Build a Simple VCL Application for Salesforce Data Cloud Data

Embarcadero RAD Studio provides a development environment for Delphi and C++Builder applications. With the CData ODBC Driver for Salesforce Data Cloud, you gain access to live Salesforce Data Cloud data within RAD Studio, abstracting the data into tables, views, and stored procedures that can be used to retrieve Salesforce Data Cloud data. This article will walk through connecting to Salesforce Data Cloud and creating a simple VCL application with the Form Designer.

Create a Connection to Salesforce Data Cloud Data

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Salesforce Data Cloud supports authentication via the OAuth standard.

OAuth

Set to OAuth.

Desktop Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies authentication at the desktop.

You can also authenticate from the desktop via a custom OAuth application, which you configure and register at the Salesforce Data Cloud console. For further information, see Creating a Custom OAuth App in the Help documentation.

Before you connect, set these properties:

• : GETANDREFRESH. You can use to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the .
• (custom applications only): The Client ID assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
• (custom applications only): The Client Secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

When you connect, the driver opens Salesforce Data Cloud's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.

The driver then completes the OAuth process as follows:

• Extracts the access token from the callback URL.
• Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
• Saves OAuth values in so that they persist across connections.

For other OAuth methods, including Web Applications and Headless Machines, refer to the Help documentation.

You can then follow the steps below to use the Data Explorer to create a FireDAC connection to Salesforce Data Cloud data.

1. In a new VCL Forms application, expand the FireDAC node in the Data Explorer.
2. Right-click the ODBC Data Source node in the Data Explorer.
3. Click Add New Connection.
4. Enter a name for the connection.
5. In the FireDAC Connection Editor that appears, set the DataSource property to the name of the ODBC DSN for Salesforce Data Cloud.
👁 A FireDAC connection to the ODBC data source. (Salesforce is shown.)


Create VCL Applications with Connectivity to Salesforce Data Cloud Data

Follow the procedure below to start executing queries to Salesforce Data Cloud data from a simple VCL application that displays the results of a query in a grid.

1. Drop a TFDConnection component onto the form and set the following properties:

   • ConnectionDefName: Select the FireDAC connection to Salesforce Data Cloud data.
   • Connected: Select True from the menu and, in the dialog that appears, enter your credentials.

2. Drop a TFDQuery component onto the form and set the properties below:

   • Connection: Set this property to the TFDConnection component, if this component is not already specified.

   • SQL: Click the button in the SQL property and enter a query. For example:

     SELECT [Account ID], [Account Name] FROM Account WHERE EmployeeCount > 250
     

   • Active: Set this property to true.

3. Drop a TDataSource component onto the form and set the following property:

   • DataSet: In the menu for this property, select the name of the TFDQuery component.

4. Drop a TDBGrid control onto the form and set the following property:

   • DataSource: Select the name of the TDataSource.
5. Drop a TFDGUIxWaitCursor onto the form — this is required to avoid a run-time error.
👁 Components in FireDAC used to databind an editable grid to the data source. (Salesforce is shown.)


You now have an executable application that displays the results of the SQL Query set in the TFDQuery object.

👁 The Data Displayed in a Form. (Salesforce is shown.)


Related Articles

Below you can find other articles for using the CData ODBC Driver with RAD Studio, Delphi, and C++ Builder.

• DataBind Controls to Salesforce Data Cloud Data in C++Builder
• DataBind Controls to Salesforce Data Cloud Data in Delphi
• Viewing Salesforce Data Cloud Data in RAD Studio Data Explorer