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Using DataSets in ADO.NET 

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

  • Copying DataSet Contents
    Describes how to create a copy of a DataSet that can contain schema as well as specified data.
  • 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.

See Also

Other Resources

ADO.NET