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DataBind Charts to SAP ByDesign Data


Use the standard ADO.NET procedures for databinding to provide bidirectional access to SAP ByDesign 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 SAP ByDesign streamlines the process of binding SAP ByDesign data to Windows Forms and Web controls within Visual Studio. In this article, we will demonstrate using wizards to establish a binding between SAP ByDesign 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 SAP ByDesign, follow the steps outlined below using the Data Source Configuration Wizard. Within the wizard, you'll have the option to choose the specific SAP ByDesign entities you wish to bind to.

  1. 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.
  2. In the Data Source Configuration Wizard that appears, select Database -> Dataset.
  3. In the Choose Your Data Connection step, click New Connection.

  4. In the Add Connection dialog, click Change to select the CData SAP ByDesign Data Source.

    Below is a typical connection string:

    URL=https://my999999.sapbydesign.com;User=username;Password=password;CustomService=servicename;

    Set the following connection properties to connect to SAP ByDesign.

    • Url: Set this to the Url of your SAP ByDesign site. For example, https://test.sapbydesign.com
    • User: Set this to the username of your account.
    • Password: Set this to the password of your account.
    • CustomService or AnalyticsService: Only one of these must be specified. If you have a custom service you want to retrieve data from, specify CustomService. If you want to retrieve the reports of a analytical service, specify AnalyticsService.
      If neither is specified, 'cc_home_analytics.svc' will used as a default for the AnalyticsService property. If you are not sure what service to specify, you can always query the Services view to list available services.

    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.

  5. Choose the database objects you want to work with. This example uses the [Inventory Balance] 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 ID and the y-axis to ProductCategoryID.

  1. In the Chart properties, click the button in the Series property to open the Series Collection Editor.
  2. 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 SAP ByDesign data. Run the chart to display the current data.

Code Walk-through

DataBinding to SAP ByDesign data requires only a few lines of code and can be completed in three easy steps.

  1. Connect to SAP ByDesign.
  2. Create the SAPByDesignDataAdapter to execute the query and create a DataSet to be filled with its results.
  3. DataBind the result set to the chart.

Below is the complete code:

SAPByDesignConnection conn = new SAPByDesignConnection("URL=https://my999999.sapbydesign.com;User=username;Password=password;CustomService=servicename;"); SAPByDesignCommand comm = new SAPByDesignCommand("SELECT ID, ProductCategoryID FROM [Inventory Balance] WHERE ProductCategoryID = '1234567'", conn); SAPByDesignDataAdapter da = new SAPByDesignDataAdapter(comm); DataSet dataset = new DataSet(); da.Fill(dataset); chart1.DataSource = dataset; chart1.Series[0].XValueMember = "ID"; chart1.Series[0].YValueMembers = "ProductCategoryID"; // Insert code for additional chart formatting here. chart1.DataBind();