Can we develop a connector that integrates nintex and Databricks community version

Vishnu_9959
New Contributor

Can we develop a connector that integrates nintex and Databricks with community version

mark_ott
Databricks Employee
Databricks Employee

It is technically possible to develop a connector that integrates Nintex with Databricks, but there are important limitations when trying to achieve this with Databricks Community Edition.​

Connector Integration Overview

Nintex can be integrated with Databricks using third-party services, such as CData Connect Cloud, which enables Nintex workflows to operate directly on data stored in Databricks through standard connectors (often via SQL Server or web service actions). With commercial Databricks versions, it's straightforward, as advanced connectivity and security features (like token-based APIs and JDBC/ODBC endpoints) are fully supported.​

Limitations of Databricks Community Edition

  • Databricks Community Edition does not officially support Databricks Connect, which is needed for robust live connections and custom integrations.​

  • Vital features such as personal access token generation (needed by many integration platforms) are missing or restricted, making most enterprise-grade connectors incompatible.​

  • Community Edition lacks support for advanced workflows, version control, and some APIs, which further constrains integration options.​

Workarounds and Options

  • Some limited integrations may be achievable by exposing data via API endpoints (REST or web services) from Databricks notebooks and calling these endpoints from Nintex workflows using "Call a Web Service" actions.​

  • Advanced solutions, like using CData Connect Cloud, generally require JDBC/ODBC access and authentication tokens — features found only in Pro or Premium Databricks editions, not Community Edition.​

  • For full workflow automation and native connectors, upgrading from Community Edition to a paid Databricks tier is recommended.​

Summary Table

Feature/Approach Community Edition Paid Edition
Databricks Connect Not Supported  Supported 
API Token Generation Restricted  Available 
JDBC/ODBC Connectivity Limited  Full Support 
Nintex Native Connector Not available  Achievable 
Third-party Cloud Connect Partially possible (Web API)  Supported 
 
 

Conclusion

While basic integration may be possible through custom API or web service calls for development and learning purposes, any robust workflow automation between Nintex and Databricks is not feasible with Community Edition's current feature set. Upgrading to a commercial Databricks version is necessary for full integration capabilities and access to connectors.