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Friday, 27 May 2011

Data Access using Dynamics - Part II: The DynamicDataSet


Introduction

In my previous article, I demonstrated how to leverage the Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR) to create a flexible, dynamic wrapper for the ADO.NET DbDataReader class and its subclasses.

In this article, we are going to look at creating a dynamic version of another staple component of the ADO.NET framework, namely the DataSet. Again, I'm sure many seasoned .NET developers will recognise the following hypothetical example:

// C#
using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["MyDatabase"].ConnectionString))
{
    string sql = "SELECT SomeColumn, AnotherColumn FROM SomeTable";
    SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand(sql, connection);
    SqlDataAdapter dataAdapter = new SqlDataAdapter(command);
    DataSet dataSet = new DataSet();
    dataAdapter.Fill(dataSet, "SomeTable");
    foreach (DataRow row in dataSet.Tables["SomeTable"].Rows)
    {
        int foo = (int)row["SomeColumn"];
        string bar = (string)row["AnotherColumn"];
        // Do some stuff with the data.
    }
}
' Visual Basic
Using connection As SqlConnection = New SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("MyDatabase").ConnectionString)
    Dim sql As String = "SELECT SomeColumn, AnotherColumn FROM SomeTable"
    Dim command As SqlCommand = New SqlCommand(sql, connection)
    Dim dataAdapter As SqlDataAdapter = New SqlDataAdapter(command)
    Dim dataSet As DataSet = New DataSet()
    dataAdapter.Fill(dataSet, "SomeTable")
    For Each row As DataRow In dataSet.Tables("SomeTable").Rows
        Dim foo As Integer = DirectCast(row("SomeColumn"), Integer)
        Dim bar As String = DirectCast(row("AnotherColumn"), Integer)
        ' Do some stuff with the data.
    Next
End Using

The Dynamic DataSet and its Components

Before we look at the code for the DynamicDataSet class and all its component classes, we first need to extend the DynamicDataObjectWrapper class we looked at in the previous article:

// C#
public abstract class DynamicListSourceDataObjectWrapper<T> : DynamicDataObjectWrapper<T>, IListSource
    where T : IListSource
{
    public DynamicListSourceDataObjectWrapper(T obj)
        : base(obj)
    {
    }

    public virtual bool ContainsListCollection
    {
        get { return Obj.ContainsListCollection; }
    }

    public virtual IList GetList()
    {
        return Obj.GetList();
    }
}
' Visual Basic
Public MustInherit Class DynamicListSourceDataObjectWrapper(Of T As IListSource)
    Inherits DynamicDataObjectWrapper(Of T)
    Implements IListSource

    Public Sub New(ByVal obj As T)
        MyBase.New(obj)
    End Sub

    Public ReadOnly Property ContainsListCollection As Boolean Implements IListSource.ContainsListCollection
        Get
            Return Obj.ContainsListCollection
        End Get
    End Property

    Public Function GetList() As System.Collections.IList Implements IListSource.GetList
        Return Obj.GetList()
    End Function
End Class

As you can see, this class implements the IListSource, which will enable us to use our DynamicDataSet and DynamicDataTable classes with the standard ASP.NET data controls.

Now, let's look a the code for the DynamicDataSet class:

// C#
public class DynamicDataSet : DynamicListSourceDataObjectWrapper<DataSet>
{
    public DynamicDataSet()
        : this(new DataSet())
    {
    }

    public DynamicDataSet(DataSet dataSet)
        : base(dataSet)
    {
    }

    public override bool TryGetMember(GetMemberBinder binder, out object result)
    {
        if (base.TryGetMember(binder, out result))
            return true;
        else
        {
            try
            {
                if (Obj.Tables.Contains(binder.Name))
                    result = (DynamicDataTable)Obj.Tables[binder.Name];
                else
                    result = (DynamicDataTable)Obj.Tables.Add(binder.Name);
                return true;
            }
            catch (Exception)
            {
                result = null;
                return false;
            }
        }
    }

    public override bool TrySetMember(SetMemberBinder binder, object value)
    {
        if (base.TrySetMember(binder, value))
            return true;
        else
        {
            try
            {
                dynamic table = value;
                table.TableName = binder.Name;
                Obj.Tables.Add(table);
                return true;
            }
            catch (Exception)
            {
                return false;
            }
        }
    }

