Microsoft Azure Table Storage v2 Connection Details

Introduction

Connector Version

This documentation is based on version 23.0.8858 of the connector.

Get Started

Azure Table Storage Version Support

Establish a Connection

Connect to Azure Table Storage APIs

The driver will connect to the Azure Table Storage account specified by Account. By default, connections to the Azure Table Storage are secured via SSL, though this can be controlled through UseSSL. The authentication method to the Azure Table Storage is determined by the AuthScheme property.

Authenticate to Azure Table Storage

The following mechanisms may be used to authenticate.

Access Key

Set Account to the storage account name and set the AccessKey of the storage account to connect. Follow the steps below to obtain these values:

If using Storage as the Backend (default):

1. Log into the Azure portal and select Storage Accounts in the services menu on the left.
2. If you currently do not have any storage accounts, create one by clicking the Add button.
3. Click the link for the storage account you want to use and select Access Keys under Settings. The Access Keys window contains the storage account name and key (you can use either key1 or key2 to connect) that you will need to use in the connector. These properties map to the Account and AccessKey connector connection properties respectively.

If using CosmosDB as the Backend:

1. Log into the Azure portal and select Cosmos DB in the services menu on the left.
2. Click the link for the Cosmos DB account you want to use and select Connection String under Settings. The Connection String window contains the Cosmos DB account name and primary key that you will need to use in the connector. These properties map to the Account and AccessKey connector connection properties respectively.

Shared Access Signature

Set Account to the storage account name and set the SharedAccessSignature to a valid signature of a resource to connect to. The SharedAccessSignature may be generated with a tool such as Azure Storage Explorer.

Typically when SharedAccessSignature is used, the specific table to work with must also be specified via the Tables connection property. If no table is specified, a table listing will be attemped, but may fail due to a lack of permissions.

Important Notes

Configuration Files and Their Paths

• All references to adding configuration files and their paths refer to files and locations on the Jitterbit agent where the connector is installed. These paths are to be adjusted as appropriate depending on the agent and the operating system. If multiple agents are used in an agent group, identical files will be required on each agent.

Advanced Features

This section details a selection of advanced features of the Azure Table Storage connector.

User Defined Views

The connector allows you to define virtual tables, called user defined views, whose contents are decided by a pre-configured query. These views are useful when you cannot directly control queries being issued to the drivers. See User Defined Views for an overview of creating and configuring custom views.

SSL Configuration

Use SSL Configuration to adjust how connector handles TLS/SSL certificate negotiations. You can choose from various certificate formats; see the SSLServerCert property under "Connection String Options" for more information.

Proxy

To configure the connector using private agent proxy settings, select the Use Proxy Settings checkbox on the connection configuration screen.

Query Processing

The connector offloads as much of the SELECT statement processing as possible to Azure Table Storage and then processes the rest of the query in memory (client-side).

See Query Processing for more information.

User Defined Views

The Jitterbit Connector for Azure Table Storage allows you to define a virtual table whose contents are decided by a pre-configured query. These are called User Defined Views, which are useful in situations where you cannot directly control the query being issued to the driver, e.g. when using the driver from Jitterbit. The User Defined Views can be used to define predicates that are always applied. If you specify additional predicates in the query to the view, they are combined with the query already defined as part of the view.

There are two ways to create user defined views:

• Create a JSON-formatted configuration file defining the views you want.
• DDL statements.

Define Views Using a Configuration File

User Defined Views are defined in a JSON-formatted configuration file called UserDefinedViews.json. The connector automatically detects the views specified in this file.

You can also have multiple view definitions and control them using the UserDefinedViews connection property. When you use this property, only the specified views are seen by the connector.

This User Defined View configuration file is formatted as follows:

• Each root element defines the name of a view.
• Each root element contains a child element, called query, which contains the custom SQL query for the view.

For example:

{
    "MyView": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM NorthwindProducts WHERE MyColumn = 'value'"
    },
    "MyView2": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE Id IN (1,2,3)"
    }
}

Use the UserDefinedViews connection property to specify the location of your JSON configuration file. For example:

"UserDefinedViews", "C:\Users\yourusername\Desktop\tmp\UserDefinedViews.json"

Define Views Using DDL Statements

The connector is also capable of creating and altering the schema via DDL Statements such as CREATE LOCAL VIEW, ALTER LOCAL VIEW, and DROP LOCAL VIEW.

