The DataSet object can be thought of as the heart of ADO.NET's disconnected architecture. The DataSet object is an in memory copy of the data stored by a DataAdapter. The structure of the DataSet is like a relational database. It exposes a hierarchical model of tables, rows and columns. It also contains constraints and relations just like a database. When working with a set of related tables, the DataSet becomes a handy object.
Another important feature of the DataSet is that it uses XML to represent the data.
The structure of the DataSet, its tables, rows, columns, and everything else can be defined as an XML schema. A DataSet can read and write XML schemas using its ReadXmlSchema and WriteXmlSchema methods. XML is used to store and transmit data of all kinds. As XML is an almost universally accepted format, the data can be transported to or received from any platform using a DataSet.
The DataSet is populated with:
- A DataAdapter's Fill method
- Using the ReadXml method
- Manually
The DataSet is not connected to a data source after it is populated. This feature differentiates it from ADO objects. An ADO RecordSet has record pointers while all the records are current in a DataSet. That's why it does not support record navigation methods. Instead of using a record, the DataSet object uses the Rows collection. It can still be manipulated like any collection, however. AS the DataSet is an in-memory database, ADO.NET provides us with methods to build the schema for the DataSet easily.
Building An In-Memory Schema
A DataSet is not directly tied to a data source. It's a temporary storage area for data coming from multiple data sources. Yet, we still can work with it using a consistent object model, regardless of its original source.
