# Purpose

Set up a GUI client application for Cassandra

# Preparation

- Make sure you have Java 11 or newer (and set as default Java). (Otherwise you will get an error message when you try to add the driver in SQuirreL SQL.)
- Download the driver
```
wget https://dbschema.com/jdbc-drivers/CassandraJdbcDriver.zip
```
(Go to https://dbschema.com/cassandra-jdbc-driver.html there you will find the link for the driver: "Alternative you may download the Cassandra driver using this link.")
- unzip contents of the driver zip to any directory of your choice (I created /opt/CassandraJdbcDriver and unzipped contents there)
- Install SQuirrelSQL (see e.g. https://sourceforge.net/projects/squirrel-sql/)

# Configuration

- Run SQuirrelSQL
- Select menu item `Windows` -> `View Drivers`
- In the `Drivers` section click the + (plus) icon
- Fill in the following (recommended) values:  
`Name`: `Cassandra JDBC Driver (dbschema.com)`  
`Example URL`: `jdbc:cassandra://host1[:port1][,host2[:port2],...[,hostN[:portN]]][/[keyspace][?options]]`  
`Website URL`: `https://dbschema.com/cassandra-jdbc-driver.html`  
- Click the `Extra Class Path` tab
- Click the `Add` button
- Select your directory where you unzipped the downloaded drivers and add all the .jar files
- Still in this dialog, at the bottom set `Class Name` to `com.dbschema.CassandraJdbcDriver`
- Click `OK` to close the dialog.

Note: the example URL is documented at the driver's website, the class name can be found from the drivers's source code (which is linked from the driver's website).

# Creating a connection

- Select menu item `Windows` -> `View Aliases`
- In the `Aliases` section click the + (plus) icon
- Enter your connection details. In the simplest case the URL may be e.g. `jdbc:cassandra://host` where `host` is the hostname of the DB server. Otherwise please refer to the `Example URL` above.
- You may test your connection clicking the `Test` button, it should succeed.
- Click `OK` to close the dialog.

# Using the connection
- Double click the connection to connet it
- Go to the `SQL` tab, enter your statement e.g. `select ...` 
- Ctrl + Enter to run the query (or click the corresponding icon)