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Get the Report →DataBind Charts to Snowflake Data
Use the standard ADO.NET procedures for databinding to provide bidirectional access to Snowflake 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 Snowflake streamlines the process of binding Snowflake data to Windows Forms and Web controls within Visual Studio. In this article, we will demonstrate using wizards to establish a binding between Snowflake 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.
About Snowflake Data Integration
CData simplifies access and integration of live Snowflake data. Our customers leverage CData connectivity to:
- Reads and write Snowflake data quickly and efficiently.
- Dynamically obtain metadata for the specified Warehouse, Database, and Schema.
- Authenticate in a variety of ways, including OAuth, OKTA, Azure AD, Azure Managed Service Identity, PingFederate, private key, and more.
Many CData users use CData solutions to access Snowflake from their preferred tools and applications, and replicate data from their disparate systems into Snowflake for comprehensive warehousing and analytics.
For more information on integrating Snowflake with CData solutions, refer to our blog: https://www.cdata.com/blog/snowflake-integrations.
Getting Started
Binding Data to a Chart
DataBinding to a Chart 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 Snowflake, follow the steps outlined below using the Data Source Configuration Wizard. Within the wizard, you'll have the option to choose the specific Snowflake 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 Snowflake Data Source.
Below is a typical connection string:
User=Admin;Password=test123;Server=localhost;Database=Northwind;Warehouse=TestWarehouse;Account=Tester1;
To connect to Snowflake:
- Set User and Password to your Snowflake credentials and set the AuthScheme property to PASSWORD or OKTA.
- Set URL to the URL of the Snowflake instance (i.e.: https://myaccount.snowflakecomputing.com).
- Set Warehouse to the Snowflake warehouse.
- (Optional) Set Account to your Snowflake account if your URL does not conform to the format above.
- (Optional) Set Database and Schema to restrict the tables and views exposed.
See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for more information.
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 Products 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 ProductName.
- 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 Snowflake data. Run the chart to display the current data.
Code Walk-through
DataBinding to Snowflake data requires only a few lines of code and can be completed in three easy steps.
- Connect to Snowflake.
- Create the SnowflakeDataAdapter 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:
SnowflakeConnection conn = new SnowflakeConnection("User=Admin;Password=test123;Server=localhost;Database=Northwind;Warehouse=TestWarehouse;Account=Tester1;");
SnowflakeCommand comm = new SnowflakeCommand("SELECT Id, ProductName FROM Products", conn);
SnowflakeDataAdapter da = new SnowflakeDataAdapter(comm);
DataSet dataset = new DataSet();
da.Fill(dataset);
chart1.DataSource = dataset;
chart1.Series[0].XValueMember = "Id";
chart1.Series[0].YValueMembers = "ProductName";
// Insert code for additional chart formatting here.
chart1.DataBind();