DataBind Charts to Talkdesk Data

DataBinding facilitates two-way interaction with data through UI controls. Using the CData ADO.NET Provider for Talkdesk streamlines the process of binding Talkdesk data to Windows Forms and Web controls within Visual Studio. In this article, we will demonstrate using wizards to establish a binding between Talkdesk 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.

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 Talkdesk, follow the steps outlined below using the Data Source Configuration Wizard. Within the wizard, you'll have the option to choose the specific Talkdesk 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 Talkdesk Data Source.

   Below is a typical connection string:

   AccountName=myAccount;Region=US;OAuthClientId=myClientId;OAuthClientSecret=myClientSecret;

   Talkdesk uses the OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials grant. There is no browser-based authorization step and no callback URL.

   Set the following connection properties:

   • AccountName: The name of your Talkdesk account.
   • Region: The region where your Talkdesk instance is deployed. Supported values are US (default), EU, CA, AU, UK, and FedRamp.
   • OAuthClientId: The Client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
   • OAuthClientSecret: The Client Secret assigned to your custom OAuth application.

   Creating a Custom OAuth Application

   1. Log in to your Talkdesk account and select OAuth Clients from the navigation menu.
   2. Click Create OAuth Client and give the client a descriptive name.
   3. Set Grant Type to Client Credentials.
   4. Click Add scopes and select the scopes for the data you want to access.
   5. Click Create and copy the Client Id and Client Secret.

   When you connect, the driver automatically requests an access token from Talkdesk, caches it, and refreshes it when it expires. Make sure the scopes selected for the application match the views you plan to query, or the token request can fail.

   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 Users 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 Name.

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 Talkdesk data. Run the chart to display the current data.

Code Walk-through

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

1. Connect to Talkdesk.
2. Create the TalkdeskDataAdapter 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:

TalkdeskConnection conn = new TalkdeskConnection("AccountName=myAccount;Region=US;OAuthClientId=myClientId;OAuthClientSecret=myClientSecret;");
TalkdeskCommand comm = new TalkdeskCommand("SELECT Id, Name FROM Users WHERE Active = 'true'", conn);
TalkdeskDataAdapter da = new TalkdeskDataAdapter(comm);
DataSet dataset = new DataSet();
da.Fill(dataset);

chart1.DataSource = dataset;  
chart1.Series[0].XValueMember = "Id";
chart1.Series[0].YValueMembers = "Name";
// Insert code for additional chart formatting here.
chart1.DataBind();