Prerequisites

Before installing the IBM watsonx.data intelligence SDK, ensure your environment meets the following requirements:

Python Version

The SDK requires Python 3.8 or higher. We recommend using Python 3.10 or later for the best experience.

To check your Python version:

$ python --version
Python 3.10.0

Core Dependencies

The SDK has the following core dependencies that will be automatically installed:

• pydantic (>=2.12.0) - Data validation and settings management

• requests (>=2.28.0) - HTTP library for API calls

• regex (>=2023.0.0) - Advanced regular expression support

• ibm-cloud-sdk-core (>=3.24.4) - IBM Cloud SDK core functionality

Optional Dependencies

Depending on your use case, you may want to install additional dependencies:

For Pandas DataFrame Support

$ pip install pandas>=1.3.0

For PySpark DataFrame Support

$ pip install pyspark>=3.0.0

For Development

If you plan to contribute to the SDK or run tests:

$ pip install pytest>=7.0.0 pytest-cov>=4.0.0 pytest-mock>=3.7.0
$ pip install black>=26.3.1 mypy>=1.0.0 flake8>=6.0.0

Environment Setup

Virtual Environment (Recommended)

We strongly recommend using a virtual environment to avoid dependency conflicts:

$ python -m venv venv
$ source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

IBM Cloud Account (Optional)

If you plan to use the REST API integration features with IBM Cloud Pak for Data, you’ll need:

• An IBM Cloud account or on-premises IBM Cloud Pak for Data installation

• Appropriate API credentials (API key, username/password, or Zen API key)

• Network access to your IBM Cloud Pak for Data instance

Next Steps

Once you’ve verified the prerequisites, proceed to Installation and Versioning to install the SDK.