Working with Datasets in N-Tier Applications

Article
02/04/2013

N-tier data applications are data-centric applications that are separated into multiple logical layers (or tiers). In other words, an n-tier data application is an application that is separated into multiple projects, with the data access tier, the business logic tier, and the presentation tier each in its own project. For more information, see N-Tier Data Applications Overview.

Typed datasets have been enhanced so that the TableAdapters and dataset classes can be generated into discrete projects. This provides the ability to quickly separate application layers and generate n-tier data applications.

N-tier support in typed datasets enables iterative development of the application architecture to an n-tier design and removes the requirement to manually separate the code into more than one project. Start out designing the data layer by using the Dataset Designer. When you are ready to take the application architecture to an n-tiered design, set the DataSet Project property of a dataset to generate the dataset class into a separate project.

In This Section

How to: Separate Datasets and TableAdapters into Different Projects
Describes how to move the generated dataset class out of the project that contains the generated TableAdapter classes and into a new project.
How to: Add Code to TableAdapters in N-Tier Applications
Describes how to generate a partial class in which code can be added for an n-tier TableAdapter.
How to: Add Code to Datasets in N-Tier Applications
Describes how to generate a partial class in which code can be added for an n-tier dataset.
How to: Add Validation to an N-Tier Dataset
Describes where to add code to perform validation on changing data.
Walkthrough: Creating an N-Tier Data Application
Provides step-by-step instructions for creating a typed dataset and separating the TableAdapter and dataset code into multiple projects.
Walkthrough: Adding Validation to an N-Tier Data Application
Provides step-by-step instructions for adding validation to the application created in the n-tier data application walkthrough.
Walkthrough: Adding a Local Database Cache to an N-Tier Application
Provides step-by-step instructions for incorporating Microsoft Synchronization Services for ADO.NET into the application created in the n-tier data application walkthrough.