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ADO.NET Classes: Part 2

The following table lists several important classes in the DataSet hierarchy and provides a brief description as well as a list of some of their important properties and methods:

Class Description Important Properties\Methods

DataSet

Represents a locally cached subset of the total data stored in a data source or sources and provides a relational programming model for working with that data. Includes representations of tables, constraints, and relations between tables. A DataSet object can be filled with data from multiple data sources.

Properties include:

  • Tables — A collection of DataTable objects.

  • Relations — A collection of DataRelation objects.

DataTable

Represents a table of data within a DataSet. A DataTable can be created programmatically or as the result of a database query. Typically, an application accesses the data in a DataSet by iterating through the Rows collection of the appropriate DataTable.

Properties include:

  • Rows — A collection of DataRow objects.

  • Columns — A collection of DataColumn objects.

DataRow/ DataColumn

Represent the rows and columns within DataTable object.

Use the column name to access a piece of data using syntax like the following: datum = MyDataRow["ColumnName"]

DataRelation

Represents a relation between a pair of DataTable objects within a DataSet. Possible relations include one-to-many and parent-child.

Add a DataRelation object to a DataSet Relations collection using the collection's Add method.

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