Connect to SAS Data Sets Data from Blazor Apps

Blazor is a framework for developing modern, client-side web UIs using .NET technology. Instead of coding in JavaScript, developers can use the familiar C# language and .NET libraries to build app UIs.

The CData ADO.NET Provider for SAS Data Sets can be used with standard ADO.NET interfaces, such as LINQ and Entity Framework, to interact with live SAS Data Sets data. Since Blazor supports .NET Core, developers can use CData ADO.NET Providers in Blazor apps. In this article, we will guide you to build a simple Blazor app that talks to SAS Data Sets using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for SAS Data Sets

CData ADO.NET Providers allow users to access SAS Data Sets just like they would access SQL Server, using simple SQL queries.

Install the SAS Data Sets ADO.NET Data Provider from the CData website or from NuGet. Search NuGet for "SAS Data Sets ADO.NET Data Provider."

Create a SAS Data Sets-Connected Blazor App

Start by creating a Blazor project that references the CData ADO.NET Provider for SAS Data Sets

1. Create a Blazor project on Visual Studio.
2. From the Solution Explorer, right click Dependencies, then click Add Project Reference.
3. In the Reference Manager, click the Browse button, and choose the .dll file of the installed ADO.NET Provider (e.g. System.Data.CData.SASDataSets.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData ADO.NET Provider for SAS Data Sets\lib etstandard2.0).

SELECT SAS Data Sets Data from the Blazor App

1. Open the Index.razor file from the Project page.
2. In a SASDataSetsConnection object, set the connection string:

   Set the following connection properties to connect to your SAS DataSet files:

   Connecting to Local Files

   • Set the Connection Type to "Local." Local files support SELECT, INSERT, and DELETE commands.
   • Set the URI to a folder containing SAS files, e.g. C:\PATH\TO\FOLDER\.

   Connecting to Cloud-Hosted SAS DataSet Files

   While the driver is capable of pulling data from SAS DataSet files hosted on a variety of cloud data stores, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE are not supported outside of local files in this driver.

   Set the Connection Type to the service hosting your SAS DataSet files. A unique prefix at the beginning of the URI connection property is used to identify the cloud data store and the remainder of the path is a relative path to the desired folder (one table per file) or single file (a single table). For more information, refer to the Getting Started section of the Help documentation.

   For example: URI=C:/myfolder;

3. The code below creates a simple Blazor app for displaying SAS Data Sets data, using standard SQL to query SAS Data Sets just like SQL Server.

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.SASDataSets;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (SASDataSetsConnection connection = new SASDataSetsConnection(
                   "URI=C:/myfolder;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT name, borough FROM restaurants WHERE cuisine = 'American'";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     SASDataSetsDataAdapter dataAdapter = new SASDataSetsDataAdapter(sql, connection);
                     dataAdapter.Fill(results);
         
                     <table class="table table-bordered">
                         <thead class="thead-light">
                             <tr>
                                 @foreach (DataColumn item in results.Rows[0].Table.Columns)
                                 {
                                     <th scope="col">@item.ColumnName</th>
                                 }
                             </tr>
                         </thead>
                         <tbody>
                             @foreach (DataRow row in results.Rows)
                             {
                                 <tr>
                                     @foreach (var column in row.ItemArray)
                                     {
                                         <td>@column.ToString()</td>
                                     }
                                 </tr>
                             }
                         </tbody>
                     </table>
                 }
             </div>
         </div>
       

4. Rebuild and run the project. The ADO.NET Provider renders SAS Data Sets data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

   At this point, you have a SAS Data Sets-connected Blazor app, capable of working with live SAS Data Sets data just like you would work with a SQL Server instance. Download a free, 30-day trial and start working with live SAS Data Sets data in your Blazor apps today.