The Active Directory ADO.NET Data Provider enables user to easily connect to Active Directory data from .NET applications. Rapidly create and deploy powerful .NET applications that integrate with Active Directory Users, Groups, Roles, Contacts, and more!
Active Directory .NET Connectivity Features
- Compatible with LDAP v2 and LDAP v3
- Customize table schema, splitting ObjectClass attributes into individual rows and Description attributes into their own columns
- Connect to live Active Directory data, for real-time data access with the Active Directory ADO.NET Provider
- Full support for data aggregation and complex JOINs in SQL queries
- Secure connectivity through modern cryptography, including TLS 1.2, SHA-256, ECC, etc.
- Seamless integration with leading BI, reporting, and ETL tools and with custom applications via the Active Directory Connector.
Target Service, API
The driver connects to Microsoft Active Directory and Azure Active Directory via LDAP protocol. Provides SQL access to directory objects and attributes.
Schema, Data Model
Models Active Directory as relational tables representing different object types. Each object class (users, groups, computers, etc.) is exposed as a table with attributes as columns.
Key Objects
Users, Groups, Computers, Organizational Units, Contacts, Printers, and custom object classes. Access to all standard and custom Active Directory attributes.
Operations
Full CRUD operations on directory objects. SQL queries with filtering, sorting, and JOINs. Supports LDAP search filters and attribute modifications.
Authentication
Supports Windows Authentication (current user context), Username/Password, and SSL/TLS connections. Connection to domain controllers via LDAP or LDAPS.
See what you can do with Active Directory ADO.NET provider
Use Active Directory from SQL Server Analysis Service (SSAS) multi-dimensional cubes. Keep your analytical data modeling and access to any source including cloud and on-premises.
The Active Directory ADO.NET Provider allows developers to build applications that connect to Active Directory using familiar SQL and Entity Framework. Integrate Active Directory to your mission -critical applications or create easy side-by-side applications.
You can connect from ADO.NET compliant low-code development tools:
You can connect Active Directory from .NET-based reporting and analytics tools:
Standard ADO.NET Access to ActiveDirectory
The Active Directory ADO.NET Provider offers the most natural way to access Active Directory data from any .NET application. Simply use Active Directory Data Provider objects to connect and access data just as you would access any traditional database. You will be able to use the Active Directory Data Provider through Visual Studio Server Explorer, in code through familiar classes, and in data controls like DataGridView, GridView, DataSet, etc.
The CData ADO.NET Provider for Active Directory hides the complexity of accessing data and provides additional powerful security features, smart caching, batching, socket management, and more.
Working with DataAdapters, DataSets, DataTables, etc.
The Active Directory Data Provider has the same ADO.NET architecture as the native .NET data providers for SQL Server and OLEDB, including: ActiveDirectoryConnection, ActiveDirectoryCommand, ActiveDirectoryDataAdapter, ActiveDirectoryDataReader, ActiveDirectoryDataSource, ActiveDirectoryParameter, etc. Because of this you can now access Active Directory data in an easy, familiar way.
For example:
using (ActiveDirectoryConnection conn = new ActiveDirectoryConnection("...")) {
string select = "SELECT * FROM Users";
ActiveDirectoryCommand cmd = new ActiveDirectoryCommand(select, conn);
ActiveDirectoryDataAdapter adapter = new ActiveDirectoryDataAdapter(cmd);
using (adapter) {
DataTable table = new DataTable();
adapter.Fill(table);
...
