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

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for YouTube Analytics

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

Install the YouTube Analytics ADO.NET Data Provider from the CData website or from NuGet. Search NuGet for "YouTube Analytics ADO.NET Data Provider."

Create a YouTube Analytics-Connected Blazor App

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

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

SELECT YouTube Analytics Data from the Blazor App

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

   YouTube Analytics uses the OAuth authentication standard. You can use the embedded CData OAuth credentials or you can register an application with Google to obtain your own.

   In addition to the OAuth values, to access YouTube Analytics data set ChannelId to the Id of a YouTube channel. You can obtain the channel Id in the advanced account settings for your channel. If not specified, the channel of the currently authenticated user will be used.

   If you want to generate content owner reports, specify the ContentOwnerId property. This is the Id of the copyright holder for content in YouTube's rights management system. The content owner is the person or organization that claims videos and sets their monetization policy.

   For example: ContentOwnerId=MyContentOwnerId;ChannelId=MyChannelId;

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

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.YouTubeAnalytics;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (YouTubeAnalyticsConnection connection = new YouTubeAnalyticsConnection(
                   "ContentOwnerId=MyContentOwnerId;ChannelId=MyChannelId;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Snippet_Title, ContentDetails_ItemCount FROM Groups";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     YouTubeAnalyticsDataAdapter dataAdapter = new YouTubeAnalyticsDataAdapter(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 YouTube Analytics data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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