How to: Bind a Report to Multiple MDB Data Sources (Runtime Sample)

• Nov 16, 2018
• 2 minutes to read

This tutorial describes the steps used to bind your Snap report to multiple unrelated data sources simultaneously. This is useful when you wish to allow your end-user to choose from multiple data sources or create combined reports.

Follow these steps to create a report with multiple data sources.

1. Start Microsoft Visual Studio 2012, 2013, 2015 or 2017, and create a new Windows Forms application or open an existing one.
2. Drop the SnapControl from the DX18.2: Reporting Toolbox tab on the application’s main form.

3. To connect the application to data, handle the Load event of the application’s main form and add the following code in the event handler.

   C#

   
   using System;
   using System.Data;
   using System.Windows.Forms;
   using System.Data.OleDb;
   using DevExpress.Snap.Core.API;
   // ...
   
   string PathToNwind = 
     "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\\Users\\Public\\Documents\\DevExpress Demos 14.1\\Components\\Data\\nwind.mdb";
   string PathToCarsDB = 
     "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\\Users\\Public\\Documents\\DevExpress Demos 14.1\\Components\\Data\\CarsDB.mdb";
   DataSet ds = new DataSet();
   
   private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) {
       snapControl1.Document.BeginUpdateDataSource();
       AddDataSource(PathToNwind, "Categories");
       AddDataSource(PathToCarsDB, "Cars");
       snapControl1.Document.EndUpdateDataSource();
   }
   
   public void AddDataSource(string path, string table) {
       OleDbDataAdapter adapter = new OleDbDataAdapter("SELECT * FROM " + table, @path);
       adapter.Fill(ds, table);
       snapControl1.Document.DataSources.Add(new DataSourceInfo(table, ds));
   }
   

   VB.NET

   
   Imports System
   Imports System.Data
   Imports System.Windows.Forms
   Imports System.Data.OleDb
   Imports DevExpress.Snap.Core.API
   ' ...
   
   Private PathToNwind As String = _ 
     "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\Users\Public\Documents\DevExpress Demos 14.1\Components\Data\nwind.mdb"
   Private PathToCarsDB As String = _ 
     "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\Users\Public\Documents\DevExpress Demos 14.1\Components\Data\CarsDB.mdb"
   Private ds As New DataSet()
   
   Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
       snapControl1.Document.BeginUpdateDataSource()
       AddDataSource(PathToNwind, "Categories")
       AddDataSource(PathToCarsDB, "Cars")
       snapControl1.Document.EndUpdateDataSource()
   End Sub
   
   Public Sub AddDataSource(ByVal path As String, ByVal table As String)
       Dim adapter As New OleDbDataAdapter("SELECT * FROM " & table, path)
       adapter.Fill(ds, table)
       snapControl1.Document.DataSources.Add(New DataSourceInfo(table, ds))
   End Sub
   

The Snap application is now ready. Run it to create your report.

To design the report layout, drop fields from the Data Explorer onto the report editing surface.