    public override bool TryGetIndex(GetIndexBinder binder, object[] indexes, out object result)
    {
        try
        {
            object index = indexes[0];
            if (index is int)
            {
                result = (DynamicDataTable)Obj.Tables[(int)index];
                return true;
            }
            else if (index is string)
            {
                result = (DynamicDataTable)Obj.Tables[(string)index];
                return true;
            }
            else
            {
                result = null;
                return false;
            }
        }
        catch (Exception)
        {
            result = null;
            return false;
        }
    }

    public static implicit operator DataSet(DynamicDataSet dataSet)
    {
        return dataSet.Obj;
    }

    public static explicit operator DynamicDataSet(DataSet dataSet)
    {
        return new DynamicDataSet(dataSet);
    }
}
' Visual Basic
Public Class DynamicDataSet
    Inherits DynamicListSourceDataObjectWrapper(Of DataSet)

    Public Sub New()
        Me.New(New DataSet())
    End Sub

    Public Sub New(ByVal dataSet As DataSet)
        MyBase.New(dataSet)
    End Sub

    Public Overrides Function TryGetMember(binder As GetMemberBinder, ByRef result As Object) As Boolean
        If MyBase.TryGetMember(binder, result) Then
            Return True
        Else
            Try
                If Obj.Tables.Contains(binder.Name) Then
                    result = CType(Obj.Tables(binder.Name), DynamicDataTable)
                Else
                    result = CType(Obj.Tables.Add(binder.Name), DynamicDataTable)
                End If
                Return True
            Catch ex As Exception
                result = Nothing
                Return False
            End Try
        End If
    End Function

    Public Overrides Function TrySetMember(binder As SetMemberBinder, value As Object) As Boolean
        If MyBase.TrySetMember(binder, value) Then
            Return True
        Else
            Try
                Dim table As Object = value
                table.TableName = binder.Name
                Obj.Tables.Add(table)
                Return True
            Catch ex As Exception
                Return False
            End Try
        End If
    End Function

    Public Overrides Function TryGetIndex(binder As GetIndexBinder, indexes() As Object, ByRef result As Object) As Boolean
        If MyBase.TryGetIndex(binder, indexes, result) Then
            Return True
        Else
            Try
                Dim index As Object = indexes(0)
                If TypeOf (index) Is Integer Then
                    result = CType(Obj.Tables(DirectCast(index, Integer)), DynamicDataTable)
                    Return True
                ElseIf TypeOf (index) Is String Then
                    result = CType(Obj.Tables(DirectCast(index, String)), DynamicDataTable)
                    Return True
                Else
                    result = Nothing
                    Return False
                End If
            Catch ex As Exception
                result = Nothing
                Return False
            End Try
        End If
    End Function

    Public Shared Widening Operator CType(ByVal dataSet As DynamicDataSet) As DataSet
        Return dataSet.Obj
    End Operator

    Public Shared Narrowing Operator CType(ByVal dataSet As DataSet) As DynamicDataSet
        Return New DynamicDataSet(dataSet)
    End Operator

End Class

Notice how we provide overrides for both the TryGetMember() and TrySetMember() methods which will allow us not only to select a table from our data set via dynamic properties, but also to create a new table. The TryGetIndex() and TrySetIndex() overrides allow us to do the same thing using indexers.

As with the DynamicDataReader class from the previous article, we also provide a pair of conversion operators for easy conversion between the static object and its dynamic wrapper. This is a pattern we will follow throughout this exercise.

