Creating Reports / Connecting to Data / Data Source Components / SqlDataSource Component

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Connecting the SqlDataSource Component to a SQL Database

You can connect to a SQL database using the Telerik SqlDataSource component. To do this, you need a valid .NET data provider, connection string and access rights to the SQL database. Then, you can use the SqlDataSource component to provide data to data items (Report, Table, Graph, Map) and report parameters.

To connect to a SQL database using the SqlDataSource component

  1. Open a Telerik Reporting in a Report Designer

    • In Microsoft Visual Studio : From the Telerik Reporting 2024 Q4 group in the Toolbox, select the SqlDataSource component and click on the design surface to add it to the Report.
    • In the Standalone Report Designer : Select SQL Data Source from the Data tab.

    The SqlDataSource Wizard should be started automatically. For already existing SqlDataSource components in the report, select 'Configure...' from the component's Context Menu.

  2. Choose Data Connection dialog box appears.

  3. Click Build New Data Connection to add the connection string to the SQL database:

    The Data provider drop-down lists the installed and registered on the machine.NET data providers. The.NET data provider determines the syntax of connection string, the syntax of SQL query, and what ADO.NET classes will be used by the SqlDataSource component to create a connection and to execute the SQL command. The.NET data provider must be considered with the type of the SQL database you intend to use.

    1. Open the Data provider drop-down and select the.NET data provider suitable for the target SQL database.

    2. In the Connection string text-box, type the prepared and tested connection string or click the Build... button.

      If you click the Build... button, you should see the Connection Properties dialog:

      • Data source: shows the type of data source that will be used, based on the selected.NET data provider. The value should be filled automatically, if a valid.NET provider is set through the Data provider drop-down.
      • Data source box: Shows the type of data source that will be used, based on the selected.NET data provider.
      • Server name box: Enter the address or name for your SQL Server instance.
      • Logon to the server/database : Enter the logon credentials, or if it is supported by the.NET data provider, select to 'Use Windows Authentication'. Select the option that is appropriate for accessing and running the SQL Server database. The settings are turned into standard connection strings attributes. For more details, check The Connection Strings Reference.
      • Select or enter a database name: The option depends on the selected.NET data provider and the required attributes for building the connection string. If the option is visible, enter a valid database on the server e.g. AdventureWorks (MSSQL database used by Telerik Reporting local examples).

    At the end, click Test connection to verify that your connection works. Click OK. You should see the connection string's attributes written in the Connection string text-box.

    Not all connection strings can be built with the Connection Properties dialog, and in such cases the Build... button remains disabled. The connection string will have to be typed manually.

    For our tutorial we will connect to AdventureWorks database installed on MSSQL server instance:

    1. Select Build new data connection.
    2. Open the Data provider drop-down and select SqlClient Data Provider.

    3. Click the Build... button.

      • Data source should state Microsoft SQL Server (SqlClient). Do not change it.
      • In the Server name box select the named MSSQL server instance having the AdventureWorks database e.g. (local)\sqlexpress.
      • Select Use Windows Authentication for the Logon to the server setting. In case of using specififc user to log on the MSSQL server instance, select Use SQL Server Authentication and enter your credentials (username/password).
      • Type AdventureWorks in the Select or enter a database name box.

      Finally, click Test Connection to verify you can connect to the database.

    4. Click the OK button, and in the Connection string text-box you should see a string like Data Source=(local)\sqlexpress;Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;Integrated Security=True* or *Data Source=(local)\sqlexpress;Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;User ID=admin;Password=admin123

  4. Click Next to continue to the Data Connection Options dialog. Where you can:

    • Select Use a shared connection, which option saves the connection string by the name typed in the Alias box, in the current project's CONFIG file, under the connectionStrings element.

      This will let you reuse the connection string for other SqlDataSource components. The Reporting Engine uses a ConfigurationManager(msdn) to search connection strings by name in the current project's configuration file.

    • Select Embed in the report definition, which option saves the connection string the way it is written in the Connection string text-box as SqlDataSource.ConnectionString property.

    For the purpose of this tutorial, we will use the Use a shared connection option. Type AdventureWorksConnection as Alias.

    Click Next.

  5. Follows the Configure data source command dialog.

    • Select Statement: Use this option to type a standard SQL query. You can use the Query Builder button to design the SQL query through the available UI.

      The Visual Studio Report Designer uses the IDE's Query Builder, where the Standalone Report Designer uses its own implementation of a Query Builder.

    • Stored Procedure: Use this option to select a stored procedure existing in the connected SQL database. If the stored procedure is not discovered, you can type its name manually e.g. dbo.GetNotes.

    In this tutorial we will use the Select Statement option. Type the following SQL query:

    SELECT * FROM [HumanResources].[Department] WHERE [HumanResources].[Department].[DepartmentID]=@ID

    If the SQL query returns more than one set of data, only the first result will be used. Test running the SQL query on the SQL server database to verify the syntax.

  6. If the entered SQL query contains SQL parameters, recognizable by the.NET data provider, clicking the Next button will navigate you to the Configure data source parameters step. You should see listed the recognized SQL parameters and their DbType in a grid. In the Value column you can specify static value, report parameter, field, or other expression which once evaluated will be passed to the SQL query.

    In this tutorial we use a parameterized SQL query and you should see the Configure data source parameters window of the wizard. There must be one row in the grid:

    • Name showing the SQL parameter's name, written in TSQL: @ID;
    • DbType showing the SQL parameter's discovered type: String (if no other specified). Change it to Int64 that can be mapped by an Integer report parameter.

    • Click the cell under the Value column and select the New Report Parameter option. In the Report Parameter Editor will be loaded default information about the newly created report parameter, where you can set Type=Integer and Visible=True. Click OK to confirm the changes and to create the report parameter.

      Click Next to navigate to the Configure design time parameters step. Enter design-time (constant) value to evaluate the SQL query and get the data fields in the Report Designer e.g. type 1.

    Click Next.

  7. To test your query, click Next, and then click Execute Query in the Preview data source results step of the wizard.

  8. Click Finish. The SqlDataSource Wizard would close and the SqlDataSource component would be ready for use by the data items.

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