Connect to MongoDB Data as a SQL Server Linked Server
SQL Server Linked Servers enable the SQL Server Database Engine to read data from remote data sources and execute commands against the remote database servers outside of the instance of SQL Server. Typically, linked servers are configured to enable the execution of a T-SQL statement that includes tables in another instance of SQL Server, or another database product such as Oracle. When paired with CData Connect AI, linked servers provides instant access to MongoDB data from your SQL Server database. This article demonstrates how to connect to MongoDB using Connect AI and query MongoDB data in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
CData Connect AI provides a pure SQL Server interface for MongoDB, allowing you to query data from MongoDB without replicating the data to a natively supported database. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect AI pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc.) directly to MongoDB, leveraging server-side processing to return the requested MongoDB data quickly.
About MongoDB Data Integration
Accessing and integrating live data from MongoDB has never been easier with CData. Customers rely on CData connectivity to:
- Access data from MongoDB 2.6 and above, ensuring broad usability across various MongoDB versions.
- Easily manage unstructured data thanks to flexible NoSQL (learn more here: Leading-Edge Drivers for NoSQL Integration).
- Leverage feature advantages over other NoSQL drivers and realize functional benefits when working with MongoDB data (learn more here: A Feature Comparison of Drivers for NoSQL).
MongoDB's flexibility means that it can be used as a transactional, operational, or analytical database. That means CData customers use our solutions to integrate their business data with MongoDB or integrate their MongoDB data with their data warehouse (or both). Customers also leverage our live connectivity options to analyze and report on MongoDB directly from their preferred tools, like Power BI and Tableau.
For more details on MongoDB use case and how CData enhances your MongoDB experience, check out our blog post: The Top 10 Real-World MongoDB Use Cases You Should Know in 2024.
Getting Started
Configure MongoDB Connectivity for SQL Server
Connectivity to MongoDB from SQL Linked Servers is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with MongoDB data from SQL Linked Servers, we start by creating and configuring a MongoDB connection.
- Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
- Select "MongoDB" from the Add Connection panel
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to MongoDB.
Set the Server, Database, User, and Password connection properties to connect to MongoDB. To access MongoDB collections as tables you can use automatic schema discovery or write your own schema definitions. Schemas are defined in .rsd files, which have a simple format. You can also execute free-form queries that are not tied to the schema.
- Click Save & Test
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Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add MongoDB Connection page and update the User-based permissions.
Add a Personal Access Token
When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.
- Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
- On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
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Give the PAT a name and click Create.
- The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.
With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to MongoDB data from .
Connect to MongoDB from SQL Server using Connect AI
To establish a connection from SQL Server Linked Server to the CData Connect AI Virtual SQL Server API, follow these steps.
- Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.
- In the Object Explorer pane, open Server Objects, right-click Linked Servers, and select New Linked Server.
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The New Linked Server dialogue opens. On the General page, enter the following information:
- Enter a name for the server in the Linked server field.
- Select the radio button Other data source and select SQL Server Native Client 11.0 as the provider.
- In the Data source field, enter tds.cdata.com,14333
- In the Catalog field, enter enter the Connection Name of the CData Connect AI data source you want to connect to (for example, MongoDB1).
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Select the Security page. At the bottom, select the radio button labeled Be made using this security
context and enter the following information:
- Remote login - enter your CData Connect AI username. This is displayed in the top-right corner of the CData Connect AI interface. For example, [email protected].
- With password - enter the PAT you generated on the Settings page.
- Click OK to create the server. Your linked server can now be used to access the data in the data source you specified. If you need to access data from more sources, create another linked server for each one.
Execute Queries
You can now execute queries to the MongoDB linked server from any tool that can connect to SQL Server. An example SQL query would be:
SELECT * FROM [CDATA CONNECT CLOUD].[MongoDB1].[MongoDB].[restaurants]
We have successfully created a linked server that allows us to query MongoDB data.
Get CData Connect AI
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