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Walkthrough: Create a dataset for .NET Framework applications using the Dataset Designer

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Datasets and related classes are legacy .NET Framework technologies from the early 2000s that enable applications to work with data in memory while the applications are disconnected from the database. The technologies are especially useful for applications that enable users to modify data and persist the changes back to the database. Although datasets have proven to be a very successful technology, we recommend that new .NET applications use Entity Framework Core. Entity Framework provides a more natural way to work with tabular data as object models, and it has a simpler programming interface.

In this walkthrough you create a dataset using the Dataset Designer. The article takes you through the process of creating a new project and adding a new DataSet item to it. You'll learn how to create tables based on tables in a database without using a wizard.

Prerequisites

To complete this tutorial, you need the .NET desktop development workload and (for the Data Sources window) the Data storage and processing workload installed in Visual Studio. To install them, open Visual Studio Installer and choose Modify (or More > Modify) next to the version of Visual Studio you want to modify. See Modify Visual Studio.

This walkthrough uses SQL Server Express LocalDB and the Northwind sample database.

  1. If you don't have SQL Server Express LocalDB, install it either from the SQL Server Express download page, or through the Visual Studio Installer. In the Visual Studio Installer, SQL Server Express LocalDB can be installed as part of the Data storage and processing workload, or as an individual component.

  2. Install the Northwind sample database by following these steps:

    1. In Visual Studio, open the SQL Server Object Explorer window. (SQL Server Object Explorer is installed as part of the Data storage and processing workload in the Visual Studio Installer.) Expand the SQL Server node. Right-click on your LocalDB instance and select New Query.

      A query editor window opens.

    2. Copy the Northwind Transact-SQL script to your clipboard. This T-SQL script creates the Northwind database from scratch and populates it with data.

    3. Paste the T-SQL script into the query editor, and then choose the Execute button.

      After a short time, the query finishes executing and the Northwind database is created.

Create a New Windows Forms Application Project

  1. In Visual Studio, create a new Windows Forms App (.NET Framework) project and name it DatasetDesignerWalkthrough.

    Visual Studio adds the project to Solution Explorer and display a new form in the designer.

Add a New Dataset to the Application

  1. On the Project menu, select Add New Item.

    The Add New Item dialog box appears.

  2. In the left-hand pane, select Data, then select DataSet in the middle pane.

  3. Name the Dataset NorthwindDataset, and then choose Add.

    Visual Studio adds a file called NorthwindDataset.xsd to the project and opens it in the Dataset Designer.

Create a Data Connection in Server Explorer

  1. On the View menu, click Server Explorer.

  2. In Server Explorer, click the Connect to Database button.

  3. Create a connection to the Northwind sample database.

Create the Tables in the Dataset

This section explains how to add tables to the dataset.

To create the Customers table

  1. Expand the data connection you created in Server Explorer, and then expand the Tables node.

  2. Drag the Customers table from Server Explorer onto the Dataset Designer.

    A Customers data table and CustomersTableAdapter are added to the dataset.

To create the Orders table

  • Drag the Orders table from Server Explorer onto the Dataset Designer.

    An Orders data table, OrdersTableAdapter, and data relation between the Customers and Orders tables are added to the dataset.

To create the OrderDetails table

  • Drag the Order Details table from Server Explorer onto the Dataset Designer.

    An Order Details data table, OrderDetailsTableAdapter, and a data relation between the Orders and OrderDetails tables are added to the dataset.

Save the dataset

The dataset that you just created is available in the Data Sources window. If you don't see the Data Sources window, check that you have the Data storage and processing workload installed as mentioned in the Prerequisites.

You can now perform any of the following tasks:

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