Feed SQL Server Data into FineReport

The CData JDBC Driver for SQL Server fully implements the JDBC standard and can provide SQL Server data connectivity to a wide variety of BI, reporting, and ETL tools and custom applications. In this article, we explain how to set SQL Server data as JDBC data source in FineReport and view SQL Server data as a table in the Report Designer.

Set Up a JDBC Data Source of SQL Server Data

Follow the instruction below to set SQL Server data as a FineReport database connection.

1. Copy the cdata.jdbc.sql.jar file from the lib folder in the CData JDBC Driver for SQL Server installation directory to the lib folder of the FineReport installation directory. You will need to copy the cdata.jdbc.sql.lic file as well.
2. From the Server tab, select Define Data Connection, click to add a new connection, and click JDBC.

Next we will set up the data connection definition in the window.

1. Database: Others
2. JDBC Driver: cdata.jdbc.sql.SQLDriver
3. URL: A standard JDBC connection string using semicolon-separated connection properties.

   Connecting to Microsoft SQL Server

   Connect to Microsoft SQL Server using the following properties:

   • Server: The name of the server running SQL Server.
   • User: The username provided for authentication with SQL Server.
   • Password: The password associated with the authenticating user.
   • Database: The name of the SQL Server database.

   Connecting to Azure SQL Server and Azure Data Warehouse

   You can authenticate to Azure SQL Server or Azure Data Warehouse by setting the following connection properties:

   • Server: The server running Azure. You can find this by logging into the Azure portal and navigating to "SQL databases" (or "SQL data warehouses") -> "Select your database" -> "Overview" -> "Server name."
   • User: The name of the user authenticating to Azure.
   • Password: The password associated with the authenticating user.
   • Database: The name of the database, as seen in the Azure portal on the SQL databases (or SQL warehouses) page.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

   For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the SQL Server JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.sql.jar

   Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

   When you configure the JDBC URL, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

   A typical JDBC URL is below:

   jdbc:sql:User=myUser;Password=myPassword;Database=NorthWind;Server=myServer;Port=1433;
4. Click Connection pool attributes and set Test before getting connections to No.

Click Test connection to ensure you have configured the connection properly. With the connection to SQL Server set up, you can use it as FineReport data source.

Select SQL Server Data in the Report Designer.

1. Click to add a new template data set and select DB query to open the database query window.
2. Choose the JDBC connection that you created from the dropdown list.
3. The SQL Server entities will appear as tables on the left pane.
4. Write a SELECT statement for the SQL Server data tables and columns that you want to load.
5. Click preview and data is shown as table.

With these simple steps, SQL Server can be used as a JDBC data source in FineReport.