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

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for Bullhorn CRM

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

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

Create a Bullhorn CRM-Connected Blazor App

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

1. Create a Blazor project on Visual Studio.

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.BullhornCRM.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData ADO.NET Provider for Bullhorn CRM\lib etstandard2.0).

SELECT Bullhorn CRM Data from the Blazor App

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

   Begin by providing your Bullhorn CRM account credentials in the following:

   • DataCenterCode: Set this to the data center code which responds to your data center. Refer to the list of data-center-specific Bullhorn API URLs: https://bullhorn.github.io/Data-Center-URLs/

   If you are uncertain about your data center code, codes like CLS2, CLS21, etc. are cluster IDs that are contained in a user's browser URL (address bar) once they are logged in.

   Example: https://cls21.bullhornstaffing.com/BullhornSTAFFING/MainFrame.jsp?#no-ba... indicates that the logged in user is on CLS21.

   Authenticating with OAuth

   Bullhorn CRM uses the OAuth 2.0 authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, create and configure a custom OAuth app. See the Help documentation for more information.

   For example: DataCenterCode=CLS33;OAuthClientId=myoauthclientid;OAuthClientSecret=myoauthclientsecret;

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

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.BullhornCRM;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (BullhornCRMConnection connection = new BullhornCRMConnection(
                   "DataCenterCode=CLS33;OAuthClientId=myoauthclientid;OAuthClientSecret=myoauthclientsecret;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Id, CandidateName FROM Candidate WHERE CandidateName = 'Jane Doe'";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     BullhornCRMDataAdapter dataAdapter = new BullhornCRMDataAdapter(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 Bullhorn CRM data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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