A Comprehensive Guide to Reading CSV Files from Azure Blob Storage Using Python

Read csv file from azure blob storage python

In today’s data-driven world, efficient data handling is crucial. Azure Blob Storage offers a scalable and secure solution for storing large volumes of data. This guest post provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to read CSV files from Azure Blob Storage using Python, enabling you to seamlessly integrate data from your storage into your projects.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

1. An Azure account with a storage account and container set up.
2. Python installed on your local machine.
3. The azure-storage-blob library installed using pip install azure-storage-blob.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Import Required Libraries: Start by importing the necessary libraries.

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   from azure.storage.blob import BlobServiceClient
import pandas as pd


2. Set Up Connection: Create a connection to your Azure Blob Storage using your storage account name and access key.

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   connect_str = "DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=<your_account_name>;AccountKey=<your_account_key>;EndpointSuffix=core.windows.net"
blob_service_client = BlobServiceClient.from_connection_string(connect_str)


3. Get Blob Client: Retrieve the blob client for the CSV file you want to read.

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   container_name = "<your_container_name>"
blob_name = "<your_blob_name>.csv"
container_client = blob_service_client.get_container_client(container_name)
blob_client = container_client.get_blob_client(blob_name)


4. Download CSV File: Download the CSV file from the blob storage to a local file.

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   with open("local_file.csv", "wb") as f:
data = blob_client.download_blob()
data.readinto(f)


5. Read CSV Using Pandas: Now that you have the CSV file locally, you can use Pandas to read and manipulate the data.

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   df = pd.read_csv("local_file.csv")


6. Data Processing: You can now perform various data processing operations on the Pandas DataFrame df.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you’ve successfully learned how to read CSV files from Azure Blob Storage using Python. This knowledge empowers you to access and utilize your stored data seamlessly, facilitating efficient data-driven decision-making in your projects. Azure Blob Storage, in conjunction with Python’s capabilities, opens up a world of possibilities for handling and analyzing your data.