question

Performing a CQL COUNT() has always been problematic in Cassandra not because it isn't capable but more a challenge inherent in its distributed architecture. I've written about this problem in detail in a blog post, Counting keys? Might as well be counting stars.

Luckily, we now have the DataStax Bulk Loader (dsbulk tool) to the rescue. Primarily designed as a more efficient tool for bulk loading data in CSV or JSON format to a Cassandra cluster, the Bulk Loader is also features the ability to perform a distributed count of records in a table.

Here are the key references on the Bulk Loader tool:

• Official docs - DataStax Bulk Loader
• Blog post - Introducing DataStax Bulk Loader by Brian Hess
• Docs - Counting data example
• Blog post - More counting examples
• Download - [click here]

Cheers!