CSV ADO.NET Provider
 
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CSV ADO.NET Provider

SQL-based Access to CSV through ADO.NET for your custom .NET applications and SSAS.

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Other Database Technologies

Other Database Drivers

The CSV ADO.NET Data Provider enables user to easily connect to CSV data from .NET applications. Rapidly create and deploy powerful .NET applications that integrate with delimited flat-file (CSV/TSV) data.

ADO architecture

CSV .NET Connectivity Features

  • SQL-92 access to CSV files and CSV streams and web services
  • Support for accessing remote flat files via SFTP
  • Connect to live CSV/TSV Files data, for real-time data access with the CSV/TSV Files JDBC Driver
  • Full support for data aggregation and complex JOINs in SQL queries
  • Secure connectivity through modern cryptography, including TLS 1.2, SHA-256, ECC, etc.
  • Generate table schema automatically based on existing CSV/TSV Files data or manually for greater control of the content you need
  • Seamless integration with leading BI, reporting, and ETL tools and with custom applications via the CSV Connector.

Target Service, API

The driver provides SQL-92 access to CSV/TSV files and CSV streams/web services. It can read from local files, network paths, and URLs. Supports various delimiters and automatically detects file structure.

Schema, Data Model

Automatically generates table schema based on CSV/TSV file data with options for manual schema definition. Supports header row detection for column names. Can work with Schema.ini files for format specification. Handles dynamic typing and supports row scanning for metadata detection.

Key Objects

CSV/TSV files are exposed as tables. Each file becomes a queryable table with columns corresponding to the fields in the delimited data. Supports multiple files in a folder as separate tables.

Operations

Full SQL-92 operations including SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE. Supports JOINs across multiple CSV files, aggregations, and filtering. Can create new CSV files and append to existing ones. Provides caching and replication capabilities for performance optimization.

Authentication

File system access control based on operating system permissions. For remote files accessed via URLs, supports standard HTTP authentication methods.

Specific feature or properties

The driver covers CSV files in local, Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen1, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 SSL, Azure Files, Box, Dropbox, FTP, FTPS, Google Cloud Storage, Google Drive, HDFS, HDFS Secure, HTTP, HTTPS, IBM Object Storage Source, OneDrive, OneLake, Oracle Cloud Storage, SFTP, SharePoint REST, SharePoint SOAP.

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See what you can do with CSV ADO.NET provider

SSAS Cube
SSAS Cube

Use CSV from SQL Server Analysis Service (SSAS) multi-dimensional cubes. Keep your analytical data modeling and access to any source including cloud and on-premises.

Custom .NET Application
Custom .NET Application

The CSV ADO.NET Provider allows developers to build applications that connect to CSV using familiar SQL and Entity Framework. Integrate CSV to your mission -critical applications or create easy side-by-side applications.

Reporting & BI
Low-Code Dev Platforms

You can connect from ADO.NET compliant low-code development tools:

Reporting & BI
Reporting Tools

You can connect CSV from .NET-based reporting and analytics tools:

Standard ADO.NET Access to CSV

The CSV ADO.NET Provider offers the most natural way to access CSV data from any .NET application. Simply use CSV Data Provider objects to connect and access data just as you would access any traditional database. You will be able to use the CSV 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 CSV 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 CSV Data Provider has the same ADO.NET architecture as the native .NET data providers for SQL Server and OLEDB, including: CSVConnection, CSVCommand, CSVDataAdapter, CSVDataReader, CSVDataSource, CSVParameter, etc. Because of this you can now access CSV data in an easy, familiar way.

For example:

using (CSVConnection conn = new CSVConnection("...")) {
	string select = "SELECT * FROM File";
	CSVCommand cmd = new CSVCommand(select, conn);
	CSVDataAdapter adapter = new CSVDataAdapter(cmd);
	using (adapter) {
		DataTable table = new DataTable();
		adapter.Fill(table);		
		...
	}
}

More Than Read-Only: Full Update/CRUD Support

CSV 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 CSV Data Provider as easily as interacting with a database table. 

using (CSVConnection connection = new CSVConnection(connectionString)) {
	CSVDataAdapter dataAdapter = new CSVDataAdapter(
	"SELECT Id, Where FROM File", connection);
  
	dataAdapter.UpdateCommand = new CSVCommand(
		"UPDATE File SET Where = @Where " +
		"WHERE Id = @ID", connection);

	dataAdapter.UpdateCommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Where", "Where");
	dataAdapter.UpdateCommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Id", "80000173-1387137645");

	DataTable FileTable = new DataTable();
	dataAdapter.Fill(FileTable);

	DataRow firstrow = FileTable.Rows[0];
	firstrow["Where"] = "New Location";

	dataAdapter.Update(FileTable);
}

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:

  1. Network Connections - Slow network connections and latency issues are common in mobile applications.
  2. Service Delays - Delays due to service interruptions, resulting in server hardware or software updates.
  3. Large Data - Intentional or unintentional requests for large amounts of data.
  4. Disconnects - Complete loss of network connectivity.

The CData ADO.NET Provider for CSV 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 CSV ADO.NET Provider is easy. As a fully-managed .NET Data Provider, the CSV Data Provider integrates seamlessly with the Visual Studio development environment as well as any .NET application.

As an ADO.NET Data Provider, CSV ADO.NET Provider can be used to access and explore CSV/TSV Files data directly from the Visual Studio Server Explorer.

It's easy. As a standard ADO.NET adapter, developers can connect the Server Explorer to CSV ADO.NET Provider just like connecting to any standard database.

  • Add a new Data Connection from the Server Explorer and select the CSV/TSV Files Data Source
  • Configure the basic connection properties to access your CSV/TSV Files account data.

Explore all of the data available! CSV ADO.NET Provider makes it easy to access live CSV/TSV Files data from Visual Studio.

  • After configuring the connection, explore the feeds, views, and services provided by the CSV/TSV Files Data Source.
  • These constructs return live CSV/TSV Files data that developers can work with directly from within Visual Studio!

Developer Integration: Databind to CSV

Connecting Web, Desktop, and Mobile .NET applications with CSV/TSV Files is just like working with SQL Server. It is even possible to integrate CSV ADO.NET Provider into applications without writing code.

Developers are free to access the CSV 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 CSV/TSV Files 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 CSV/TSV Files 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 CSV/TSV Files data with full read/write (CRUD) support.

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