How to Query Live SharePoint Data in Natural Language in Python using LlamaIndex

Use LlamaIndex to query live SharePoint data data in natural language using Python.

Start querying live data from SharePoint using the CData Python Connector for SharePoint. Leverage the power of AI with LlamaIndex and retrieve insights using simple English, eliminating the need for complex SQL queries. Benefit from real-time data access that enhances your decision-making process, while easily integrating with your existing Python applications.

With built-in, optimized data processing, the CData Python Connector offers unmatched performance for interacting with live SharePoint data in Python. When you issue complex SQL queries from Python, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to SharePoint and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).

Whether you're analyzing trends, generating reports, or visualizing data, our Python connectors enable you to harness the full potential of your live data source with ease.

About SharePoint Data Integration

Accessing and integrating live data from SharePoint has never been easier with CData. Customers rely on CData connectivity to:

Access data from a wide range of SharePoint versions, including Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and above, and SharePoint Online.
Access all of SharePoint thanks to support for Hidden and Lookup columns.
Recursively scan folders to create a relational model of all SharePoint data.
Use SQL stored procedures to upload and download documents and attachments.

Most customers rely on CData solutions to integrate SharePoint data into their database or data warehouse, while others integrate their SharePoint data with preferred data tools, like Power BI, Tableau, or Excel.

For more information on how customers are solving problems with CData's SharePoint solutions, refer to our blog: Drivers in Focus: Collaboration Tools.

Getting Started

Overview

Here's how to query live data with CData's Python connector for SharePoint data using LlamaIndex:

Import required Python, CData, and LlamaIndex modules for logging, database connectivity, and NLP.
Retrieve your OpenAI API key for authenticating API requests from your application.
Connect to live SharePoint data using the CData Python Connector.
Initialize OpenAI and create instances of SQLDatabase and NLSQLTableQueryEngine for handling natural language queries.
Create the query engine and specific database instance.
Execute natural language queries (e.g., "Who are the top-earning employees?") to get structured responses from the database.
Analyze retrieved data to gain insights and inform data-driven decisions.

Import Required Modules

Import the necessary modules CData, database connections, and natural language querying.


import os
import logging
import sys

# Configure logging
logging.basicConfig(stream=sys.stdout, level=logging.INFO, force=True)
logging.getLogger().addHandler(logging.StreamHandler(stream=sys.stdout))

# Import required modules for CData and LlamaIndex
import cdata.sharepoint as mod
from sqlalchemy import create_engine
from llama_index.core.query_engine import NLSQLTableQueryEngine
from llama_index.core import SQLDatabase
from llama_index.llms.openai import OpenAI

Set Your OpenAI API Key

To use OpenAI's language model, you need to set your API key as an environment variable. Make sure you have your OpenAI API key available in your system's environment variables.


# Retrieve the OpenAI API key from the environment variables
OPENAI_API_KEY = os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"]

''as an alternative, you can also add your API key directly within your code (though this method is not recommended for production environments due to security risks):''

# Directly set the API key (not recommended for production use)
OPENAI_API_KEY = "your-api-key-here"

Create a Database Connection

Next, establish a connection to SharePoint using the CData connector using a connection string with the required connection properties.

Set the URL property to the base SharePoint site or to a sub-site. This allows you to query any lists and other SharePoint entities defined for the site or sub-site.

The User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid SharePoint user credentials when using SharePoint On-Premise.

If you are connecting to SharePoint Online, set the SharePointEdition to SHAREPOINTONLINE along with the User and Password connection string properties. For more details on connecting to SharePoint Online, see the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation

Connecting to SharePoint


# Create a database engine using the CData Python Connector for SharePoint
engine = create_engine("cdata_sharepoint_2:///?User=User=myuseraccount;Password=mypassword;Auth Scheme=NTLM;URL=http://sharepointserver/mysite;SharePointEdition=SharePointOnPremise;")

Initialize the OpenAI Instance

Create an instance of the OpenAI language model. Here, you can specify parameters like temperature and the model version.


# Initialize the OpenAI language model instance
llm = OpenAI(temperature=0.0, model="gpt-3.5-turbo")

Set Up the Database and Query Engine

Now, set up the SQL database and the query engine. The NLSQLTableQueryEngine allows you to perform natural language queries against your SQL database.


# Create a SQL database instance
sql_db = SQLDatabase(engine)  # This includes all tables

# Initialize the query engine for natural language SQL queries
query_engine = NLSQLTableQueryEngine(sql_database=sql_db)

Execute a Query

Now, you can execute a natural language query against your live data source. In this example, we will query for the top two earning employees.


# Define your query string
query_str = "Who are the top earning employees?"

# Get the response from the query engine
response = query_engine.query(query_str)

# Print the response
print(response)

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData Python Connector for SharePoint and start querying your live data seamlessly. Experience the power of natural language processing and unlock valuable insights from your data today.

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