Integrate Amazon RDS for SQL Server with Databox

---

Availability

Users, Editors, and Admins

All accounts

Exclusive to select subscription plans

---

Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) is a managed cloud database service from AWS that makes it easy to set up, operate, and scale relational databases without managing the underlying infrastructure. It supports multiple database engines including SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and Oracle. Connecting Amazon RDS for SQL Server to Databox lets you pull data directly from your managed database, build datasets using SQL queries, and visualize business-critical figures alongside data from your other connected tools.

Note: This article covers connections using the SQL Server engine. If your RDS instance runs a different engine, use the corresponding Databox connector: PostgreSQL instances use the PostgreSQL connector, and MySQL instances use the MySQL connector. The steps for configuring public access and security group rules in AWS are the same regardless of engine.

If you've already established a connection, you can reuse it to add new data sources to your Databox account.

Databox only reads data from your database — it never writes to it. Create a dedicated SQL Server login with SELECT-only permissions on the database you want to connect. You can run these commands using a SQL Server client (such as SSMS or Azure Data Studio) connected to your RDS instance, or via the Query Editor in the AWS Management Console.

CREATE LOGIN databox WITH PASSWORD = 'your_secure_password';
GO
USE your_database;
GO
CREATE USER databox FOR LOGIN databox;
GO
GRANT SELECT ON SCHEMA::dbo TO databox;
GO

Replace your_database with the name of the database you want to connect, and your_secure_password with a strong password. If you need to grant access to additional schemas, repeat the GRANT SELECT ON SCHEMA statement for each one.

Note: Avoid the following special characters in your password, as they can cause encoding issues when establishing the connection: `, ', ", /, \, and spaces.

By default, RDS instances are not accessible from outside their VPC. To allow Databox to reach your instance, it must be configured as publicly accessible.

1. In the AWS Management Console, go to Databases and select your DB instance.
2. Click Modify.
3. Under Connectivity, set Public access to Yes.
4. Click Continue, then choose when to apply the change (Apply immediately or during the next maintenance window).
5. Click Modify DB instance to save.

Note: For the instance to be reachable after enabling public access, its DB subnet group must be in a VPC subnet with an internet gateway attached. If connectivity still fails after enabling this setting, verify that a route to 0.0.0.0/0 via an internet gateway exists in the associated route table.

RDS controls network access through VPC security groups. Add an inbound rule that permits TCP traffic on port 1433 from the Databox IP address.

1. In the AWS Management Console, go to Databases and select your DB instance.
2. Under Connectivity & security, click the link to the VPC security group associated with the instance.
3. Select the security group, then click Edit inbound rules.
4. Click Add rule and fill in:
   • Type: MS SQL
   • Protocol: TCP
   • Port range: 1433
   • Source: Custom — enter 52.4.198.118/32
5. Click Save rules.

1. In Databox, go to Data Sources > + New connection.
2. Search for Amazon RDS for SQL Server and click Connect.
3. Fill in the connection form:
   • Data source name — a label for this connection in Databox.
   • Server Name — your RDS endpoint hostname, found on the instance's Connectivity & security tab in the AWS Console (e.g., mydb.abc123.us-east-1.rds.amazonaws.com).
   • Port — the port your RDS instance listens on. The default for SQL Server is 1433.
   • Username — the SQL Server login name created in Step 1.
   • Password — the password for that login.
   • Database name (optional) — the specific database to connect to. Leave blank to connect at the server level.
   • Timezone — the time zone used to interpret date values in query results. Defaults to Etc/UTC.
4. Click Connect.

The Amazon RDS for SQL Server integration supports the creation of datasets, which allow you to define and shape the specific data you want to use for reporting in Databox. Datasets make it easier to focus on the most relevant information, enabling you to filter, visualize, and analyze metrics across projects, teams, and clients without writing complex queries each time.

1. Select a table: Pick the appropriate schema within that database.
2. Select columns: Browse and select the specific columns (fields) from your tables or views to include in your dataset. These columns define the structure and content of your dataset.

For more advanced use cases, you can write a custom SQL query instead of selecting columns manually. This allows you to:

• Join multiple tables
• Apply filters and aggregations
• Format or transform data before importing it into Databox

Your query must return a valid tabular result to be used as a dataset.

• Amazon RDS documentation — Official AWS docs for Amazon RDS, covering instance creation, connectivity, security, backups, multi-AZ deployments, read replicas, and monitoring.
• Amazon RDS for SQL Server — SQL Server-specific guidance within the RDS User Guide, including supported versions, editions, parameter groups, and engine-specific features.

For comprehensive details on metrics, data availability, templates, specifications, usage guidelines, and other key information, refer to the resources listed below.

Technical Details

Behavior & Usage

Notes

Ask Genie

Get instant answers or help with your data using the in-app AI assistant.

Talk to an expert

For customers: Get help with your setup, strategy, or making the most of Databox.

Book a demo

New to Databox? See how it works and get guidance on getting started.

Send an email

Reach out to support for help with your account, data, or technical issues.