About chdb-datastore
A skill for using chdb DataStore as a lazy, ClickHouse-backed alternative to pandas. It is aimed at Python users who want to work with files and databases using familiar DataFrame operations, with execution deferred until results are needed.
Key features
- 01Pandas-style DataFrame operations
- 02Lazy SQL execution
- 03Connectors for files and databases
- 04Join data across sources
- 05Write query results to a target
Use cases
- 01Filtering and grouping data from a local file
- 02Joining database records with file-based data
- 03Writing an aggregated result to Parquet
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ clickhouse/ agent-skills --skill chdb-datastoreAfter installing, type/chdb-datastorein Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Bundled files
References and scripts installed along with SKILL.md.
metadata.jsonREADME.mdexamples/examples.mdreferences/api-reference.mdconnectors.mdscripts/verify_install.pyDetails
From the project READMEchdb DataStore — It's Just Faster Pandas
The Key Insight
# Change this:
import pandas as pd
# To this:
import chdb.datastore as pd
# Everything else stays the same.
DataStore is a lazy, ClickHouse-backed pandas replacement. Your existing pandas code works unchanged — but operations compile to optimized SQL and execute only when results are needed (e.g., print(), len(), iteration).
pip install chdb
Decision Tree: Pick the Right Approach
1. "I have a file/database and want to analyze it with pandas"
→ DataStore.from_file() / from_mysql() / from_s3() etc.
→ See references/connectors.md
2. "I need to join data from different sources"
→ Create DataStores from each source, use .join()
→ See examples/examples.md #3-5
3. "My pandas code is too slow"
→ import chdb.datastore as pd — change one line, keep the rest
4. "I need raw SQL queries"
→ Use the chdb-sql skill instead
Connect to Any Data Source — One Pattern
from datastore import DataStore
# Local file (auto-detects .parquet, .csv, .json, .arrow, .orc, .avro, .tsv, .xml)
ds = DataStore.from_file("sales.parquet")
# Database
ds = DataStore.from_mysql(host="db:3306", database="shop", table="orders", user="root", password="pass")
# Cloud storage
ds = DataStore.from_s3("s3://bucket/data.parquet", nosign=True)
# URI shorthand — auto-detects source type
ds = DataStore.uri("mysql://root:pass@db:3306/shop/orders")
All 16+ sources and URI schemes → connectors.md
After Connecting — Full Pandas API
result = ds[ds["age"] > 25] # filter
result = ds[["name", "city"]] # select columns
result = ds.sort_values("revenue", ascending=False) # sort
result = ds.groupby("dept")["salary"].mean() # groupby
result = ds.assign(margin=lambda x: x["profit"] / x["revenue"]) # computed column
ds["name"].str.upper() # string accessor
ds["date"].dt.year # datetime accessor
result = ds1.join(ds2, on="id") # join
result = ds.head(10) # preview
print(ds.to_sql()) # see generated SQL
209 DataFrame methods supported. Full API → api-reference.md
Cross-Source Join — The Killer Feature
from datastore import DataStore
customers = DataStore.from_mysql(host="db:3306", database="crm", table="customers", user="root", password="pass")
orders = DataStore.from_file("orders.parquet")
result = (orders
.join(customers, left_on="customer_id", right_on="id")
.groupby("country")
.agg({"amount": "sum", "rating": "mean"})
.sort_values("sum", ascending=False))
print(result)
More join examples → examples.md
Writing Data
source = DataStore.from_mysql(host="db:3306", database="shop", table="orders", user="root", password="pass")
target = DataStore("file", path="summary.parquet", format="Parquet")
target.insert_into("category", "total", "count").select_from(
source.groupby("category").select("category", "sum(amount) AS total", "count() AS count")
).execute()
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
ImportError: No module named 'chdb' | pip install chdb |
ImportError: cannot import 'DataStore' | Use from datastore import DataStore or from chdb.datastore import DataStore |
| Database connection timeout | Include port in host: host="db:3306" not host="db" |
| Join returns empty result | Check key types match (both int or both string); use .to_sql() to inspect |
| Unexpected results | Call ds.to_sql() to see the generated SQL and debug |
| Environment check | Run python scripts/verify_install.py (from skill directory) |
References
- API Reference — Full DataStore method signatures
- Connectors — All 16+ data source connection methods
- Examples — 10+ runnable examples with expected output
- Verify Install — Environment verification script
- Official Docs
Note: This skill teaches how to use chdb DataStore. For raw SQL queries, use the
chdb-sqlskill. For contributing to chdb source code, see CLAUDE.md in the project root.