OneDrive Connector for C#

OneDrive Connector can be used to integrate OneDrive and your defined data source, e.g. Microsoft SQL, Oracle, Excel, Power BI, etc. Get, write, delete OneDrive data in a few clicks!

In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate OneDrive data in C#. We will use high-performance OneDrive Connector to easily connect to OneDrive and then access the data inside C#.

Let's follow the steps below to see how we can accomplish that!

Download Documentation

OneDrive Connector for C# is based on ZappySys API Driver which is part of ODBC PowerPack. It is a collection of high-performance ODBC drivers that enable you to integrate data in SQL Server, SSIS, a programming language, or any other ODBC-compatible application. ODBC PowerPack supports various file formats, sources and destinations, including REST/SOAP API, SFTP/FTP, storage services, and plain files, to mention a few.

Connect to OneDrive in other apps

Connect to OneDrive in SSIS

Connect to OneDrive in SQL Server

Connect to OneDrive in Power BI

Connect to OneDrive in SSRS

Connect to OneDrive in Informatica

Connect to OneDrive in MS Access

Connect to OneDrive in MS Excel

Connect to OneDrive in SSAS

Connect to OneDrive in Python

Connect to OneDrive in JAVA

Connect to OneDrive in Tableau

Connect to OneDrive in SAP Crystal Reports

Connect to OneDrive in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline)

Connect to OneDrive in Azure Data Factory (SSIS)

Connect to OneDrive in Talend Studio

Connect to OneDrive in UiPath

Connect to OneDrive in PowerShell

Connect to OneDrive in ODBC

Create ODBC Data Source (DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from OneDrive using C# we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from OneDrive. We will later be able to read data using C#. Perform these steps:

Download and install ODBC PowerPack.
Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):
Create a User data source (User DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

ZappySys API Driver
- Create and use User DSN if the client application is run under a User Account. This is an ideal option in design-time, when developing a solution, e.g. in Visual Studio 2019. Use it for both type of applications - 64-bit and 32-bit.
- Create and use System DSN if the client application is launched under a System Account, e.g. as a Windows Service. Usually, this is an ideal option to use in a production environment. Use ODBC Data Source Administrator (32-bit), instead of 64-bit version, if Windows Service is a 32-bit application.
When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "OneDrive" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "OneDrive" is not present in the list, then click "Search Online" and download it. Then set the path to the location where you downloaded it. Finally, click Continue >> to proceed with configuring the DSN:

OnedriveDSN

OneDrive

Now it's time to configure the Connection Manager. Select Authentication Type, e.g. Token Authentication. Then select API Base URL (in most cases, the default one is the right one). More info is available in the Authentication section.

User Credentials [OAuth]

Use delegated access (User Credentials) whenever you want to let a signed-in user work with their own resources or resources they can access. Whether it's an admin setting up policies for their entire organization or a user deleting an email in their inbox, all scenarios involving user actions should use delegated access. [API reference]

Steps how to get and use OneDrive credentials

Follow these simple steps below to create Microsoft Entra ID application with delegated access:

WARNING: To automate your company's processes, make sure you use a system/generic account (e.g. automation@my-company.com). When you use a personal account which is tied to a specific employee profile and that employee leaves the company, the token may become invalid and any automated processes using that token will start to fail.

Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
Access Microsoft Entra ID.
Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
- Supported account type
  - Use Accounts in this organizational directory only, if you need access to data in your organization only.
- Redirect URI:
  - Set the type to Public client/native (mobile & desktop).
  - Use https://zappysys.com/oauth as the URL.
After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs to use later in the configuration:
Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in User Credentials authentication configuration:
- In the Authorization URL field paste the OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Scope field use the default value or select individual scopes, e.g.:
  - email
  - offline_access
  - openid
  - profile
  - User.Read
  - Files.Read.All
  - Files.ReadWrite.All
Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.
Optional step. Choose Default Drive Id from the drop down menu.
Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
Done! Now you are ready to use the API Connector!

Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

OnedriveDSN

OneDrive

User Credentials [OAuth]

https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0

Required Parameters
Authorization URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
Scope	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
Client Secret
Refresh Token File Path
Return URL	https://zappysys.com/oauth
Default Group or User Id (additional Scopes needed to list - If fails enter manually)
Default Drive Id (Select after clicking Generate Token)	me
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429\|503\|423
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True
Login Prompt Option
Search Option For Non-Indexed Fields (Default=Blank - Search Only Indexed)
Extra Headers (e.g. Header1:AAA\|\|Header2:BBB)
IsAppCred	0

Application Credentials [OAuth]

Application-only access is broader and more powerful than delegated access (User Credentials), so you should only use app-only access where needed. Use it when: 1. The application needs to run in an automated way, without user input (for example, a daily script that checks emails from certain contacts and sends automated responses). 2. The application needs to access resources belonging to multiple different users (for example, a backup or data loss prevention app might need to retrieve messages from many different chat channels, each with different participants). 3. You find yourself tempted to store credentials locally and allow the app to sign in 'as' the user or admin. [API reference]

Steps how to get and use OneDrive credentials

Follow these simple steps below to create Microsoft Entra ID application with application access permissions. Using following steps, you can grant very granular app permissions to access File(s). Choose permission based on your need.