Create a View

To create a new view using DDL statements, provide the view name and query as follows:

CREATE LOCAL VIEW [MyViewName] AS SELECT * FROM Customers LIMIT 20;

If no JSON file exists, the above code creates one. The view is then created in the JSON configuration file and is now discoverable. The JSON file location is specified by the UserDefinedViews connection property.

Alter a View

To alter an existing view, provide the name of an existing view alongside the new query you would like to use instead:

ALTER LOCAL VIEW [MyViewName] AS SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE TimeModified > '3/1/2020';

The view is then updated in the JSON configuration file.

Drop a View

To drop an existing view, provide the name of an existing schema alongside the new query you would like to use instead.

DROP LOCAL VIEW [MyViewName]

This removes the view from the JSON configuration file. It can no longer be queried.

Schema for User Defined Views

User Defined Views are exposed in the UserViews schema by default. This is done to avoid the view's name clashing with an actual entity in the data model. You can change the name of the schema used for UserViews by setting the UserViewsSchemaName property.

Work with User Defined Views

For example, a SQL statement with a User Defined View called UserViews.RCustomers only lists customers in Raleigh:

SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE City = 'Raleigh';

An example of a query to the driver:

SELECT * FROM UserViews.RCustomers WHERE Status = 'Active';

Resulting in the effective query to the source:

SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE City = 'Raleigh' AND Status = 'Active';

That is a very simple example of a query to a User Defined View that is effectively a combination of the view query and the view definition. It is possible to compose these queries in much more complex patterns. All SQL operations are allowed in both queries and are combined when appropriate.

SSL Configuration

Customize the SSL Configuration

By default, the connector attempts to negotiate SSL/TLS by checking the server's certificate against the system's trusted certificate store.

To specify another certificate, see the SSLServerCert property for the available formats to do so.

Data Model

The connector allows you to access data in Azure Table storage through a standard database-like interface. Azure tables are highly scalable NoSQL cloud databases that are very different from a regular database. In this section we describe how we model schemaless Azure tables as regular tables. See Tables, Table Columns, and Stored Procedures.

Tables

The list of tables is dynamically retrieved from your Azure account, so that any additions or deletions are immediately reflected when you connect with the connector. You can use the CreateTable stored procedure to create a new table.

Azure tables require both a Partition Key and a Row Key. Both will need to be set for all queries besides SELECT queries.

Table Columns

Since Azure Table Storage tables are schemaless, the connector offers the following two mechanisms to uncover the schema.

Dynamic Schemas

The columns of a table are dynamically determined by scanning data in the first few rows. You can adjust the number of rows that are used by modifying the RowScanDepth property. When TypeDetectionScheme is set to "RowScan", the row scan also determines the data type. The following table shows how the different data types supported by Azure Table Storage are modeled in the connector.

Static Schemas

Instead of using dynamically discovered schemas, you can define your own schemas. This will give you more control over the projected columns and also enable you to manually define data types. Refer to the sample schema included with the connector to define your own schema. You can simply change the name of the sample schema file, which must match with the name of the Azure Table Storage table, and edit the column listing to use it for your own table.

Schemaless Operations

The schema of the table is necessary to retrieve data, whether you define it manually or obtain it dynamically. However, data may be inserted, updated, or deleted from columns that do not exist in the schema. Columns that do not already exist in the table schema will have their data types set to String.

Stored Procedures

Stored procedures are function-like interfaces that extend the functionality of the connector beyond simple SELECT/INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE operations with Azure Table Storage.

Stored procedures accept a list of parameters, perform their intended function, and then return any relevant response data from Azure Table Storage, along with an indication of whether the procedure succeeded or failed.

Jitterbit Connector for Azure Table Storage Stored Procedures

CreateEntityWithTypes

Creates a new record with the given data types. If a column is not found on an existing entity, you will need to use this procedure to set the type of the property to something other than string.

Indexed parameters facilitate providing multiple instances a single parameter as inputs for the procedure.

Suppose there is an input parameter named Param#. To input multiple instances of an indexed parameter like this, execute:

EXEC ProcedureName Param#1 = "value1", Param#2 = "value2", Param#3 = "value3"

In the table below, indexed parameters are denoted with a # character at the end of their names.

