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HPL/SQL is included to Apache Hive since version 2.0

multiple-databases

Working with Multiple Databases in HPL/SQL

HPL/SQL allows you to access multiple databases simultaneously from a single HPL/SQL script.

Why Multiple Databases?

Hadoop extends, not replaces a traditional data warehouse, so you have to work with different systems for different type of workloads.

Most SQL-on-Hadoop solutions are good for querying large volumes of data rather than transaction processing. Note that even Hive stores its own metadata is a separate database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle etc.).

When you use Hive or other SQL-on-Hadoop tool to query your data, you can use a RDBMS or NoSQL to:

  • Write log and audit records
  • Access look-up or dimension tables
  • Read and write configuration parameters
  • Save query results and so on.

Configuring and Using Connections

Before you can work with multiple databases, you have to configure connections.

HPL/SQL connects to a database only when it executes the first SQL statement for this database, the tool does not connect to any database in advance.

Once connected, HPL/SQL holds and re-uses the connection until the script completes.

Default Connection

By default, HPL/SQL uses the connection profile defined by the hplsql.conn.default option.

Map Database Objects to Use Other Connections

Once you configured multiple connection profiles you can use MAP OBJECT statement to map a table or view to the specified connection. Then when accessing in SQL statements HPL/SQL will use appropriate connection for the object:

For example, you can run SELECT in Hive, but log messages to MySQL:

MAP OBJECT log TO log.log_data AT mysqlconn;
 
DECLARE cnt INT;
SELECT count(*) INTO cnt FROM sales.users WHERE local_dt = CURRENT_DATE;
 
INSERT INTO log (message) VALUES ('Number of users: ' || cnt);