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Get the Report →How to Access Live SFTP Data in Power Automate Desktop via ODBC
The CData ODBC Driver for SFTP enables you to integrate SFTP data into workflows built using Microsoft Power Automate Desktop.
The CData ODBC Driver for SFTP enables you to access live SFTP data in workflow automation tools like Power Automate. This article shows how to integrate SFTP data into a simple workflow, moving SFTP data into a CSV file.
Through optimized data processing, CData ODBC Drivers offer unmatched performance for interacting with live SFTP data in Microsoft Power Automate. When you issue complex SQL queries from Power Automate to SFTP, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to SFTP and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (e.g. SQL functions and JOIN operations).
Connect to SFTP as an ODBC Data Source
If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.
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.
When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing workflows.
Integrate SFTP Data into Power Automate Workflows
After configuring the DSN for SFTP, you are ready to integrate SFTP data into your Power Automate workflows. Open Microsoft Power Automate, add a new flow, and name the flow.
In the flow editor, you can add the actions to connect to SFTP, query SFTP using SQL, and write the query results to a CSV document.
Add an Open SQL Connection Action
Add an "Open SQL connection" action (Actions -> Database) and configure the properties.
- Connection string: DSN=CData SFTP Source
After configuring the action, click Save.
Add an Execute SQL Statement Action
Add an "Execute SQL statement" action (Actions -> Database) and configure the properties.
- Get connection by: SQL connection variable
- SQL connection: %SQLConnection% (the variable from the "Open SQL connection" action above)
- SQL statement: SELECT * FROM MyDirectory
After configuring the action, click Save.
Add a Write to CSV File Action
Add a "Write to CSV file" action (Actions -> File) and configure the properties.
- Variable to write to: %QueryResult% (the variable from the "Execute SQL statement" action above)
- File path: set to a file on disk
- Configure Advanced settings as needed.
After configuring the action, click Save.
Add a Close SQL Connection Action
Add a "Close SQL connection" action (Actions -> Database) and configure the properties.
- SQL Connection: %SQLConnection% (the variable from the "Open SQL connection" action above)
After configuring the action, click Save.
Save & Run the Flow
Once you have configured all the actions for the flow, click the disk icon to save the flow. Click the play icon to run the flow.
Now you have a workflow to move SFTP data into a CSV file.
With the CData ODBC Driver for SFTP, you get live connectivity to SFTP data within your Microsoft Power Automate workflows.
Related Power Automate Articles
This article walks through using the CData ODBC Driver for SFTP with Power Automate Desktop. Check out our other articles for more ways to work with Power Automate (Desktop & Online):