Input

Result Set Columns

CreateSchema

Creates a schema file for the specified table or view.

CreateSchema

Creates a local schema file (.rsd) from an existing table or view in the data model.

The schema file is created in the directory set in the Location connection property when this procedure is executed. You can edit the file to include or exclude columns, rename columns, or adjust column datatypes.

The connector checks the Location to determine if the names of any .rsd files match a table or view in the data model. If there is a duplicate, the schema file will take precedence over the default instance of this table in the data model. If a schema file is present in Location that does not match an existing table or view, a new table or view entry is added to the data model of the connector.

Input

Result Set Columns

CreateTable

Creates a new table in the Azure system.

Input

Result Set Columns

DropTable

Drops an existing table in the Azure system.

Input

Result Set Columns

GetOAuthAccessToken

Gets the auth token used to authenticate to the service.

Input

Result Set Columns

GetOAuthAuthorizationUrl

Gets an authorization URL from the data source. The authorization URL can be used to generate a verifier required to obtain the OAuth token.

Input

Result Set Columns

RefreshOAuthAccessToken

Obtains an updated OAuthAccessToken if passed a token to refresh.

Input

Result Set Columns

System Tables

You can query the system tables described in this section to access schema information, information on data source functionality, and batch operation statistics.

Schema Tables

The following tables return database metadata for Azure Table Storage:

• sys_catalogs: Lists the available databases.
• sys_schemas: Lists the available schemas.
• sys_tables: Lists the available tables and views.
• sys_tablecolumns: Describes the columns of the available tables and views.
• sys_procedures: Describes the available stored procedures.
• sys_procedureparameters: Describes stored procedure parameters.
• sys_keycolumns: Describes the primary and foreign keys.
• sys_indexes: Describes the available indexes.

Data Source Tables

The following tables return information about how to connect to and query the data source:

• sys_connection_props: Returns information on the available connection properties.
• sys_sqlinfo: Describes the SELECT queries that the connector can offload to the data source.

Query Information Tables

The following table returns query statistics for data modification queries:

• sys_identity: Returns information about batch operations or single updates.

sys_catalogs

Lists the available databases.

The following query retrieves all databases determined by the connection string:

SELECT * FROM sys_catalogs

Columns

sys_schemas

Lists the available schemas.

The following query retrieves all available schemas:

SELECT * FROM sys_schemas

Columns

sys_tables

Lists the available tables.

The following query retrieves the available tables and views:

SELECT * FROM sys_tables

Columns

sys_tablecolumns

Describes the columns of the available tables and views.

The following query returns the columns and data types for the NorthwindProducts table:

SELECT ColumnName, DataTypeName FROM sys_tablecolumns WHERE TableName='NorthwindProducts'

Columns

sys_procedures

Lists the available stored procedures.

The following query retrieves the available stored procedures:

SELECT * FROM sys_procedures

Columns

sys_procedureparameters

Describes stored procedure parameters.

The following query returns information about all of the input parameters for the CreateTable stored procedure:

SELECT * FROM sys_procedureparameters WHERE ProcedureName='CreateTable' AND Direction=1 OR Direction=2

Columns

sys_keycolumns

Describes the primary and foreign keys.

The following query retrieves the primary key for the NorthwindProducts table:

SELECT * FROM sys_keycolumns WHERE IsKey='True' AND TableName='NorthwindProducts'

Columns

sys_foreignkeys

Describes the foreign keys.

The following query retrieves all foreign keys which refer to other tables:

SELECT * FROM sys_foreignkeys WHERE ForeignKeyType = 'FOREIGNKEY_TYPE_IMPORT'

Columns

sys_primarykeys

Describes the primary keys.

The following query retrieves the primary keys from all tables and views:

SELECT * FROM sys_primarykeys

Columns

sys_indexes

Describes the available indexes. By filtering on indexes, you can write more selective queries with faster query response times.

The following query retrieves all indexes that are not primary keys:

SELECT * FROM sys_indexes WHERE IsPrimary='false'

Columns

sys_connection_props

Returns information on the available connection properties and those set in the connection string.

When querying this table, the config connection string should be used:

jdbc:cdata:azuretables:config:

This connection string enables you to query this table without a valid connection.

