DataSets, DataTables, and DataViews
The ADO.NET DataSet is a memory-resident representation of data that provides a consistent relational programming model regardless of the source of the data it contains. A DataSet represents a complete set of data including the tables that contain, order, and constrain the data, as well as the relationships between the tables.
There are several ways of working with a DataSet, which can be applied independently or in combination. You can:
Programmatically create a DataTable, DataRelation, and Constraint within a DataSet and populate the tables with data.
Populate the DataSet with tables of data from an existing relational data source using a
DataAdapter.Load and persist the DataSet contents using XML. For more information, see Using XML in a DataSet.
A strongly typed DataSet can also be transported using an XML Web service. The design of the DataSet makes it ideal for transporting data using XML Web services. For an overview of XML Web services, see XML Web Services Overview. For an example of consuming a DataSet from an XML Web service, see Consuming a DataSet from an XML Web Service.
In this section
Security guidance
Provides security guidance for DataSet and DataTable.
Creating a DataSet
Describes the syntax for creating an instance of a DataSet.
Adding a DataTable to a DataSet
Describes how to create and add tables and columns to a DataSet.
Adding DataRelations
Describes how to create relations between tables in a DataSet.
Navigating DataRelations
Describes how to use the relations between tables in a DataSet to return the child or parent rows of a parent-child relationship.
Merging DataSet Contents
Describes how to merge the contents of one DataSet, DataTable, or DataRow array into another DataSet.
Copying DataSet Contents
Describes how to create a copy of a DataSet that can contain schema as well as specified data.
Handling DataSet Events
Describes the events of a DataSet and how to use them.
Typed DataSets
Discusses what a typed DataSet is and how to create and use it.
DataTables
Describes how to create a DataTable, define the schema, and manipulate data.
DataTableReaders
Describes how to create and use a DataTableReader.
DataViews
Describes how to create and work with DataViews and work with DataView events.
Using XML in a DataSet
Describes how the DataSet interacts with XML as a data source, including loading and persisting the contents of a DataSet as XML data.
Consuming a DataSet from an XML Web Service
Describes how to create an XML Web service that uses a DataSet to transport data.
Related sections
What's New in ADO.NET
Introduces features that are new in ADO.NET.
ADO.NET Overview
Provides an introduction to the design and components of ADO.NET.
Populating a DataSet from a DataAdapter
Describes how to load a DataSet with data from a data source.
Updating Data Sources with DataAdapters
Describes how to resolve changes to the data in a DataSet back to the data source.
Adding Existing Constraints to a DataSet
Describes how to populate a DataSet with primary key information from a data source.