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Connect to Elasticsearch data and execute queries in the Squirrel SQL Client.
The CData JDBC Driver for Elasticsearch enables you to execute queries to Elasticsearch data in tools like Squirrel SQL Client. In this article, you will create a JDBC data source for Elasticsearch data and execute queries.
About Elasticsearch Data Integration
Accessing and integrating live data from Elasticsearch has never been easier with CData. Customers rely on CData connectivity to:
- Access both the SQL endpoints and REST endpoints, optimizing connectivity and offering more options when it comes to reading and writing Elasticsearch data.
- Connect to virtually every Elasticsearch instance starting with v2.2 and Open Source Elasticsearch subscriptions.
- Always receive a relevance score for the query results without explicitly requiring the SCORE() function, simplifying access from 3rd party tools and easily seeing how the query results rank in text relevance.
- Search through multiple indices, relying on Elasticsearch to manage and process the query and results instead of the client machine.
Users frequently integrate Elasticsearch data with analytics tools such as Crystal Reports, Power BI, and Excel, and leverage our tools to enable a single, federated access layer to all of their data sources, including Elasticsearch.
For more information on CData's Elasticsearch solutions, check out our Knowledge Base article: CData Elasticsearch Driver Features & Differentiators.
Getting Started
Add the JDBC Driver for Elasticsearch
Follow the steps below to add the driver JAR.
- In Squirrel SQL, click Windows -> View Drivers.
- Click the plus icon to open the Add Driver wizard.
- In the Name box, enter a user-friendly name for the driver; for example, CData JDBC Driver for Elasticsearch.
- In the Example URL box, enter jdbc:elasticsearch:
- In the Extra Class Path tab, click Add.
- In the file explorer dialog that opens, select the JAR file for the driver, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
- Click List Drivers to populate the Class Name menu with the class name for the driver, cdata.jdbc.elasticsearch.ElasticsearchDriver.

Define Connection Properties
Follow the steps below to save connection properties in the driver alias.
- Click Windows -> View Aliases.
- In the pane that lists the aliases, click the plus icon.
In the Add Alias wizard that opens, the following fields are required for the JDBC driver:
- Name: Enter a name for the alias; for example, CData Elasticsearch Source.
- Driver: Select the CData JDBC Driver for Elasticsearch.
- URL: Enter jdbc:elasticsearch:
- If you want to define any additional properties, click Properties.
- In the Driver properties tab of the dialog that appears, select the Use driver properties checkbox.
- In the Specify column, select the checkboxes for the required connection properties.
Set the Server and Port connection properties to connect. To authenticate, set the User and Password properties, PKI (public key infrastructure) properties, or both. To use PKI, set the SSLClientCert, SSLClientCertType, SSLClientCertSubject, and SSLClientCertPassword properties.
The data provider uses X-Pack Security for TLS/SSL and authentication. To connect over TLS/SSL, prefix the Server value with 'https://'. Note: TLS/SSL and client authentication must be enabled on X-Pack to use PKI.
Once the data provider is connected, X-Pack will then perform user authentication and grant role permissions based on the realms you have configured.
Below is a typical connection string:
jdbc:elasticsearch:Server=127.0.0.1;Port=9200;User=admin;Password=123456;
- In the dialog that appears after you click OK, click connect to test the connection.
Discover Schemas and Query Elasticsearch Data
After the metadata has loaded, a new tab for the Elasticsearch data source is displayed. On the Objects subtab, you can discover schema information, such as the available tables and views.
To view table data, select the table on the Objects tab. The table data is then loaded in a grid on the Content tab.

To execute an SQL query, enter the query on the SQL tab and then click Run SQL (the runner icon). For example:
SELECT Orders.Freight, Customers.ContactName FROM Customers INNER JOIN Orders ON Customers.CustomerId=Orders.CustomerId