The following query retrieves all connection properties that have been set in the connection string or set through a default value:

SELECT * FROM sys_connection_props WHERE Value <> ''

Columns

sys_sqlinfo

Describes the SELECT query processing that the connector can offload to the data source.

Discovering the Data Source's SELECT Capabilities

Below is an example data set of SQL capabilities. Some aspects of SELECT functionality are returned in a comma-separated list if supported; otherwise, the column contains NO.

The following query retrieves the operators that can be used in the WHERE clause:

SELECT * FROM sys_sqlinfo WHERE Name = 'SUPPORTED_OPERATORS'

Note that individual tables may have different limitations or requirements on the WHERE clause; refer to the Data Model section for more information.

Columns

sys_identity

Returns information about attempted modifications.

The following query retrieves the Ids of the modified rows in a batch operation:

SELECT * FROM sys_identity

Columns

Data Type Mapping

Data Type Mappings

The connector maps types from the data source to the corresponding data type available in the schema. The table below documents these mappings.

Advanced Configurations Properties

The advanced configurations properties are the various options that can be used to establish a connection. This section provides a complete list of the options you can configure. Click the links for further details.

Authentication

Azure Authentication

OAuth

SSL

Schema

Miscellaneous

Authentication

This section provides a complete list of authentication properties you can configure.

Account

The Windows Azure Storage account name.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The Windows Azure storage account name. To access your Azure storage accounts or create one, log into the Azure portal Click Storage Accounts in the services menu on the left.

If Backend is set to AzureStack, set the Account as the complete host for your data. For example: <account>.nm.azs.sandia.gov.

If Backend is set to Emulator, set the Account as the complete host. For example: http://127.0.0.1:10002/devstoreaccount1.

UseSSL

This field sets whether SSL is enabled. The default is true.

Data Type

bool

Default Value

true

Remarks

This field sets whether SSL is enabled. The default is true.

AccessKey

The key for the storage account.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

To obtain the Access Key, log into the Azure portal and click Storage Accounts in the services menu on the left to list the storage accounts. Select a storage account and click Access Keys in the Settings section. Either key1 or key2 can be used.

If using CosmosDB as the Backend, instead navigate to Cosmos DB service and select your Azure Cosmos DB Account. From the resource menu, go to the Connection String page. Find the PRIMARY KEY value and set AccessKey to this value.

AuthScheme

The scheme used for authentication. Accepted entries are AccessKey, SharedAccessSignature and Microsoft Entra ID.

Possible Values

AccessKey, SharedAccessSignature, AzureAD

Data Type

string

Default Value

SharedAccessSignature

Remarks

Together with Account, this field is used to authenticate against the service. The default is SharedAccessSignature:

• AccessKey: Indicates authentication will be done via AccessKey and Account.
• SharedAccessSignature: Indicates authentication will be done via SharedAccessSignature and Account. Generally Tables must also be set.
• Microsoft Entra ID: Indicates authentication will be done via Microsoft Entra ID OAuth.

Backend

The backend where data is stored.

Possible Values

AzureStack, CosmosDB, Storage, Emulator

Data Type

string

Default Value

Storage

Remarks

Data may retrieved from either the classic Azure Table Storage repository, Azure Storage Emulator, or it may be retrieved from CosmosDB. Alternatively, you may specify AzureStack if you are using Azure Stack Hub. If you choose to do so, specify the Account as the complete host for your data. For example: <account>.nm.azs.sandia.gov.

If you choose Emulator, specify the Account and SharedAccessSignature connection property.

SharedAccessSignature

A shared access key signature that may be used for authentication.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

A shared access signature. May be used instead of a AccessKey to access resources.

Azure Authentication

This section provides a complete list of Azure authentication properties you can configure.

AzureTenant

The Microsoft Online tenant being used to access data. If not specified, your default tenant is used.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The Microsoft Online tenant being used to access data. For instance, contoso.onmicrosoft.com. Alternatively, specify the tenant Id. This value is the directory ID in the Azure Portal > Microsoft Entra ID > Properties.

