DataBind Charts to Google Analytics Data

DataBinding facilitates two-way interaction with data through UI controls. Using the CData ADO.NET Provider for Google Analytics streamlines the process of binding Google Analytics data to Windows Forms and Web controls within Visual Studio. In this article, we will demonstrate using wizards to establish a binding between Google Analytics 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 Google Analytics, follow the steps outlined below using the Data Source Configuration Wizard. Within the wizard, you'll have the option to choose the specific Google Analytics 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. 👁 Add a data source to be bound to the chart.
   
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 Google Analytics Data Source.

   Below is a typical connection string:

   Profile=MyProfile;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

   Google uses the OAuth authentication standard. To access Google APIs on behalf on individual users, you can use the embedded credentials or you can register your own OAuth app.

   OAuth also enables you to use a service account to connect on behalf of users in a Google Apps domain. To authenticate with a service account, register an application to obtain the OAuth JWT values.

   In addition to the OAuth values, set Profile to the profile you want to connect to. This can be set to either the Id or website URL for the Profile. If not specified, the first Profile returned will be used.

   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.

   👁 Connection properties for the selected data source in the Add Connection dialog. (Salesforce is shown.)
   
5. Choose the database objects you want to work with. This example uses the Traffic table. 👁 Select database objects. (Salesforce is shown.)
   

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 Browser and the y-axis to Sessions.

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 Google Analytics data. Run the chart to display the current data. 👁 The chart, filled with data at run time.

Code Walk-through

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

1. Connect to Google Analytics.
2. Create the GoogleAnalyticsDataAdapter 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:

GoogleAnalyticsConnection conn = new GoogleAnalyticsConnection("Profile=MyProfile;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;");
GoogleAnalyticsCommand comm = new GoogleAnalyticsCommand("SELECT Browser, Sessions FROM Traffic", conn);
GoogleAnalyticsDataAdapter da = new GoogleAnalyticsDataAdapter(comm);
DataSet dataset = new DataSet();
da.Fill(dataset);

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