayed, enter a name and Id for the connection and in the Type menu select JDBC.
  3. In the JDBC Driver Class Name property, enter: cdata.jdbc.sftp.SFTPDriver
  4. In the Connection String property, enter the JDBC URL, using the connection properties for SFTP.

    SFTP can be used to transfer files to and from SFTP servers using the SFTP Protocol. To connect, specify the RemoteHost;. service uses the User and Password and public key authentication (SSHClientCert). Choose an SSHAuthMode and specify connection values based on your selection.

    Set the following connection properties to control the relational view of the file system:

    • RemotePath: Set this to the current working directory.
    • TableDepth: Set this to control the depth of subfolders to report as views.
    • FileRetrievalDepth: Set this to retrieve files recursively and list them in the Root table.
    Stored Procedures are available to download files, upload files, and send protocol commands. See gdatamodel for more on using SQL to interact with the server.

    Built-in Connection String Designer

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

    java -jar cdata.jdbc.sftp.jar

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

    A typical connection string is below:

    jdbc:sftp:RemoteHost=MyFTPServer;

Browse SFTP Tables

After you have added the driver JAR to the classpath and created a JDBC connection, you can now access SFTP entities in Informatica. Follow the steps below to connect to SFTP and browse SFTP tables:

  1. Connect to your repository.
  2. In the Connection Explorer, right-click the connection and click Connect.
  3. Clear the Show Default Schema Only option.

You can now browse SFTP tables in the Data Viewer: Right-click the node for the table and then click Open. On the Data Viewer view, click Run.

Create SFTP Data Objects

Follow the steps below to add SFTP tables to your project:

  1. Select tables in SFTP, then right-click a table in SFTP, and click Add to Project.
  2. In the resulting dialog, select the option to create a data object for each resource.
  3. In the Select Location dialog, select your project.

    Create a Mapping

    Follow the steps below to add the SFTP source to a mapping:

    1. In the Object Explorer, right-click your project and then click New -> Mapping.
    2. Expand the node for the SFTP connection and then drag the data object for the table onto the editor.
    3. In the dialog that appears, select the Read option.

    Follow the steps below to map SFTP columns to a flat file:

    1. In the Object Explorer, right-click your project and then click New -> Data Object.
    2. Select Flat File Data Object -> Create as Empty -> Fixed Width.
    3. In the properties for the SFTP object, select the rows you want, right-click, and then click copy. Paste the rows into the flat file properties.
    4. Drag the flat file data object onto the mapping. In the dialog that appears, select the Write option.
    5. Click and drag to connect columns.

    To transfer SFTP data, right-click in the workspace and then click Run Mapping.