Create OAuth app

Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
Access Microsoft Entra ID.
Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
- Supported account type
  - e.g. select Accounts in this organizational directory only if you need access to data in your organization only.
- Redirect URI:
  - Set the type to Public client/native (mobile & desktop).
  - Leave the URL field empty.
After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs:
Continue and create Client secret:
Then copy the Client secret for later steps:
Continue by adding permissions for the app by going to the API permissions section, and clicking on Add a permission:
Select Microsoft Graph:
Then choose Application permissions option:
Continue by adding these Files (OneDrive) permissions (Just search for "Files" and then select desired permissions):
Finish by clicking Add permissions button:
Now it's time to Grant admin consent for your application:
Confirm all the permissions are granted:
Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in Application Credentials authentication configuration:
- In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client Secret field paste the Client secret value you copied in the previous step.
- Optional step. Choose Default Drive Id from the drop down menu.
Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.

Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

OnedriveDSN

OneDrive

Application Credentials [OAuth]

https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0

Required Parameters
Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
Client Secret	Fill-in the parameter...
Default Group or User Id (additional Scopes needed to list - If fails enter manually)	Fill-in the parameter...
Default Drive Id	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
Scope	https://graph.microsoft.com/.default
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429\|503\|423
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True
Search Option For Non-Indexed Fields (Default=Blank - Search Only Indexed)
Extra Headers (e.g. Header1:AAA\|\|Header2:BBB)
IsAppCred	1

Application Credentials with Certificate (Sign JWT with Private Key) [OAuth]

Similar to Assplication-only access but with JWT sign with Private Key [API reference]

Steps how to get and use OneDrive credentials

Create OAuth app

Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
Access Microsoft Entra ID.
Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
- Supported account type
  - e.g. select Accounts in this organizational directory only if you need access to data in your organization only.
After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs:

Configure App Permissions

Continue by adding permissions for the app by going to the API permissions section, and clicking on Add a permission:
Select Microsoft Graph:
Then choose Application permissions option:
Continue by adding these Files (OneDrive) permissions (Just search for "Files" and then select desired permissions):
Finish by clicking Add permissions button:
Now it's time to Grant admin consent for your application:
Confirm all the permissions are granted:

Generate a Self-Signed Certificate

Now let's go through setting up a certificate-based authentication flow for Microsoft Graph or other Azure AD protected APIs using client credentials and a JWT.

You can use OpenSSL or any other way to generate Certificate file but to make it simple we will use below example PowerShell script.

Open PowerShell and execute code listed in below steps.


# Run this in PowerShell
#Change .AddYears(1) to desired number. By default it expires certificate in one year as per below code.

$cert = New-SelfSignedCertificate `
  -Subject "CN=MyClientAppCert" `
  -KeySpec Signature `
  -KeyExportPolicy Exportable `
  -KeyLength 2048 `
  -CertStoreLocation "Cert:\CurrentUser\My" `
  -KeyAlgorithm RSA `
  -HashAlgorithm SHA256 `
  -NotAfter (Get-Date).AddYears(1) `
  -Provider "Microsoft Enhanced RSA and AES Cryptographic Provider"

# Export private key (.pfx)  - Keep this with you to make API calls (SECRET KEY - DONOT SHARE)
$pfxPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\private_key.pfx"
$pwd = ConvertTo-SecureString -String "yourStrongPassword123" -Force -AsPlainText
Export-PfxCertificate -Cert $cert -FilePath $pfxPath -Password $pwd

# Export public certificate (.cer) - UPLOAD this to Azure Portal
$cerPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\public_key.cer"
Export-Certificate -Cert $cert -FilePath $cerPath

Upload the Certificate (i.e. Public Key *.cer)

Once we have certificate file generated.

In your App Registration, go to Certificates & secrets
Under Certificates, click Upload certificate
Select the .cer file (public certificate)
Click Select a file (Browse button)
Select public key file (*.cer) from local machine and click OK to upload

Configure ZappySys Connection - Use private key (i.e. .pfx or .pem)

Now its time to use certificate pfx file (private key) generated in the previous step (NOTE: PFX file contains both private key and public key).

Go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in Application Credentials authentication configuration:
- In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
Configure private key
- go to Certificate Tab
- Change Storage Mode to Disk File: *.pfx format (PKCS#12).
  