Typically it is not necessary to specify the Tenant. This can be automatically determined by Microsoft when using the OAuthGrantType set to CODE (default). However, it may fail in the case that the user belongs to multiple tenants. For instance, if an Admin of domain A invites a user of domain B to be a guest user. The user will now belong to both tenants. It is a good practice to specify the Tenant, although in general things should normally work without having to specify it.

The AzureTenant is required when setting OAuthGrantType to CLIENT. When using client credentials, there is no user context. The credentials are taken from the context of the app itself. While Microsoft still allows client credentials to be obtained without specifying which Tenant, it has a much lower probability of picking the specific tenant you want to work with. For this reason, we require AzureTenant to be explicitly stated for all client credentials connections to ensure you get credentials that are applicable for the domain you intend to connect to.

AzureEnvironment

The Azure Environment to use when establishing a connection.

Possible Values

GLOBAL, CHINA, USGOVT, USGOVTDOD

Data Type

string

Default Value

GLOBAL

Remarks

In most cases, leaving the environment set to global will work. However, if your Azure Account has been added to a different environment, the AzureEnvironment may be used to specify which environment. The available values are GLOBAL, CHINA, USGOVT, USGOVTDOD.

OAuth

This section provides a complete list of OAuth properties you can configure.

InitiateOAuth

Set this property to initiate the process to obtain or refresh the OAuth access token when you connect.

Possible Values

OFF, GETANDREFRESH, REFRESH

Data Type

string

Default Value

OFF

Remarks

The following options are available:

1. OFF: Indicates that the OAuth flow will be handled entirely by the user. An OAuthAccessToken will be required to authenticate.
2. GETANDREFRESH: Indicates that the entire OAuth Flow will be handled by the connector. If no token currently exists, it will be obtained by prompting the user via the browser. If a token exists, it will be refreshed when applicable.
3. REFRESH: Indicates that the connector will only handle refreshing the OAuthAccessToken. The user will never be prompted by the connector to authenticate via the browser. The user must handle obtaining the OAuthAccessToken and OAuthRefreshToken initially.

OAuthClientId

The client ID assigned when you register your application with an OAuth authorization server.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

As part of registering an OAuth application, you will receive the OAuthClientId value, sometimes also called a consumer key, and a client secret, the OAuthClientSecret.

OAuthClientSecret

The client secret assigned when you register your application with an OAuth authorization server.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

As part of registering an OAuth application, you will receive the OAuthClientId, also called a consumer key. You will also receive a client secret, also called a consumer secret. Set the client secret in the OAuthClientSecret property.

OAuthAccessToken

The access token for connecting using OAuth.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The OAuthAccessToken property is used to connect using OAuth. The OAuthAccessToken is retrieved from the OAuth server as part of the authentication process. It has a server-dependent timeout and can be reused between requests.

The access token is used in place of your user name and password. The access token protects your credentials by keeping them on the server.

OAuthSettingsLocation

The location of the settings file where OAuth values are saved when InitiateOAuth is set to GETANDREFRESH or REFRESH . Alternatively, you can hold this location in memory by specifying a value starting with 'memory://'.

Data Type

string

Default Value

%APPDATA%\AzureTables Data Provider\OAuthSettings.txt

Remarks

When InitiateOAuth is set to GETANDREFRESH or REFRESH, the connector saves OAuth values to avoid requiring the user to manually enter OAuth connection properties and to allow the credentials to be shared across connections or processes.

Instead of specifying a file path, you can use memory storage. Memory locations are specified by using a value starting with 'memory://' followed by a unique identifier for that set of credentials (for example, memory://user1). The identifier can be anything you choose but should be unique to the user. Unlike file-based storage, where credentials persist across connections, memory storage loads the credentials into static memory, and the credentials are shared between connections using the same identifier for the life of the process. To persist credentials outside the current process, you must manually store the credentials prior to closing the connection. This enables you to set them in the connection when the process is started again. You can retrieve OAuth property values with a query to the sys_connection_props system table. If there are multiple connections using the same credentials, the properties are read from the previously closed connection.

The default location is "%APPDATA%\AzureTables Data Provider\OAuthSettings.txt" with %APPDATA% set to the user's configuration directory. The default values are

• Windows: "register://%DSN"
• Unix: "%AppData%..."
• Mac: "%AppData%..."

where DSN is the name of the current DSN used in the open connection.