Now it is time to take a look at the DynamicDataTable class. Like the DynamicDataSet, it inherits from DynamicListSourceDataObjectWrapper, allowing it to be used with ASP.NET data controls. We override the TryGetMember() and TrySetMember() methods in such a way that accessing a dynamic property will return the appropriate column from the table; and setting a dynamic property will create a new column in the table:

// C#
public override bool TryGetMember(GetMemberBinder binder, out object result)
{
    if (base.TryGetMember(binder, out result))
        return true;
    else
    {
        try
        {
            result = Obj.Columns[binder.Name];
            return true;
        }
        catch
        {
            result = null;
            return false;
        }
    }
}

public override bool TrySetMember(SetMemberBinder binder, object value)
{
    if (base.TrySetMember(binder, value))
        return true;
    else
    {
        try
        {
            Type columnType = (Type)value;
            Obj.Columns.Add(binder.Name, columnType);
            return true;
        }
        catch(Exception)
        {
            return false;
        }
    }
}
' Visual Basic
Public Overrides Function TryGetMember(binder As GetMemberBinder, ByRef result As Object) As Boolean
    If MyBase.TryGetMember(binder, result) Then
        Return True
    Else
        Try
            result = Obj.Columns(binder.Name)
            Return True
        Catch ex As Exception
            result = Nothing
            Return False
        End Try
    End If
End Function

Public Overrides Function TrySetMember(binder As SetMemberBinder, value As Object) As Boolean
    If MyBase.TrySetMember(binder, value) Then
        Return True
    Else
        Try
            Dim columnType As Type = DirectCast(value, Type)
            Obj.Columns.Add(binder.Name, columnType)
            Return True
        Catch ex As Exception
            Return False
        End Try
    End If
End Function

With the TryGetIndex(), however, we are going to be slightly more creative. If the indexer is accessed via an integer, then we return the respective row from the table. On the other hand, if the indexer is accessed via a string, then we return the respective column from the table:

// C#
public override bool TryGetIndex(GetIndexBinder binder, object[] indexes, out object result)
{
    try
    {
        object index = indexes[0];
        if (index is int)
        {
            result = (DynamicDataRow)Obj.Rows[(int)index];
            return true;
        }
        else if (index is string)
        {
            result = Obj.Columns[(string)index];
            return true;
        }
        else
        {
            result = null;
            return false;
        }
    }
    catch (Exception)
    {
        result = null;
        return false;
    }
}
' Visual Basic
Public Overrides Function TryGetIndex(binder As GetIndexBinder, indexes() As Object, ByRef result As Object) As Boolean
    If MyBase.TryGetIndex(binder, indexes, result) Then
        Return True
    Else
        Try
            Dim index As Object = indexes(0)
            If TypeOf (index) Is Integer Then
                result = CType(Obj.Rows(DirectCast(index, Integer)), DynamicDataRow)
                Return True
            ElseIf TypeOf (index) Is String Then
                result = Obj.Columns(DirectCast(index, String))
                Return True
            Else
                result = Nothing
                Return False
            End If
        Catch ex As Exception
            result = Nothing
            Return False
        End Try
    End If
End Function

The DynamicDataTable also implements the IEnumerable interface so that we can easily iterate through all the rows in the table without having to explicitly call the Rows property:

// C#
public IEnumerator GetEnumerator()
{
    return new DynamicDataTableEnumerator(Obj.Rows.GetEnumerator());
}

private class DynamicDataTableEnumerator : IEnumerator
{
    private IEnumerator enumerator;

    public DynamicDataTableEnumerator(IEnumerator enumerator)
    {
        this.enumerator = enumerator;
    }

    public object Current
    {
        get { return (DynamicDataRow)(DataRow)enumerator.Current; }
    }

    public bool MoveNext()
    {
        return enumerator.MoveNext();
    }

    public void Reset()
    {
        enumerator.Reset();
    }
}
' Visual Basic
Public Function GetEnumerator() As IEnumerator Implements IEnumerable.GetEnumerator
    Return New DynamicDataTableEnumerator(Obj.Rows.GetEnumerator())
End Function

Private Class DynamicDataTableEnumerator
    Implements IEnumerator

    Private _enumerator As IEnumerator

    Public Sub New(ByVal enumerator As IEnumerator)
        _enumerator = enumerator
    End Sub

    Public ReadOnly Property Current As Object Implements IEnumerator.Current
        Get
            Return CType(DirectCast(_enumerator.Current, DataRow), DynamicDataRow)
        End Get
    End Property

    Public Function MoveNext() As Boolean Implements IEnumerator.MoveNext
        Return _enumerator.MoveNext()
    End Function

    Public Sub Reset() Implements IEnumerator.Reset
        _enumerator.Reset()
    End Sub
End Class

This finally leaves the DynamicDataRow class. Here we override the TryGetMember() and TrySetMember() methods to get and set the appropriate column value respectively, using the indexers of the wrapped DataRow object. We also override the TryGetIndex() and TrySetIndex() methods so we still have the option of using the indexers if we wish. For the sake of brevity, I've omitted the code, as it is very similar to what we've seen already.

