Azure Tables SDK for Java
Build table storage applications using the Azure Tables SDK for Java. Works with both Azure Table Storage and Cosmos DB Table API.
Installation
xml
<dependency>
<groupId>com.azure</groupId>
<artifactId>azure-data-tables</artifactId>
<version>12.6.0-beta.1</version>
</dependency>
Client Creation
With Connection String
java
import com.azure.data.tables.TableServiceClient;
import com.azure.data.tables.TableServiceClientBuilder;
import com.azure.data.tables.TableClient;
TableServiceClient serviceClient = new TableServiceClientBuilder()
.connectionString("<your-connection-string>")
.buildClient();
With Shared Key
java
import com.azure.core.credential.AzureNamedKeyCredential;
AzureNamedKeyCredential credential = new AzureNamedKeyCredential(
"<account-name>",
"<account-key>");
TableServiceClient serviceClient = new TableServiceClientBuilder()
.endpoint("<your-table-account-url>")
.credential(credential)
.buildClient();
With SAS Token
java
TableServiceClient serviceClient = new TableServiceClientBuilder()
.endpoint("<your-table-account-url>")
.sasToken("<sas-token>")
.buildClient();
With DefaultAzureCredential (Storage only)
java
import com.azure.identity.DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder;
TableServiceClient serviceClient = new TableServiceClientBuilder()
.endpoint("<your-table-account-url>")
.credential(new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build())
.buildClient();
Key Concepts
- TableServiceClient: Manage tables (create, list, delete)
- TableClient: Manage entities within a table (CRUD)
- Partition Key: Groups entities for efficient queries
- Row Key: Unique identifier within a partition
- Entity: A row with up to 252 properties (1MB Storage, 2MB Cosmos)
Core Patterns
Create Table
java
// Create table (throws if exists)
TableClient tableClient = serviceClient.createTable("mytable");
// Create if not exists (no exception)
TableClient tableClient = serviceClient.createTableIfNotExists("mytable");
Get Table Client
java
// From service client
TableClient tableClient = serviceClient.getTableClient("mytable");
// Direct construction
TableClient tableClient = new TableClientBuilder()
.connectionString("<connection-string>")
.tableName("mytable")
.buildClient();
Create Entity
java
import com.azure.data.tables.models.TableEntity;
TableEntity entity = new TableEntity("partitionKey", "rowKey")
.addProperty("Name", "Product A")
.addProperty("Price", 29.99)
.addProperty("Quantity", 100)
.addProperty("IsAvailable", true);
tableClient.createEntity(entity);
Get Entity
java
TableEntity entity = tableClient.getEntity("partitionKey", "rowKey");
String name = (String) entity.getProperty("Name");
Double price = (Double) entity.getProperty("Price");
System.out.printf("Product: %s, Price: %.2f%n", name, price);
Update Entity
java
import com.azure.data.tables.models.TableEntityUpdateMode;
// Merge (update only specified properties)
TableEntity updateEntity = new TableEntity("partitionKey", "rowKey")
.addProperty("Price", 24.99);
tableClient.updateEntity(updateEntity, TableEntityUpdateMode.MERGE);
// Replace (replace entire entity)
TableEntity replaceEntity = new TableEntity("partitionKey", "rowKey")
.addProperty("Name", "Product A Updated")
.addProperty("Price", 24.99)
.addProperty("Quantity", 150);
tableClient.updateEntity(replaceEntity, TableEntityUpdateMode.REPLACE);
Upsert Entity
java
// Insert or update (merge mode)
tableClient.upsertEntity(entity, TableEntityUpdateMode.MERGE);
// Insert or replace
tableClient.upsertEntity(entity, TableEntityUpdateMode.REPLACE);
Delete Entity
java
tableClient.deleteEntity("partitionKey", "rowKey");
List Entities
java
import com.azure.data.tables.models.ListEntitiesOptions;
// List all entities
for (TableEntity entity : tableClient.listEntities()) {
System.out.printf("%s - %s%n",
entity.getPartitionKey(),
entity.getRowKey());
}
// With filtering and selection
ListEntitiesOptions options = new ListEntitiesOptions()
.setFilter("PartitionKey eq 'sales'")
.setSelect("Name", "Price");
for (TableEntity entity : tableClient.listEntities(options, null, null)) {
