How to work with ShipStation Data in Apache Spark using SQL

Apache Spark is a fast and general engine for large-scale data processing. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for ShipStation, Spark can work with live ShipStation data. This article describes how to connect to and query ShipStation data from a Spark shell.

The CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live ShipStation data due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries to ShipStation, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to ShipStation and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can work with and analyze ShipStation data using native data types.

Install the CData JDBC Driver for ShipStation

Download the CData JDBC Driver for ShipStation installer, unzip the package, and run the JAR file to install the driver.

Start a Spark Shell and Connect to ShipStation Data

1. Open a terminal and start the Spark shell with the CData JDBC Driver for ShipStation JAR file as the jars parameter: $ spark-shell --jars /CData/CData JDBC Driver for ShipStation/lib/cdata.jdbc.shipstation.jar
2. With the shell running, you can connect to ShipStation with a JDBC URL and use the SQL Context load() function to read a table.

   Use the BASIC Authentication standard to connect.

   1. Login to your ShipStation account
   2. Click on the settings icon in the upper right corner. A column menu will show up on the left
   3. Click Account -> API Settings
   4. On the API Settings page, note the API Key and API Secret.

   Authenticating to ShipStation

   • APIKey: Set this to the API key from the API settings page.
   • APISecret: Set this to the Secret key from the API settings page.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

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

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.shipstation.jar

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

   Configure the connection to ShipStation, using the connection string generated above.

   scala> val shipstation_df = spark.sqlContext.read.format("jdbc").option("url", "jdbc:shipstation:APIKey='YourAPIKey';APISecret='YourAPISecret'").option("dbtable","Tags").option("driver","cdata.jdbc.shipstation.ShipStationDriver").load()
3. Once you connect and the data is loaded you will see the table schema displayed.

4. Register the ShipStation data as a temporary table:

   scala> shipstation_df.registerTable("tags")

5. Perform custom SQL queries against the Data using commands like the one below:

   scala> shipstation_df.sqlContext.sql("SELECT Id, Color FROM Tags WHERE CustomerId = 1368175").collect.foreach(println)

   You will see the results displayed in the console, similar to the following:

Using the CData JDBC Driver for ShipStation in Apache Spark, you are able to perform fast and complex analytics on ShipStation data, combining the power and utility of Spark with your data. Download a free, 30 day trial of any of the 200+ CData JDBC Drivers and get started today.