Connect to Databricks using an OLE DB connection from ArcGIS Pro

Summary

Establishing an OLE DB connection in ArcGIS Pro allows users to access tables from any database, provided that an ODBC driver for that database is installed on the ArcGIS Pro machine. These connections are read-only and enable users to query, analyze, or join nonspatial tabular data with tables from other data sources.

This article provides guidance on establishing an OLE DB connection in ArcGIS Pro to access tables stored in Databricks Unity Catalog, using Azure Databricks as an example environment.

Procedure

1. Download and install the current 64-bit Windows ODBC driver from Databricks:
   • Databricks ODBC Driver
2. Gather the following connection information from your Databricks workspace:
   1. Use the following Azure Databricks documentation to note down information about the Server Hostname and HTTP Path.
      • Get connection details for an Azure Databricks compute resource
   2. Note down your desired catalog and schema names using the following documentation:
      • What are catalogs in Azure Databricks?
   3. Generate a personal access token for your user using the following documentation:
      • Authenticate with Azure Databricks personal access tokens (legacy)
3. Create an ODBC Data Source Name (DSN) using the information gathered in Step 2 above.
   1. Open Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator (64-bit). Navigate to either the User DSN or System DSN tab, click Add, and select Databricks ODBC Driver from the driver list.
   2. Provide the following information in the Databricks ODBC Driver DSN Setup dialog:

3. Set the HTTP Path:
   • Click HTTP Options and paste your warehouse HTTP Path, for example:
     /sql/1.0/warehouses/c0e86c0e86xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Figure 1: Sample HTTP Path information 

4. Enable SSL:
   • Click SSL Options, and check Enable SSL. This is required for port 443.
5. Set the Unity Catalog Name:
   • Click Advanced Options > Server Side Properties. Click Add and provide entries for Key  and Value. For example:

Note:
Ensure the Apply properties with queries option is checked in the Server Side Properties dialog.

After configuring all settings, you must click OK on the DSN Setup dialog and OK on the ODBC Data Source Administrator to save the DSN. If you close both windows without clicking OK on each one, the DSN will not be saved, and it will not appear in ArcGIS Pro.

Figure 2: Sample DSN configuration 

6. Test the connection:
   • Select the created DSN from the ODBC Data Source Administrator (64-bit) window: Click Configure > Test.

Figure 3: Successful ODBC connection test

Note:
Refer to the Databricks ODBC Connector Install and Configuration Guide for more information if needed.

4. Create an OLE DB connection in ArcGIS Pro.
   1. Open ArcGIS Pro. In the Catalog pane, right-click Databases > New OLE DB Connection.
   2. The Data Link Properties dialog opens:
      • On the Provider tab, select Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers. Click Next.
   3. On the Connection tab, select Use data source name, and pick the DSN created in Step 3 above from the dropdown.
   4. Enter token as the User Name and enter your Personal Access Token as the Password.
   5. Check Allow saving password.
   6. In Enter the initial catalog to use, and type your catalog name.
   7. Validate your connection using the Test Connection button.

Figure 4: ArcGIS Pro Data Link Properties dialog configured for Databricks

5. List your Databricks tables in ArcGIS.
   • The OLE DB connection appears under Databases in the Catalog pane. Expand it to list all tables in your schema.

Figure 5: ArcGIS Pro showing tables in Databricks via an OLE DB connection