worker-local-setup

name	worker-local-setup
description	Install and start the Data Exchange Worker on a user-managed machine (laptop, cloud VM, or on-prem server).
parent_skill	data-infrastructure-setup
license	Proprietary. See License-Skills for complete terms

Worker Local Setup

Set up and run the Data Exchange Worker on whatever machine will execute it: a laptop, a cloud VM, an on-premises server, or one host per worker when scaling out. The steps are the same on each host.

Prerequisites

Note: Ensure the host can reach both the source database and your Snowflake account (and meets any corporate firewall or proxy rules when applicable).

Prerequisites depend on the source dialect and the extraction strategy chosen in data migration setup. Load extraction-strategies-reference.md for the full matrix; complete the matching section below before Step 1.

SQL Server — regular (ODBC)

The Data Exchange Worker connects to SQL Server via the Microsoft ODBC Driver. Before starting the worker, verify it is installed:

odbcinst -q -d 2>/dev/null | grep -i "ODBC Driver"

If the command returns a driver name (e.g. [ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server]), the driver is present — continue to Step 1.

If the command returns nothing, the driver is missing. Stop here and ask the user to install it — do not attempt installation yourself, as it requires sudo and interactive steps that cannot be automated.

Tell the user:

The Data Exchange Worker requires the Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server to connect to your source database. Please install it and then resume.

macOS — Homebrew (recommended):

brew tap microsoft/mssql-release https://github.com/Microsoft/homebrew-mssql-release
brew update
HOMEBREW_ACCEPT_EULA=Y brew install msodbcsql18

The brew tap step may ask you to confirm adding a third-party repository — this is expected.

macOS — without Homebrew: Download and install the .pkg from the Microsoft ODBC Driver download page. Choose the macOS package matching your architecture (arm64 for Apple Silicon, x86_64 for Intel).

After installing, verify with:

odbcinst -q -d | grep -i "ODBC Driver"

Then resume the setup.

Once the user confirms the driver is installed, re-run the check and continue.

PostgreSQL — regular (COPY)

No ODBC driver. The worker uses bundled Npgsql with use_copy = true. Skip the ODBC pre-flight above.

Oracle — regular (ODP.NET)

No SQL Server ODBC check. Ensure the worker can reach Oracle with the service name in TOML database (same as scai connection).

Oracle — dbms_cloud

Configure dbms_cloud_credential_name and dbms_cloud_file_uri_prefix in [connections.source.oracle] after generate-config. Oracle must grant EXECUTE on DBMS_CLOUD and a credential for the HTTPS prefix. Set extraction.strategy: dbms_cloud and externalStage in workflow YAML. See extraction-strategies reference and dmvf/data-exchange-agent/docs/oracle-dbms-cloud-local-setup.md.

Redshift — unload

Add unload_s3_bucket and unload_iam_role_arn to [connections.source.redshift]. Set extraction.strategy: unload and externalStage in workflow YAML.

Teradata — tpt

Install Teradata TTU on the worker host (tbuild). Optional tpt_* fields in TOML. Workflow may use extraction.strategy: tpt.

Teradata — write_nos

Configure write_nos_* fields in [connections.source.teradata]. Set extraction.strategy: write_nos and externalStage in workflow YAML.

Step 1 — Generate the Worker Config

Skip this step for Iceberg migration strategies that don't use a Worker (catalog_link, convert_to_managed, copy_files with sourceDataStage).

If the project's .scai/config/dew_configuration.toml (path relative to the SCAI project root) already exists with no <PLACEHOLDER> tokens, report "Worker config already complete" and continue to Step 2.

Otherwise, run:

scai data worker generate-config

Run inside the project (no path argument) — scai writes the project-default .scai/config/dew_configuration.toml.

This pre-fills [connections.source.<engine>] from the project's scai source connection (host, user, database, port, and engine-specific fields like SQL Server's trust_server_certificate and encrypt, or Teradata authentication = "LDAP" when --auth ldap). Pass --affinity <label> if your workflow uses one. The CLI will prompt before overwriting an existing file; pass -y to overwrite without prompting.

After running, handle the result:

• No placeholders remain — show the user the pre-filled values from the scai connection ([connections.source.*] host, port, user, database) and ask them to confirm. Only edit if something is wrong; do not re-prompt for fields that already have real values.
• Placeholders remain — open the file and replace each <PLACEHOLDER> token. If the scai connection lacked a field (e.g., no port), ask the user for just that one field.

The scai connection populates [connections.source.*].database. This value must match source.databaseName in the migration workflow YAML / validation JSON. A mismatch causes the orchestrator to report "table does not exist in the source database." If the user wants to migrate a different database than the one in their scai connection, update it here and use the same value in the workflow YAML.

Oracle: database in the worker TOML is the Oracle service name (from --service-name on scai connection add-oracle), not a SQL Server–style database name. Use the same service name in workflow YAML source.databaseName.

Teradata: database in the worker TOML is the Teradata database name (from --database on scai connection add-teradata). Use the same value in workflow YAML source.databaseName. For LDAP connections, confirm authentication = "LDAP" is present when the scai connection uses --auth ldap.

PostgreSQL: The worker uses PostgreSQL's native COPY protocol (use_copy = true) for all data extraction. The database field is the actual PostgreSQL database name. No special driver is required — Npgsql is bundled with the worker.

See ../references/worker-config-reference.md for the field reference and advanced options (e.g., Redshift UNLOAD, Teradata TPT / WRITE_NOS).

Step 2 — Start the Worker

Run:

scai data worker start --local

This command installs the worker if it is not already present, then starts it using the project-default configuration at .scai/config/dew_configuration.toml.

Tell the user:

Cost note: The local Data Exchange Worker polls Snowflake on an interval and can accrue warehouse credits even when no migration tasks are running. Stop the worker when data work for this wave is done (teardown skill), or when ending the session if it was started outside MCP.

Step 3 — Verify the Worker Is Running

The CLI prints worker status on startup. Confirm the output shows the worker has connected to the orchestrator and is polling for tasks.

If the worker fails to start, check:

• SQL Server only: ODBC driver installed (odbcinst -q -d | grep -i "ODBC Driver") — if missing, follow the pre-flight instructions in the Prerequisites section above
• Source database credentials in the TOML config
• Network connectivity to the source database from the host
• Snowflake connection details in ~/.snowflake/config.toml (or %USERPROFILE%\.snowflake\config.toml on Windows)

Done

The worker is running on the host. Return control to the parent skill, which runs Level 1 Data Doctor before proceeding.