Database Assets

In the previous tutorial you learned about positioning static data on your Access Point. This tutorial will cover a different type of dataset -- a Database Asset.

Database Assets contain tabular data, so they consist of columns (or fields) and rows (or records). A single record will contain all of the fields, even if it is an empty value.

For a CSVDataset the set of records is constant once it has been placed on your Access Point. For a Database Asset, however, it is dynamic. The fields are always the same, but the number and content of records comes from the database at the time the algorithm is executed. The actual data is not stored on the Access Point, only a set of instructions for connecting to the database and for extracting a data view.

Connection strings

A connection string is much like a URL to reach a web page. The string specifies the type of database, login information and the specific portion of the database you want to access.

The exact format of the connection string varies for different database vendors. Typically it is in the form of dialect+driver://username:password@host:port/database. We currently support self-hosted database instances of PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and Microsoft SQL Server.

We also support many data warehouse services, including Amazon Redshift, Databricks, Google BigQuery, Microsoft Azure Data Lake, and Snowflake. We provide helper classes to assist in creating the connection to these services.

ℹ️You may be concerned about the security of the connection string, as most contain sensitive data like a database user and password. Rest assured that this sensitive data remains firmly in your control at all times. The Database Asset is registered with the TripleBlind Router, but the actual asset is stored on your Access Point. When you define the asset, the SDK communication that creates it also occurs directly between your workstation and your Access Point. Nothing sensitive is ever sent to a server controlled by TripleBlind or by a partner which uses your asset.

Database view

Once you have provided the connection to the database, you have to describe what data you want included in this database asset. This is done by creating a view on the data using an SQL query. Only the result of the query is made available to TripleBlind users.

Snowflake Asset

As an example, we will look at defining an asset for information housed in a 🔗Snowflake cloud data warehouse.

First, connect to your Snowflake dashboard in your browser: