Connect to Sugar CRM 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 Sugar can be used with standard ADO.NET interfaces, such as LINQ and Entity Framework, to interact with live Sugar CRM 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 Sugar CRM using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for Sugar

CData ADO.NET Providers allow users to access Sugar CRM just like they would access SQL Server, using simple SQL queries.

Install the Sugar CRM ADO.NET Data Provider from the CData website or from NuGet. Search NuGet for "Sugar CRM ADO.NET Data Provider."

Create a Sugar CRM-Connected Blazor App

Start by creating a Blazor project that references the CData ADO.NET Provider for Sugar

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.SugarCRM.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData ADO.NET Provider for Sugar\lib etstandard2.0).

SELECT Sugar CRM Data from the Blazor App

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

   The User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid SugarCRM user credentials. This will use the default OAuth token created to allow client logins. OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret are required if you do not wish to use the default OAuth token.

   You can generate a new OAuth consumer key and consumer secret in Admin -> OAuth Keys. Set the OAuthClientId to the OAuth consumer key. Set the OAuthClientSecret to the consumer secret.

   Additionally, specify the URL to the SugarCRM account.

   Note that retrieving SugarCRM metadata can be expensive. It is advised that you store the metadata locally as described in the "Caching Metadata" chapter of the help documentation.

   For example: User=MyUser;Password=MyPassword;URL=MySugarCRMAccountURL;CacheMetadata=True;

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

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.SugarCRM;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (SugarCRMConnection connection = new SugarCRMConnection(
                   "User=MyUser;Password=MyPassword;URL=MySugarCRMAccountURL;CacheMetadata=True;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Name, AnnualRevenue FROM Accounts";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     SugarCRMDataAdapter dataAdapter = new SugarCRMDataAdapter(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 Sugar CRM data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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