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Get the Report →DataBind Charts to ADP Data
Use the standard ADO.NET procedures for databinding to provide bidirectional access to ADP data from controls in the Visual Studio toolbox. This article demonstrates a graphical approach using wizards in Visual Studio, as well as how to databind with only a few lines of code.
DataBinding facilitates two-way interaction with data through UI controls. Using the CData ADO.NET Provider for ADP streamlines the process of binding ADP data to Windows Forms and Web controls within Visual Studio. In this article, we will demonstrate using wizards to establish a binding between ADP data and a chart that dynamically updates. Additionally, the code walk-through section will guide you through the creation of a chart using just 10 lines of code.
DataBind to a Chart
DataBinding consists of three steps: Instantiate the control, configure the data source, and databind.
Configure the Connection and Select Database Objects
To create a chart control and establish a connection to ADP, follow the steps outlined below using the Data Source Configuration Wizard. Within the wizard, you'll have the option to choose the specific ADP entities you wish to bind to.
- In a Windows Forms project, drag and drop a Chart control from the toolbox to the form. In the Data section of the Chart properties, select DataSource and then select Add Project Data Source from the menu.
- In the Data Source Configuration Wizard that appears, select Database -> Dataset.
- In the Choose Your Data Connection step, click New Connection.
In the Add Connection dialog, click Change to select the CData ADP Data Source.
Below is a typical connection string:
OAuthClientId=YourClientId;OAuthClientSecret=YourClientSecret;SSLClientCert='c:\cert.pfx';SSLClientCertPassword='admin@123'InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH
Connect to ADP by specifying the following properties:
- SSLClientCert: Set this to the certificate provided during registration.
- SSLClientCertPassword: Set this to the password of the certificate.
- UseUAT: The connector makes requests to the production environment by default. If using a developer account, set UseUAT = true.
- RowScanDepth: The maximum number of rows to scan for the custom fields columns available in the table. The default value will be set to 100. Setting a high value may decrease performance.
The connector uses OAuth to authenticate with ADP. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with ADP using the browser. For more information, refer to the OAuth section in the Help documentation.
When you configure the connection, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.
- Choose the database objects you want to work with. This example uses the Workers table.
DataBind
After adding the data source and selecting database objects, you can bind the objects to the chart. This example assigns the x-axis to AssociateOID and the y-axis to WorkerID.
- In the Chart properties, click the button in the Series property to open the Series Collection Editor.
- In the Series properties, select the columns you want for the x- and y-axes: Select columns from the menu in the XValueMember and YValueMember properties.
The chart is now databound to the ADP data. Run the chart to display the current data.
Code Walk-through
DataBinding to ADP data requires only a few lines of code and can be completed in three easy steps.
- Connect to ADP.
- Create the ADPDataAdapter to execute the query and create a DataSet to be filled with its results.
- DataBind the result set to the chart.
Below is the complete code:
ADPConnection conn = new ADPConnection("OAuthClientId=YourClientId;OAuthClientSecret=YourClientSecret;SSLClientCert='c:\cert.pfx';SSLClientCertPassword='admin@123'InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH");
ADPCommand comm = new ADPCommand("SELECT AssociateOID, WorkerID FROM Workers WHERE AssociateOID = 'G3349PZGBADQY8H8'", conn);
ADPDataAdapter da = new ADPDataAdapter(comm);
DataSet dataset = new DataSet();
da.Fill(dataset);
chart1.DataSource = dataset;
chart1.Series[0].XValueMember = "AssociateOID";
chart1.Series[0].YValueMembers = "WorkerID";
// Insert code for additional chart formatting here.
chart1.DataBind();