The following table lists the value of %APPDATA% by OS:

CallbackURL

The OAuth callback URL to return to when authenticating. This value must match the callback URL you specify in your app settings.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

During the authentication process, the OAuth authorization server redirects the user to this URL. This value must match the callback URL you specify in your app settings.

OAuthVerifier

The verifier code returned from the OAuth authorization URL.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The verifier code returned from the OAuth authorization URL. This can be used on systems where a browser cannot be launched such as headless systems.

Authentication on Headless Machines

See to obtain the OAuthVerifier value.

Set OAuthSettingsLocation along with OAuthVerifier. When you connect, the connector exchanges the OAuthVerifier for the OAuth authentication tokens and saves them, encrypted, to the specified location. Set InitiateOAuth to GETANDREFRESH to automate the exchange.

Once the OAuth settings file has been generated, you can remove OAuthVerifier from the connection properties and connect with OAuthSettingsLocation set.

To automatically refresh the OAuth token values, set OAuthSettingsLocation and additionally set InitiateOAuth to REFRESH.

OAuthRefreshToken

The OAuth refresh token for the corresponding OAuth access token.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The OAuthRefreshToken property is used to refresh the OAuthAccessToken when using OAuth authentication.

OAuthExpiresIn

The lifetime in seconds of the OAuth AccessToken.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Pair with OAuthTokenTimestamp to determine when the AccessToken will expire.

OAuthTokenTimestamp

The Unix epoch timestamp in milliseconds when the current Access Token was created.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Pair with OAuthExpiresIn to determine when the AccessToken will expire.

SSL

This section provides a complete list of SSL properties you can configure.

SSLServerCert

The certificate to be accepted from the server when connecting using TLS/SSL.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

If using a TLS/SSL connection, this property can be used to specify the TLS/SSL certificate to be accepted from the server. Any other certificate that is not trusted by the machine is rejected.

This property can take the following forms:

If not specified, any certificate trusted by the machine is accepted.

Certificates are validated as trusted by the machine based on the System's trust store. The trust store used is the 'javax.net.ssl.trustStore' value specified for the system. If no value is specified for this property, Java's default trust store is used (for example, JAVA_HOME\lib\security\cacerts).

Use '*' to signify to accept all certificates. Note that this is not recommended due to security concerns.

Schema

This section provides a complete list of schema properties you can configure.

Location

A path to the directory that contains the schema files defining tables, views, and stored procedures.

Data Type

string

Default Value

%APPDATA%\AzureTables Data Provider\Schema

Remarks

The path to a directory which contains the schema files for the connector (.rsd files for tables and views, .rsb files for stored procedures). The folder location can be a relative path from the location of the executable. The Location property is only needed if you want to customize definitions (for example, change a column name, ignore a column, and so on) or extend the data model with new tables, views, or stored procedures.

If left unspecified, the default location is "%APPDATA%\AzureTables Data Provider\Schema" with %APPDATA% being set to the user's configuration directory:

BrowsableSchemas

This property restricts the schemas reported to a subset of the available schemas. For example, BrowsableSchemas=SchemaA,SchemaB,SchemaC.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Listing the schemas from databases can be expensive. Providing a list of schemas in the connection string improves the performance.

Views

Restricts the views reported to a subset of the available tables. For example, Views=ViewA,ViewB,ViewC.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Listing the views from some databases can be expensive. Providing a list of views in the connection string improves the performance of the connector.

This property can also be used as an alternative to automatically listing views if you already know which ones you want to work with and there would otherwise be too many to work with.

Specify the views you want in a comma-separated list. Each view should be a valid SQL identifier with any special characters escaped using square brackets, double-quotes or backticks. For example, Views=ViewA,[ViewB/WithSlash],WithCatalog.WithSchema.`ViewC With Space`.

Note that when connecting to a data source with multiple schemas or catalogs, you will need to provide the fully qualified name of the table in this property, as in the last example here, to avoid ambiguity between tables that exist in multiple catalogs or schemas.

Tables

This property restricts the tables reported to a subset of the available tables. For example, Tables=TableA,TableB,TableC.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

When using SharedAccessSignature, in general the Tables should be set to specify which resource the signature is for.

This property can also be used as an alternative to automatically listing views if you already know which ones you want to work with and there would otherwise be too many to work with.

