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Connect to Databricks

Learn how to connect your Databricks database to Retool.

You can use the Databricks integration to create a resource and make it available in Retool. Once complete, your users can write queries that interact with Databricks data.

Requirements​

The Databricks integration requirements depend on whether you have a cloud-hosted or self-hosted Retool organization. You may also need to make Databricks configuration changes before creating the resource.

Sufficient user permissions to create resources

All users for Retool organizations on Free or Team plans have global Edit permissions and can add, edit, and remove resources. If your organization manages user permissions for resources, you must be a member of a group with Edit all permissions.

Allow Retool to access the data source

If the data source is behind a firewall or restricts access based on IP address, then you must ensure that your Retool organization can access it. If necessary, configure your data source to allow access from Retool's IP addresses.

CIDR IP addresses
3.77.79.248/30
35.90.103.132/30
44.208.168.68/30
Individual IP addresses
3.77.79.249
3.77.79.250
35.90.103.132
35.90.103.133
35.90.103.134
35.90.103.135
44.208.168.68
44.208.168.69
44.208.168.70
44.208.168.71

Retool is building support for querying firewalled resources without allowlisting Retool’s IP address. To learn more or be considered for early access, contact cloud-connect@retool.com.

Databricks settings and authentication

You must have sufficient access and familiarity with your Databricks data source so you can provide:

  • Required connection settings (e.g., URL and server variables).
  • Authentication credentials (e.g., API keys).

In some cases, you may need to make changes to your Databricks configuration, such as generating authentication credentials or allowing access through a firewall. Refer to the configuration and authentication sections to learn more.

Configure the resource​

Sign in to your Retool organization and navigate to the Resources tab. Click Create new > Resource, then select Databricks.

Configuration​

Specify the name, location, and description to use for your Databricks resource. Retool displays the resource name and type in query editors to help users identify them.

Provide the following configuration settings to create the resource. Depending on how your data source is configured, you may also need to provide optional settings for Retool to connect.

You can automatically populate resource configuration fields by providing a database connection string.

Name

The name to use for the resource.

Description

A description of the resource.

Host

The host server address.

Port

The host server connection port.

Path

The HTTP path of the SQL warehouse.

Schema

The default schema to use.

Connection options

Key-value pairs to configure the connection.

Catalog

The default catalog to use.

Database name

The name of the database to use.

Disable converting queries to prepared statements

Whether to disable SQL injection protection that allows dynamically generated SQL using JavaScript.

Override default outbound Retool region

Retool connects to your data source from the us-west-2 region. Choosing a different outbound region can improve performance through geographic proximity.

RegionLocation
us-west-2US West (Oregon)
eu-central-1(Frankfurt, Germany)

Authentication​

The Databricks integration supports the following authentication methods. Depending on which authentication method you use, you may need to make changes to your Databricks configuration.

API key

Authentication is performed using the API key. You must be able to obtain and provide these credentials to create the resource.

SSL/TLS validation​

Retool strongly recommends enabling SSL/TLS certificate validation whenever it's available. This ensures the connection is secure and prevents attackers from using invalid server certificates to gain access to your data.

Some resources support or require SSL/TLS validation. If needed, provide the following information to configure SSL.

CA Cert

The CA certificate to use.

Client key

The client key.

Client cert

The client certificate.

Verification mode

The mode with which Retool performs SSL/TLS verification.

ModeDescription
Full verificationVerifies the server host matches the name stored in the server certificate and checks the CA certificate.
Verify CA certificateThis verifies the server by checking the certificate chain up to the root certificate stored on the client.
Skip CA certificate verification CautionThis establishes an encrypted connection without CA certificate verification. This mode is not recommended as your server could be vulnerable.

Test the connection​

Click Test Connection to verify that Retool can successfully connect to the data source. If the test fails, check the resource settings and try again.

Testing a connection only checks whether Retool can successfully connect to the resource. It cannot check whether the provided credentials have sufficient privileges or can perform every supported action.

Save the resource​

Click Create resource to complete the setup. You can then click either Create app to immediately start building a Retool app or Back to resources to return to the list of resources.

Enable the Java DB Connector​

For Retool Self-hosted users, Retool provides a Java DBConnector, designed to enhance the performance and stability of certain integrations. This connector is required for the Amazon SQS, Databricks, and Kafka connectors.

The instructions for enabling the Java DB connector differ based on whether you are using Helm as a package manager:

  1. Upgrade to Retool Self-hosted version 3.52 or later.
  2. Run helm search repo retool/retool to check Retool's chart version. If you are on a version earlier than 6.0.9, then upgrade your deployment.
  3. Open values.yaml and add the following:
dbconnector:
  java:
    enabled: true

Next steps​

Your Databricks resource is now ready to use. Check out related queries and code documentation to learn how to interact with Databricks data.