Now for some Examples

Here are some examples of our DynamicDataSet in action. As in the previous article, they all use the Northwind database are not intended to serve as examples of good data-access practice. Firstly, selecting from a database table and populating a data object:

// C#
public static Employee[] GetEmployees()
{
    List<Employee> employees = new List<Employee>();
    using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["Northwind"].ConnectionString))
    {
        string query = "SELECT EmployeeID, LastName, FirstName, Title, TitleOfCourtesy, BirthDate, HireDate, Address, City, Region, PostalCode, Country, HomePhone, Extension, Photo, Notes, ReportsTo, PhotoPath " +
                       "FROM dbo.Employees";
        SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand(query, connection);
        SqlDataAdapter dataAdapter = new SqlDataAdapter(command);
        dynamic dataSet = new DynamicDataSet();
        dataAdapter.Fill(dataSet, "Staff");
        foreach (dynamic row in dataSet.Staff)
        {
            Employee employee = new Employee()
            {
                Id = row.EmployeeID,
                Surname = row.LastName,
                FirstName = row.FirstName,
                Title = row.Title,
                CourtesyTitle = row.TitleOfCourtesy,
                DateOfBirth = row.BirthDate,
                DateHired = row.HireDate,
                Address = row.Address,
                City = row.City,
                Region = row.Region,
                PostCode = row.PostalCode,
                Country = row.Country,
                HomePhone = row.HomePhone,
                Extension = row.Extension,
                Photo = row.Photo,
                Notes = row.Notes,
            };
            employees.Add(employee);
        }
    }
    return employees.ToArray();
}
' Visual Basic
Public Shared Function GetEmployees() As Employee()
    Dim employees As List(Of Employee) = New List(Of Employee)
    Using connection As SqlConnection = New SqlConnection(WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("Northwind").ConnectionString)
        Dim query As String = "SELECT EmployeeID, LastName, FirstName, Title, TitleOfCourtesy, BirthDate, HireDate, Address, City, Region, PostalCode, Country, HomePhone, Extension, Photo, Notes, ReportsTo, PhotoPath " + _
                              "FROM dbo.Employees"
        Dim command As SqlCommand = New SqlCommand(query, connection)
        Dim dataAdapter As SqlDataAdapter = New SqlDataAdapter(command)
        Dim dataSet As DynamicDataSet = New DynamicDataSet
        dataAdapter.Fill(dataSet, "Staff")
        For Each row As Object In DirectCast(dataSet, Object).Staff
            Dim employee As Employee = New Employee() With _
                                       { _
                                           .Id = row.EmployeeID, _
                                           .Surname = row.LastName, _
                                           .FirstName = row.FirstName, _
                                           .Title = row.Title, _
                                           .CourtesyTitle = row.TitleOfCourtesy, _
                                           .DateOfBirth = row.BirthDate, _
                                           .DateHired = row.HireDate, _
                                           .Address = row.Address, _
                                           .City = row.City, _
                                           .Region = row.Region, _
                                           .PostCode = row.PostalCode, _
                                           .Country = row.Country, _
                                           .HomePhone = row.HomePhone, _
                                           .Extension = row.Extension, _
                                           .Photo = row.Photo, _
                                           .Notes = row.Notes _
                                       }
            employees.Add(employee)
        Next
    End Using
    Return employees.ToArray()
End Function

The following example shows how to create a new table in a data set and use it to insert the its values into a table in the database:


