# Data Binding in Section Reports

This is an overview of data binding possibilities in section reports.

## Content

Setting up a connection to the data source is the first step in binding data to the report. Once a successful connection is established, a query is required to get the data you want to show in the report.

## Data Sources

In Section reports, you can set the data source information in the [Connect to a Data Source](/activereportsnet/docs/v19.2/report-authors/data-binding/data-binding-in-section-reports/connect-to-a-datasource-section).
The Report Data Source dialog is where you select the type of data to use, provide a connection string, create a query string, and choose other options for your data source. You can also control the timeout period and select a method for handling credentials. Once you add a data source, its fields appear under the Bound node in the Report Explorer. You can also add calculated fields in a section report.

To quickly build the query strings, ActiveReports provides a JSON Query Designer for JSON provider, and a Visual Query Designer for OLEDB and SQL providers.

> type=note
> **Note**: The [Chart](/activereportsnet/docs/v19.2/report-authors/report-controls/report-controls-section-report/chart-section) data region in Section reports have their own data sources and should be bound separately, similar to how the main report is bound.

## Supported Data Providers

The supported data providers for designing section reports are:

* [OLEDB Provider](/activereportsnet/docs/v19.2/report-authors/data-binding/data-binding-in-section-reports/connect-to-a-datasource-section/oledb-provider-section)
* [ODBC Provider](/activereportsnet/docs/v19.2/report-authors/data-binding/data-binding-in-section-reports/connect-to-a-datasource-section/odbc-provider-section)
* [SQL Provider](/activereportsnet/docs/v19.2/report-authors/data-binding/data-binding-in-section-reports/connect-to-a-datasource-section/sql-provider-section)
* [XML Provider](/activereportsnet/docs/v19.2/report-authors/data-binding/data-binding-in-section-reports/connect-to-a-datasource-section/xml-data-provider-section)
* [CSV Provider](/activereportsnet/docs/v19.2/report-authors/data-binding/data-binding-in-section-reports/connect-to-a-datasource-section/csv-data-source-section)
* [JSON Provider](/activereportsnet/docs/v19.2/report-authors/data-binding/data-binding-in-section-reports/connect-to-a-datasource-section/json-provider-section)
* [Unbound Provider](/activereportsnet/docs/v19.2/report-authors/data-binding/data-binding-in-section-reports/connect-to-a-datasource-section/unbound-provider-section)