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

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for Adobe Target

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

Install the Adobe Target ADO.NET Data Provider from the CData website or from NuGet. Search NuGet for "Adobe Target ADO.NET Data Provider."

Create a Adobe Target-Connected Blazor App

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

1. Create a Blazor project on Visual Studio.
👁 Create a Blazor app project.

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.AdobeTarget.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData ADO.NET Provider for Adobe Target\lib etstandard2.0).
👁 Reference ADO.NET for Adobe Target .dll in the Blazor app.

SELECT Adobe Target Data from the Blazor App

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

   To connect to Adobe Target, you must provide the Tenant property along with OAuth connection properties mentioned below. Note that while other connection properties can influence processing behavior, they do not affect the ability to connect.

   To determine your Tenant name:

   1. Log in to Adobe Experience. The URL will look similar to: "https://experience.adobe.com/#/@mycompanyname/preferences/general-section".
   2. Extract the value after the "/#/@". In this example, it is "mycompanyname".
   3. Set the Tenant connection property to that value.

   User Accounts (OAuth)

   You must set AuthScheme to OAuthClient for all user account flows.

   Note: Adobe authentication via OAuth requires updating your token every two weeks.

   All Applications

   CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies OAuth authentication. Alternatively, you can create a custom OAuth application. Review Creating a Custom OAuth App in the Help documentation for more information.

   Obtaining the OAuth Access Token

   Set the following properties to connect:

   • InitiateOAuth: Set to GETANDREFRESH to automatically perform the OAuth exchange and refresh the OAuthAccessToken as needed.
   • OAuthClientId : Set to the client Id assigned when you registered your app.
   • OAuthClientSecret : Set to the client secret assigned when you registered your app.
   • CallbackURL : Set to the redirect URI defined when you registered your app. For example: https://localhost:3333

   With these settings, the provider obtains an access token from Adobe Target, which it uses to request data. The OAuth values are stored in the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation, ensuring they persist across connections.

   For example: Tenant=mycompanyname;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

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

    @page "/"
    @using System.Data;
    @using System.Data.CData.AdobeTarget;
    
    <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
    
    Welcome to your Data app.
    
    <div class="row">
    <div class="col-12">
    
    @using (AdobeTargetConnection connection = new AdobeTargetConnection(
    "Tenant=mycompanyname;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;"))
    {
    var sql = "SELECT Id, Name FROM Activities WHERE Type = 'AB'";
    var results = new DataTable();
    
    AdobeTargetDataAdapter dataAdapter = new AdobeTargetDataAdapter(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 Adobe Target data as an HTML table in the Blazor app. 👁 Query Adobe Target from Blazor app.
   

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