  NOTE: You can also use Stored In LocalMachine mode if PFX file already imported in the Local Certificate Storage Area - User Store OR Machine Store.
  If you used OpenSSL to generate key pair then use Disk File: *.pem format (PKCS#8 or PKCS#1) Mode for Cert Store Location.
- Supply the key file path
- Supply the certificate password (same password used in earlier PowerShell script)
Now go back to General Tab, choose Default Group / User Id and Default Drive Id from the drop down menu.
Click Test connection see everything is good

Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

OnedriveDSN

OneDrive

Application Credentials with Certificate (Sign JWT with Private Key) [OAuth]

https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0

Required Parameters
Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
Certificate: * Configure [Client Certificate] Tab *	Fill-in the parameter...
Default Group or User Id (additional Scopes needed to list - If fails enter manually)	Fill-in the parameter...
Default Drive Id	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429\|503\|423
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True
Search Option For Non-Indexed Fields (Default=Blank - Search Only Indexed)
Extra Headers (e.g. Header1:AAA\|\|Header2:BBB)
IsAppCred	1

Once the data source connection has been configured, it's time to configure the SQL query. Select the Preview tab and then click Query Builder button to configure the SQL query:

ZappySys API Driver - OneDrive

OneDrive Connector can be used to integrate OneDrive and your defined data source, e.g. Microsoft SQL, Oracle, Excel, Power BI, etc. Get, write, delete OneDrive data in a few clicks!

OnedriveDSN
Start by selecting the Table or Endpoint you are interested in and then configure the parameters. This will generate a query that we will use in C# to retrieve data from OneDrive. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.
```
SELECT * FROM Files
```
Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the OneDrive API, e.g. filtering parameters. It means that filtering will be done on the server side (instead of the client side), enabling you to get only the meaningful data much faster.
Now hit Preview Data button to preview the data using the generated SQL query. If you are satisfied with the result, use this query in C#:
ZappySys API Driver - OneDrive

OneDrive Connector can be used to integrate OneDrive and your defined data source, e.g. Microsoft SQL, Oracle, Excel, Power BI, etc. Get, write, delete OneDrive data in a few clicks!

OnedriveDSN
```
SELECT * FROM Files
```
You can also access data quickly from the tables dropdown by selecting <Select table>.

A WHERE clause, LIMIT keyword will be performed on the client side, meaning that the whole result set will be retrieved from the OneDrive API first, and only then the filtering will be applied to the data. If possible, it is recommended to use parameters in Query Builder to filter the data on the server side (in OneDrive servers).
Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Watch this video on YouTube

Read data in C#

Using ODBC DSN

Create a new Console project and use this code to read the data:

"OnedriveDSN";
Press F5 to run the code and read the data:

Here is the code in text format:

using System;
using System.Data.Odbc;

namespace ConsoleApp {
    class Program {
        static void Main() {
            var dsn = "OnedriveDSN";
            using (var conn = new OdbcConnection(String.Format("DSN={0}", dsn)))
            {
                conn.Open();
                var cmd = new OdbcCommand("SELECT * FROM Products", conn);
                
                //Increase the timeout duration from the default 30 seconds, which may be insufficient in certain scenarios
                cmd.CommandTimeout=600; // 600-Seconds
                
                var rdr = cmd.ExecuteReader();
                while (rdr.Read())
                {
                    for (int i = 0; i < rdr.FieldCount; i++)
                    {
                            Console.Write("{0}\t", rdr[i]);
                    }
                    Console.WriteLine();
                }
            }
            Console.ReadKey();
        }
    }
}

Using a full ODBC connection string

If you want to avoid being dependent on a DSN and creating multiple DSNs for each platform (x86, x64), then you can use a fully qualified connection string. Simply go to your DSN and copy the Connection String:

Open ODBC data source configuration and click Copy settings:

ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]

ZappySys API Driver - OneDrive

OneDrive Connector can be used to integrate OneDrive and your defined data source, e.g. Microsoft SQL, Oracle, Excel, Power BI, etc. Get, write, delete OneDrive data in a few clicks!

OnedriveDSN
The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard:

Then in your C# code, pass the connection string as an argument when calling the OdbcConnection object's constructor, for example:

var connectionString = @"DRIVER={ZappySys API Driver};ServiceUrl=https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0;Provider=Custom;OAuthVersion=OAuth2;ScopeSeparator={space};GrantType=Default;Scope=[$Scope$];ScopeSeparator={space};";

using (var conn = new OdbcConnection(connectionString))
{
    // your code goes here
}

Limitations of using a full connection string

Despite using a full ODBC connection string may be very convenient it comes with a limitation: it's length is limited to 1024 symbols (or sometimes more). It usually happens when API provider generates a very long Refresh Token when OAuth is at play. If you are using such a long ODBC connection string, you may get this error:

"Connection string exceeds maximum allowed length of 1024"

But there is a solution to this by storing the full connection string in a file. Follow the steps below to achieve this:

Open your ODBC data source.
Click Copy settings button to copy a full connection string (see the previous section on how to accomplish that).
Then create a new file, let's say, in C:\temp\odbc-connection-string.txt.
Continue by pasting the copied connection string into a newly created file and save it.
Finally, the last step! Just construct a shorter ODBC connection string using this format:
```
DRIVER={ZappySys API Driver};SettingsFile=C:\temp\odbc-connection-string.txt
```
Our troubles are over! Now you should be able to use this connection string in C# with no problems.

This feature requires ODBC PowerPack v1.9.0 or later.