In February 2025, Ruixuan Tan enhanced the sodadata/soda-core repository by implementing AWS session token support for the Athena data source. This work introduced a token-based authentication path, allowing users to connect to Athena using temporary credentials rather than long-term keys, thereby improving security and flexibility. The technical approach focused on integrating AWS authentication mechanisms within the existing Python codebase, emphasizing secure cloud computing practices and data engineering principles. By reducing credential exposure and aligning with AWS security best practices, Ruixuan’s contribution laid the foundation for broader token-based authentication across additional AWS data sources in the project.