Specify the tables you want in a comma-separated list. Each table should be a valid SQL identifier with any special characters escaped using square brackets, double-quotes or backticks. For example, Tables=TableA,[TableB/WithSlash],WithCatalog.WithSchema.`TableC With Space`.

Miscellaneous

This section provides a complete list of miscellaneous properties you can configure.

GenerateSchemaFiles

Indicates the user preference as to when schemas should be generated and saved.

Possible Values

Never, OnUse, OnStart, OnCreate

Data Type

string

Default Value

Never

Remarks

This property outputs schemas to .rsd files in the path specified by Location.

Available settings are the following:

• Never: A schema file will never be generated.
• OnUse: A schema file will be generated the first time a table is referenced, provided the schema file for the table does not already exist.
• OnStart: A schema file will be generated at connection time for any tables that do not currently have a schema file.
• OnCreate: A schema file will be generated by when running a CREATE TABLE SQL query.

Note that if you want to regenerate a file, you will first need to delete it.

Generate Schemas with SQL

When you set GenerateSchemaFiles to OnUse, the connector generates schemas as you execute SELECT queries. Schemas are generated for each table referenced in the query.

When you set GenerateSchemaFiles to OnCreate, schemas are only generated when a CREATE TABLE query is executed.

Generate Schemas on Connection

Another way to use this property is to obtain schemas for every table in your database when you connect. To do so, set GenerateSchemaFiles to OnStart and connect.

MaxRows

Limits the number of rows returned when no aggregation or GROUP BY is used in the query. This takes precedence over LIMIT clauses.

Data Type

int

Default Value

-1

Remarks

Limits the number of rows returned when no aggregation or GROUP BY is used in the query. This takes precedence over LIMIT clauses.

Other

These hidden properties are used only in specific use cases.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

The properties listed below are available for specific use cases. Normal driver use cases and functionality should not require these properties.

Specify multiple properties in a semicolon-separated list.

Integration and Formatting

Pagesize

The maximum number of results to return per page from Azure Table Storage.

Data Type

int

Default Value

1000

Remarks

The Pagesize property affects the maximum number of results to return per page from Azure Table Storage. Setting a higher value may result in better performance at the cost of additional memory allocated per page consumed.

PseudoColumns

This property indicates whether or not to include pseudo columns as columns to the table.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

This setting is particularly helpful in Entity Framework, which does not allow you to set a value for a pseudo column unless it is a table column. The value of this connection setting is of the format "Table1=Column1, Table1=Column2, Table2=Column3". You can use the "*" character to include all tables and all columns; for example, "*=*".

RowScanDepth

The maximum number of rows to scan to look for the columns available in a table.

Data Type

int

Default Value

1000

Remarks

The columns in a table must be determined by scanning table rows. This value determines the maximum number of rows that will be scanned.

Setting a high value may decrease performance. Setting a low value may prevent the data type from being determined properly, especially when there is null data.

Timeout

The value in seconds until the timeout error is thrown, canceling the operation.

Data Type

int

Default Value

60

Remarks

If Timeout = 0, operations do not time out. The operations run until they complete successfully or until they encounter an error condition.

If Timeout expires and the operation is not yet complete, the connector throws an exception.

TypeDetectionScheme

Determines how to determine the data type of columns.

Possible Values

None, RowScan

Data Type

string

Default Value

RowScan

Remarks

UserDefinedViews

A filepath pointing to the JSON configuration file containing your custom views.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

User Defined Views are defined in a JSON-formatted configuration file called UserDefinedViews.json. The connector automatically detects the views specified in this file.

You can also have multiple view definitions and control them using the UserDefinedViews connection property. When you use this property, only the specified views are seen by the connector.

This User Defined View configuration file is formatted as follows:

• Each root element defines the name of a view.
• Each root element contains a child element, called query, which contains the custom SQL query for the view.

For example:

{
    "MyView": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM NorthwindProducts WHERE MyColumn = 'value'"
    },
    "MyView2": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE Id IN (1,2,3)"
    }
}

Use the UserDefinedViews connection property to specify the location of your JSON configuration file. For example:

"UserDefinedViews", C:\Users\yourusername\Desktop\tmp\UserDefinedViews.json

Note that the specified path is not embedded in quotation marks.