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Database Connectivity

Connect QRY to your data wherever it lives - from traditional databases to modern data lakehouses, cloud data warehouses, and business applications.

Supported Data Sources

QRY provides native connectors for the most popular enterprise data platforms:

Cloud Data Warehouses

Snowflake

  • Secure cloud data warehouse
  • Multi-cloud support (AWS, Azure, GCP)
  • Virtual warehouse scaling
  • Zero-copy cloning and time travel

BigQuery (Google Cloud)

  • Serverless data warehouse
  • Real-time analytics
  • Built-in machine learning
  • Automatic scaling and optimization

Redshift (AWS)

  • Massively parallel processing (MPP)
  • Spectrum for data lake queries
  • Concurrency scaling
  • Advanced compression

Databricks

  • Unified data and AI platform
  • Delta Lake integration
  • Spark-based analytics
  • Collaborative notebooks

Enterprise Data Platforms

Starburst / Trino

  • Distributed SQL query engine
  • Multi-catalog federation
  • Connect to 50+ data sources
  • Query pushdown optimization
  • Hive, Iceberg, Delta Lake support

Cloudera

  • Enterprise data platform
  • Hadoop ecosystem integration
  • Impala for fast SQL queries
  • Kerberos authentication
  • Advanced security features

SAP HANA

  • In-memory database platform
  • Real-time analytics
  • Transactional and analytical workloads
  • Advanced compression

Traditional Databases

PostgreSQL

  • Most advanced open-source database
  • Full SQL compliance
  • JSON/JSONB, arrays, custom types
  • Extensions ecosystem (PostGIS, pgvector)
  • Connection pooling and SSL/TLS

Business Applications

Salesforce

  • Direct CRM data access
  • SOQL query support
  • Real-time data synchronization
  • Custom objects and fields

Connection Setup

Basic Configuration

Step 1: Navigate to Data Sources

Admin → Data Sources → Add New Connection

Step 2: Enter Connection Details

Connection Name: Production Database
Type: PostgreSQL
Host: db.company.com
Port: 5432
Database: analytics_prod
Username: qry_user
Password: ••••••••

Step 3: Test & Save

  • Click "Test Connection"
  • Verify connectivity
  • Save configuration

Advanced Options

Connection Pooling

Min Pool Size: 2
Max Pool Size: 10
Connection Timeout: 30s
Idle Timeout: 300s

SSL/TLS Security

SSL Mode: require
SSL Cert: /path/to/cert.pem
SSL Key: /path/to/key.pem
CA Certificate: /path/to/ca.pem

Query Optimization

Default Schema: public
Query Timeout: 300s
Max Rows: 10000 (safety limit)
Enable Query Cache: Yes

Security & Authentication

Authentication Methods

Username/Password

  • Standard credential-based auth
  • Securely encrypted at rest
  • Supports password rotation

Service Account

  • Recommended for production
  • No user credentials stored
  • Automatic token refresh

IAM / Cloud Identity

  • Cloud-native authentication
  • Role-based access
  • Temporary credentials

Kerberos

  • Enterprise SSO integration
  • Ticket-based authentication
  • Active Directory support

Connection Security

  • Encrypted Storage: All credentials encrypted with AES-256
  • In-Transit Encryption: SSL/TLS for all database connections
  • Credential Rotation: Support for periodic password updates
  • Audit Logging: All connection attempts logged

Connection Management

Monitoring

Connection Health

  • Real-time connection status
  • Performance metrics
  • Error rate tracking
  • Uptime monitoring

Query Performance

Average Query Time: 2.3s
Slow Queries (over 10s): 3%
Failed Queries: 0.1%
Active Connections: 5/10

Maintenance

Schema Refresh

  • Manual: Click "Refresh Schema" in admin panel
  • Automatic: Schedule daily/weekly refreshes
  • Incremental: Only update changed objects

Connection Pooling

  • Automatic cleanup of idle connections
  • Connection recycling after timeout
  • Health checks every 60s

Multi-Database Features

Cross-Database Queries

Query across multiple datasources in a single conversation:

User: "Compare sales from our PostgreSQL database with
customer data in Snowflake"

QRY: [Queries both databases and correlates results]

Unified Schema Explorer

Browse all connected databases from one interface:

  • Hierarchical view: Datasource → Catalog → Schema → Table
  • Search across all connections
  • Favorite frequently used tables
  • Recent tables for quick access

Configuration Examples

PostgreSQL (Local)

type: postgresql
host: localhost
port: 5432
database: myapp_production
username: qry_reader
password: ${SECRET_DB_PASSWORD}
ssl_mode: prefer
pool_size: 5

Starburst (Cloud)

type: trino
host: starburst.company.cloud
port: 443
catalog: datalake
username: qry_service@company.com
password: ${STARBURST_TOKEN}
ssl_mode: require
http_scheme: https

Cloudera (Kerberos)

type: impala
host: cdh-master.company.local
port: 21050
auth_mechanism: GSSAPI
kerberos_service_name: impala
principal: qry@COMPANY.LOCAL
keytab: /etc/qry/qry.keytab

Best Practices

Performance

DO:

  • Use read replicas for analytics queries
  • Enable connection pooling
  • Set appropriate query timeouts
  • Use schema caching

DON'T:

  • Connect to production OLTP databases directly
  • Set unlimited max_rows
  • Disable SSL in production
  • Share credentials across environments

Security

Principle of Least Privilege:

  • Grant only SELECT permissions to QRY
  • Use dedicated service accounts
  • Restrict to specific schemas/tables
  • Audit access regularly

Network Security:

  • Use VPNs or private networks
  • Whitelist QRY IP addresses
  • Enable SSL/TLS
  • Monitor connection attempts

Reliability

High Availability:

  • Configure connection retries
  • Use database clusters/replicas
  • Set up failover connections
  • Monitor connection health

Error Handling:

  • Graceful degradation if database unavailable
  • Clear error messages to users
  • Automatic reconnection attempts
  • Admin alerts for connection failures

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Connection Timeout

Error: Could not connect to database

Solutions:
- Verify host and port are correct
- Check firewall rules allow traffic
- Confirm database is running
- Test network connectivity (ping/telnet)

Authentication Failed

Error: Invalid credentials

Solutions:
- Verify username and password
- Check account hasn't been disabled
- Confirm user has required permissions
- Check for special characters in password

SSL Certificate Error

Error: SSL certificate verification failed

Solutions:
- Verify SSL mode matches server requirements
- Check certificate files are valid and readable
- Confirm CA certificate is correct
- Try with SSL mode = 'prefer' for testing

FAQ

Q: Can QRY modify my data? A: By default, no. We recommend read-only (SELECT) permissions. Write access can be granted if needed.

Q: How many databases can I connect? A: No hard limit, but typically 5-50 depending on your license.

Q: Can I connect to databases behind firewalls? A: Yes, use VPN, SSH tunneling, or whitelist QRY's IP addresses.

Q: What happens if a database goes offline? A: Queries to that database will fail gracefully with a clear error message. Other databases remain accessible.

Q: Can I test connection changes before saving? A: Yes, always use the "Test Connection" button before saving.

Next Steps

  • Learn about RBAC to control who can access which data
  • Explore Data Profiling for automatic table analysis
  • Try QRY Nexus to publish curated Data Products from your connected databases
  • Read the Admin Guide for advanced configuration

Connect once, query anywhere - QRY brings all your data together in one conversational interface.

QRYA product of IXEN.