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This article demonstrates how to use the CData ODBC Driver for Elasticsearch to connect to Elasticsearch data and execute queries in PowerBuilder.
The CData ODBC Driver for Elasticsearch can be used from any platform or development technology that supports ODBC, including PowerBuilder. This article shows how to connect to Elasticsearch data and execute queries from the Database Painter and controls such as the DataWindow.
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
Connect to Elasticsearch 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.
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.
Create a Profile for the ODBC Driver for Elasticsearch
Follow the steps below to use the Database Painter tool to create a database profile based on an ODBC DSN (data source name) for Elasticsearch. In the Database Painter, you can use wizards and the UI to work with Elasticsearch data.
- In PowerBuilder, click Tools -> Database Painter.
- In the Objects window in the Database Painter, right-click the ODBC node and click New Profile.
- On the Connection tab, enter a name for the profile and select the Elasticsearch DSN in the Data Source menu.
- To view and modify a table, right-click a table and then click Edit Data -> Grid.

Using Elasticsearch Data with PowerBuilder Controls
You can use standard PowerBuilder objects to connect to ODBC data sources and execute queries. The following example shows how to retrieve Elasticsearch data into a DataWindow. You can add the following code to the open method:
SQLCA.DBMS = "ODBC"
SQLCA.DBParm = "ConnectString='DSN=CData Elasticsearch Source'"
CONNECT USING SQLCA;
dw_orders.SetTransObject(SQLCA);
dw_orders.Retrieve();