1. REST Easy - Instant APIs for Your Database
Good morning! How's everyone doing today? Anything particularly interesting so far? Anything you're looking forward to this afternoon?
Well, without any further ado, let's get started.
This is REST Easy - Instant APIs for Your Database
My name is Jerod Johnson and I'm a Technology Evangelist for CData Software
REST Easy - Instant APIs for Your Database
Jerod Johnson, Technology Evangelist

2. Agenda Introduction Problem: RESTful access to SQL Server data
CData API Server & SQL Server integration
Demo: SQL Server in Angular
Demo: SQL Server in React
So what are you in store for today? In this session, you'll hear a little bit about who CData is and what we do (as well as a brief introduction to who I am).
From there, I'll describe a problem that's common to many industries, getting RESTful access to SQL Server data.
After introducing the problem, I'll introduce the CData API Server and how it provides a solution. With that, I'll also walk through what it looks like to configure the CData API Server to provide RESTful access to SQL Server data.
With the CData API Server configured, I'll be able to walk through two demo Web apps that demonstrating utilizing the easily created REST interface for live SQL Server data.

3. CData Software At A Glance
See the World as a Database
Started in 2005 as part of /n software
Spun off as CData Software in 2014
Headquarters: Chapel Hill, NC
110+ Data Sources
'See the World as a Database'
Alright, introductions:
CData Software started in 2005 as a part of /n software, a leading provider of internet components and libraries (which itself started in 1994).
In 2014, we spun off as a separate entity, with a focus on creating standards-based connectivity to SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources through database-like interfaces. Technologies include JDBC, ODBC, ADO.NET, and more.
We currently offer drivers for more than 110+ sources.
CData lets you see the world as a database.
About me, again, my name is Jerod Johnson. I've been with CData for about 5 years. I spent my first two-ish years as a member of the support and development teams. In January 2016, I moved into my current role in technical marketing and technology evangelism.

4. RESTful Access to SQL Server Data
The Problem
RESTful Access to SQL Server Data
Growth in API-driven consumption platforms and services
Current Options:
Entity Framework
Web development frameworks
Development + maintenance costs
Okay, on to the meat and potatoes of this session.
As businesses move towards more web-based solutions, so to does the number of API-driven consumption platforms and services. The problem lies in the fact that many prevalent data storage solutions, like SQL Server, do not have a direct API interface.
The current options for creating web access to SQL Server data are limited, either through development frameworks like Entity Framework, Apir.IO or Vooban.
The major drawback for these option is the time and money it costs to develop and maintain the solutions created.
Additionally, the solutions aren't always a pure web interface, requiring developers to use SQL queries in their client-side code in order to work with SQL Server data.
This is where API builders like API Server come into play.

5. Build a REST API Using a Point-and-Click Interface
CData API Server
Build a REST API Using a Point-and-Click Interface
Create fully-documented APIs
Supports popular data formats
Configure security and user access
Critical API management features
Publishable API
The CData API Server is an installed application (can be installed locally or hosted in the cloud), that allows you to build a REST API for database data using a simple point and click interface.
When you connect a data source to the API Server and create resources, you immediately get a fully document, discoverable API based on the OpenAPI specification.
With API Server APIs, you can access your database data using popular data formats and protocols like SOAP, REST, HTML, ATOM, JSON, XLS, CSV and more.
You also get full control over the security (like SSL) of your API and who accesses your data based on user access.
API server include critical API management features, like monitoring, logging, rate-limiting, and more.
And when you build your API, it is fully publishable, meaning you can build and customize the API safely behind the firewall, and then only publish the accessible endpoints to a web-facing server or VM.

6. Build a REST API Using a Point-and-Click Interface
Demonstration
Build a REST API Using a Point-and-Click Interface
Connect API Server to a SQL Server Instance:
Create user(s)
Add a SQL Server Connection
Select and modify resources
(Enable CORS)
Video (YouTube [11:24])
So what does building an API using API server looking like? Let's find out. I'll hop out of the presentation to a live instance of the API server running on this laptop (did I mention that API Server is a lightweight application?) and walk through creating users, adding a SQL Server Connection and selecting and modifying resources. For this demo, I'll also need to enable Cross-Origin Resource Sharing, since I'll be accessing the API from outside of the domain in the demo web applications.

7. Build Dynamic Web Apps from SQL Server Data
Demonstration
Build Dynamic Web Apps from SQL Server Data
React Web App (Article:
Dynamic Tables
Angular Web App (Article:
Dynamic Tables from Relational Data
Okay, now that we've configured our API, we can walk through a couple of demo web apps. First, we'll look at a simple React Web APP that builds dynamic tables based on SQL Server data.
After that we'll look at an Angular Web App that builds dynamic tables from relational data.

8. What's the saying for presentations
What's the saying for presentations? Say what you're going to say; then say it; then say what you said?
Well, we're on the last part. Today, we've talked about the problem that is RESTful access to SQL Server data. I've demonstrated how you can REST easy with the CData API server, easily building REST APIs for your data whether its in SQL Server or any of the other supported data stores, from SQLite to SQL Server to Google BigQuery. Finally, I showed how you can seamlessly integrate your database data into simple web apps.
Any questions?
Questions?