Technical Documentation : Connectors : Adding a Hive Connection
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Adding a Hive Connection
Prerequisites
To catalog datasets stored in a Hadoop cluster Zeenea's scanner must access to Hive Server 2.
If the server is secured by the Kerberos protocol:
  • Kerberos client must be installed and configured on the scanner's server,
  • network flow to the Kerberos Domaine Controller (KDC) should be open,
  • the Zeenea user should have a keytab file and should have read permissions on Hive tables that need to be documented.
The server is either on the same network as the Hive Server and technical services such as Kerberos through traffic flows.
Target
Protocol
Usual Ports
Hive Server
TCP / HTTP
10000
Note: You can find a link to the configuration template in Zeenea Connector Downloads.
Supported Versions
The Hive connector supports versions included in the following distributions:
  • CDH-5
  • CDH-6
  • CDP
Installing the Plugin
From version 54 of the scanner, the Hive connector is presented as a plugin. It can be downloaded here according to your Hadoop cluster version:
It can be downloaded here and requires a scanner version 64 or later: Zeenea Connector Downloads.
For more information on how to install a plugin, please refer to the following article: Installing and Configuring Connectors as a Plugin.
Declaring the Connection
Creating and configuring connectors is done through a dedicated configuration file located in the /connections folder of the relevant scanner.
In order to establish a connection with Hive, specifying the following parameters in the dedicated file is required:
Parameter
Expected value
name
The name that will be displayed to catalog users for this connection.
code
The unique identifier of the connection on the Zeenea platform. Once registered on the platform, this code must not be modified or the connection will be considered as new and the old one removed from the scanner.
connector_id
The type of connector to be used for the connection. Here, the value must be Hive and this value must not be modified.
connection.url
Data source connection address. This can have many parameters. In order to set the right value:
1. ask your Hive administrator,
2. read the official documentation,
3. or read this article.
Template file contains several examples of a valid Hive connection URL.
connection.principal
Principal name.

Used by Kerberos Authentication. Keep it null if kerberos is disabled.
connection.keytab
Kerberos Keytab authentication file.

Used by Kerberos Authentication. Keep it null if kerberos is disabled.
connection.username
Version 60 and later
User name.
Used by user/password authentication. Keep it null otherwise.
connection.password
Version 60 and later
User password
Used by user/password authentication. Keep it null otherwise.
filter
Version 61 and later
Inventory dataset filter. See Rich Filters.
User Permissions
In order to collect metadata and collect data statistics, the Hive principal's must have sufficient permissions.
The principal must have SELECT permission on bases and tables that need to be cataloged.
Requests
The following are required requests. They are Thrift commands sent to the Hive server by the JDBC driver:
  • GetSchemas
  • GetTables: To list tables and extract their description
  • GetColumns: To extract schema
  • ExecuteStatement describe formatted {database}.{table}: To retrieve a table description
  • ExecuteStatement describe formatted {database}.{table} {column}: To retrieve a column description and profile
Rich Filters
Since version 61, the Hive connector benefits from the feature of rich filters in the configuration of the connector. The available keys to filter objects during the inventory are:
  • database: the Hive database name
  • schema: a synonym of database in the Hive context
  • table: the table or view name.
Read more: Filters
Collected Metadata
Inventory
The inventory collects the list of tables the running user can access.
Dataset
A dataset is a table identified as a dataset by the rules of the connector.
  • Name
  • Source Description
  • Technical Data:
    • Database: Name of the Database containing the table
    • File path
    • Table: Table name
Fields
Dataset field.
  • Name
  • Source Description
  • Type
  • Nullable: Not supported. Default value FALSE .
  • Multivalued: Not supported. Default value FALSE .
  • Primary Key: Not supported. Default value FALSE .
  • Technical Data:
    • Technical Name: field technical name
    • Native type: field native type
Object Identification Keys
An identification key is associated with each object in the catalog. In the case of the object being created by a connector, the connector builds it.
Object
Identification Key
Description
Dataset
code/database name/dataset name
- code: Unique identifier of the connection noted in the configuration file
- database name
- dataset name
Field
code/database name/dataset name/field name
- code: Unique identifier of the connection noted in the configuration file
- database name
- dataset name
- field name
Last modified date: 11/28/2025