}
}
More Than Read-Only: Full Update/CRUD Support
Active Directory Data Provider goes beyond read-only functionality to deliver full support for Create, Read, Update, and Delete operations (CRUD). Your end-users can interact with the data presented by the Active Directory Data Provider as easily as interacting with a database table.
using (ActiveDirectoryConnection connection = new ActiveDirectoryConnection(connectionString)) {
ActiveDirectoryDataAdapter dataAdapter = new ActiveDirectoryDataAdapter(
"SELECT Id, Where FROM Users", connection);
dataAdapter.UpdateCommand = new ActiveDirectoryCommand(
"UPDATE Users SET Where = @Where " +
"WHERE Id = @ID", connection);
dataAdapter.UpdateCommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Where", "Where");
dataAdapter.UpdateCommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Id", "80000173-1387137645");
DataTable UsersTable = new DataTable();
dataAdapter.Fill(UsersTable);
DataRow firstrow = UsersTable.Rows[0];
firstrow["Where"] = "New Location";
dataAdapter.Update(UsersTable);
}
ADO.NET Provider Performance
With traditional approaches to remote access, performance bottlenecks can spell disaster for applications. Regardless if an application is created for internal use, a commercial project, web, or mobile application, slow performance can rapidly lead to project failure. Accessing data from any remote source has the potential to create these problems. Common issues include:
- Network Connections - Slow network connections and latency issues are common in mobile applications.
- Service Delays - Delays due to service interruptions, resulting in server hardware or software updates.
- Large Data - Intentional or unintentional requests for large amounts of data.
- Disconnects - Complete loss of network connectivity.
The CData ADO.NET Provider for Active Directory solves these issues by supporting powerful smart caching technology that can greatly improve the performance and dramatically reduce application bottlenecks.
Smart Caching
Smart caching is a configurable option that works by storing queried data into a local database. Enabling smart caching creates a persistent local cache database that contains a replica of data retrieved from the remote source. The cache database is small, lightweight, blazing-fast, and it can be shared by multiple connections as persistent storage.
Caching with our ADO.NET Providers is highly configurable, including options for:
- Auto Cache - Maintain an automatic local cache of data on all requests. The provider will automatically load data into the cache database each time you execute a SELECT query. Each row returned by the query will be inserted or updated as necessary into the corresponding table in the cache database.
- Explicit Cache - Cache only on demand. Developers decide exactly what data gets stored in the cache and when it is updated. Explicit caching provides full control over the cache contents by using explicit execution of CACHE statements.
- No Cache - All requests access only live data and no local cache file is created.
This powerful caching functionality increases application performance and allows applications to disconnect and continue limited functioning without writing code for additional local storage and/or data serialization/deserialization.
More information about ADO.NET Provider caching and best caching practices is available in the included help files.
Visual Studio Integration & Server Explorer
Working with the new Active Directory ADO.NET Provider is easy. As a fully-managed .NET Data Provider, the Active Directory Data Provider integrates seamlessly with the Visual Studio development environment as well as any .NET application.
As an ADO.NET Data Provider, Active Directory ADO.NET Provider can be used to access and explore Active Directory data directly from the Visual Studio Server Explorer.
It's easy. As a standard ADO.NET adapter, developers can connect the Server Explorer to Active Directory ADO.NET Provider just like connecting to any standard database.
- Add a new Data Connection from the Server Explorer and select the Active Directory Data Source
- Configure the basic connection properties to access your Active Directory account data.
Explore all of the data available! Active Directory ADO.NET Provider makes it easy to access live Active Directory data from Visual Studio.
- After configuring the connection, explore the feeds, views, and services provided by the Active Directory Data Source.
- These constructs return live Active Directory data that developers can work with directly from within Visual Studio!
Developer Integration: Databind to Active Directory
Connecting Web, Desktop, and Mobile .NET applications with Active Directory is just like working with SQL Server. It is even possible to integrate Active Directory ADO.NET Provider into applications without writing code.
Developers are free to access the Active Directory ADO.NET Provider in whatever way they like best. Either visually through the Visual Studio Winforms or Webforms designers, or directly through code.
- Developers can connect the Active Directory Data Source directly to form components by configuring the object's smart
tags.
- Add a new Data Connection from the Server Explorer and select the Active Directory Data Source. Then, select the
feed, view, or services you would like to connect the object to.
Done! It's just like connecting to SQL Server.
- Once the object is bound to the data source, applications can easily interact with Active Directory data with full
read/write (CRUD) support.
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