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

Getting Started

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Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for Salesforce

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

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

Create a Salesforce-Connected Blazor App

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

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

SELECT Salesforce Data from the Blazor App

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

   There are several authentication methods available for connecting to Salesforce: OAuth, Login (or basic), and SSO. The Login method requires you to have the username, password, and security token of the user.

   OAuth Authentication (default)

   The default authentication mechanism (and the one preferred by Salesforce) is OAuth. To use OAuth with CData's embedded OAuth application, leave the connection properties blank. If you have configured your own custom OAuth application with Salesforce (see the Help documentation for more information), set OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL to the properties for you application. Set InitiateOAuth to the desired OAuth flow ("GETANDREFRESH" will have the connector manage the entire OAuth flow).

   Login (or Basic) Authentication

   If you do not wish do not wish to use OAuth authentication, you can use Login (or basic) authentication. Set AuthScheme to Basic, and set the User, Password, and SecurityToken properties. You can configure your security token in Salesforce.

   SSO (single sign-on) Authentication

   SSO (single sign-on) can be used by setting the SSOProperties, SSOLoginUrl, and SSOExchangeURL connection properties, which allow you to authenticate to an identity provider. See the "Getting Started" chapter in the Help documentation for more information.

   Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

   If your Salesforce org has MFA enforcement enabled, set MFACode to the time-based one-time passcode (TOTP) generated by your authenticator app (such as Salesforce Authenticator or Google Authenticator). MFACode applies to both OAuth and Login authentication flows.

   For example: InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;MFACode=YourMFACode

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

    @page "/"
    @using System.Data;
    @using System.Data.CData.Salesforce;
    
    <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
    
    Welcome to your Data app.
    
    <div class="row">
    <div class="col-12">
    
    @using (SalesforceConnection connection = new SalesforceConnection(
    "InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;MFACode=YourMFACode"))
    {
    var sql = "SELECT Contact.Name, SUM(Account.AnnualRevenue) FROM Contact, Account GROUP BY Contact.Name";
    var results = new DataTable();
    
    SalesforceDataAdapter dataAdapter = new SalesforceDataAdapter(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 Salesforce data as an HTML table in the Blazor app. 👁 Query Salesforce from Blazor app.
   

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