System.out.printf("%s: %.2f%n",
entity.getProperty("Name"),
entity.getProperty("Price"));
}
Query with OData Filter
java
// Filter by partition key
ListEntitiesOptions options = new ListEntitiesOptions()
.setFilter("PartitionKey eq 'electronics'");
// Filter with multiple conditions
options.setFilter("PartitionKey eq 'electronics' and Price gt 100");
// Filter with comparison operators
options.setFilter("Quantity ge 10 and Quantity le 100");
// Top N results
options.setTop(10);
for (TableEntity entity : tableClient.listEntities(options, null, null)) {
System.out.println(entity.getRowKey());
}
Batch Operations (Transactions)
java
import com.azure.data.tables.models.TableTransactionAction;
import com.azure.data.tables.models.TableTransactionActionType;
import java.util.Arrays;
// All entities must have same partition key
List<TableTransactionAction> actions = Arrays.asList(
new TableTransactionAction(
TableTransactionActionType.CREATE,
new TableEntity("batch", "row1").addProperty("Name", "Item 1")),
new TableTransactionAction(
TableTransactionActionType.CREATE,
new TableEntity("batch", "row2").addProperty("Name", "Item 2")),
new TableTransactionAction(
TableTransactionActionType.UPSERT_MERGE,
new TableEntity("batch", "row3").addProperty("Name", "Item 3"))
);
tableClient.submitTransaction(actions);
List Tables
java
import com.azure.data.tables.models.TableItem;
import com.azure.data.tables.models.ListTablesOptions;
// List all tables
for (TableItem table : serviceClient.listTables()) {
System.out.println(table.getName());
}
// Filter tables
ListTablesOptions options = new ListTablesOptions()
.setFilter("TableName eq 'mytable'");
for (TableItem table : serviceClient.listTables(options, null, null)) {
System.out.println(table.getName());
}
Delete Table
java
serviceClient.deleteTable("mytable");
Typed Entities
java
public class Product implements TableEntity {
private String partitionKey;
private String rowKey;
private OffsetDateTime timestamp;
private String eTag;
private String name;
private double price;
// Getters and setters for all fields
@Override
public String getPartitionKey() { return partitionKey; }
@Override
public void setPartitionKey(String partitionKey) { this.partitionKey = partitionKey; }
@Override
public String getRowKey() { return rowKey; }
@Override
public void setRowKey(String rowKey) { this.rowKey = rowKey; }
// ... other getters/setters
public String getName() { return name; }
public void setName(String name) { this.name = name; }
public double getPrice() { return price; }
public void setPrice(double price) { this.price = price; }
}
// Usage
Product product = new Product();
product.setPartitionKey("electronics");
product.setRowKey("laptop-001");
product.setName("Laptop");
product.setPrice(999.99);
tableClient.createEntity(product);
Error Handling
java
import com.azure.data.tables.models.TableServiceException;
try {
tableClient.createEntity(entity);
} catch (TableServiceException e) {
System.out.println("Status: " + e.getResponse().getStatusCode());
System.out.println("Error: " + e.getMessage());
// 409 = Conflict (entity exists)
// 404 = Not Found
}
Environment Variables
bash
# Storage Account
AZURE_TABLES_CONNECTION_STRING=DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=...
AZURE_TABLES_ENDPOINT=https://<account>.table.core.windows.net
# Cosmos DB Table API
COSMOS_TABLE_ENDPOINT=https://<account>.table.cosmosdb.azure.com
Best Practices
- Partition Key Design: Choose keys that distribute load evenly
- Batch Operations: Use transactions for atomic multi-entity updates
- Query Optimization: Always filter by PartitionKey when possible
- Select Projection: Only select needed properties for performance
- Entity Size: Keep entities under 1MB (Storage) or 2MB (Cosmos)
Trigger Phrases
- "Azure Tables Java"
- "table storage SDK"
- "Cosmos DB Table API"
- "NoSQL key-value storage"
- "partition key row key"
- "table entity CRUD"
When to Use
This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.
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