<form id="form1" runat="server">
<div>
    <h2>
        Insert Example</h2>
    <div>
        <table>
            <tbody>
                <tr>
                    <th>
                        First Name:
                    </th>
                    <td>
                        <asp:TextBox ID="firstNameTextBox" runat="server" />
                    </td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <th>
                        Surname:
                    </th>
                    <td>
                        <asp:TextBox ID="surnameTextBox" runat="server" />
                    </td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <th>
                        Home Phone:
                    </th>
                    <td>
                        <asp:TextBox ID="homePhoneTextBox" runat="server" />
                    </td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <th>
                        Extension:
                    </th>
                    <td>
                        <asp:TextBox ID="extensionTextBox" runat="server" />
                    </td>
                </tr>
            </tbody>
        </table>
    </div>
    <div>
        <asp:Button ID="createButton" runat="server" Text="Create" OnClick="createButton_Click" />
        <asp:Label ID="resultLabel" runat="server" ForeColor="Red" />
    </div>
</div>
</form>
// C#
protected void createButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["Northwind"].ConnectionString))
    {
        string insertQuery = "INSERT INTO dbo.Employees(FirstName, LastName, HomePhone, Extension) " +
                             "VALUES(@FirstName, @LastName, @HomePhone, @Extension)";
        SqlCommand insertCommand = new SqlCommand(insertQuery, connection);
        insertCommand.Parameters.Add("@FirstName", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 10).SourceColumn = "FirstName";
        insertCommand.Parameters.Add("@LastName", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 20).SourceColumn = "LastName";
        insertCommand.Parameters.Add("@HomePhone", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 24).SourceColumn = "HomePhone";
        insertCommand.Parameters.Add("@Extension", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 4).SourceColumn = "Extension";
        SqlDataAdapter dataAdapter = new SqlDataAdapter() { InsertCommand = insertCommand };
        dynamic dataSet = new DynamicDataSet();
        dataSet.Employees.EmployeeID = typeof(int);
        dataSet.Employees.FirstName = typeof(string);
        dataSet.Employees.LastName = typeof(string);
        dataSet.Employees.HomePhone = typeof(string);
        dataSet.Employees.Extension = typeof(string);
        dynamic newRow = dataSet.Employees.NewRow();
        newRow.FirstName = firstNameTextBox.Text;
        newRow.LastName = surnameTextBox.Text;
        newRow.HomePhone = homePhoneTextBox.Text;
        newRow.Extension = extensionTextBox.Text;
        dataSet.Employees.Rows.Add(newRow);
        dataAdapter.Update(dataSet.Employees);
    }
    resultLabel.Text = "Item created!";
}
' Visual Basic
Protected Sub createButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles createButton.Click
    Using connection As SqlConnection = New SqlConnection(WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("Northwind").ConnectionString)
        Dim insertQuery As String = "INSERT INTO dbo.Employees(FirstName, LastName, HomePhone, Extension) " + _
                                    "VALUES(@FirstName, @LastName, @HomePhone, @Extension)"
        Dim insertCommand As SqlCommand = New SqlCommand(insertQuery, connection)
        insertCommand.Parameters.Add("@FirstName", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 10).SourceColumn = "FirstName"
        insertCommand.Parameters.Add("@LastName", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 20).SourceColumn = "LastName"
        insertCommand.Parameters.Add("@HomePhone", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 24).SourceColumn = "HomePhone"
        insertCommand.Parameters.Add("@Extension", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 4).SourceColumn = "Extension"
        Dim dataAdapter As SqlDataAdapter = New SqlDataAdapter() With {.InsertCommand = insertCommand}
        Dim dataSet As Object = New DynamicDataSet()
        dataSet.Employees.EmployeeID = GetType(Integer)
        dataSet.Employees.FirstName = GetType(String)
        dataSet.Employees.LastName = GetType(String)
        dataSet.Employees.HomePhone = GetType(String)
        dataSet.Employees.Extension = GetType(String)
        Dim newRow As Object = dataSet.Employees.NewRow()
        newRow.FirstName = firstNameTextBox.Text
        newRow.LastName = surnameTextBox.Text
        newRow.HomePhone = homePhoneTextBox.Text
        newRow.Extension = extensionTextBox.Text
        dataSet.Employees.Rows.Add(newRow)
        dataAdapter.Update(dataSet.Employees)
    End Using
    resultLabel.Text = "Item created!"
End Sub

The following example shows how to use the DynamicDataSet to update a database table:


<form id="form1" runat="server">
<div>
    <h2>
        Update Example</h2>
    <div>
        <asp:DropDownList ID="employeeDropDown" runat="server" AppendDataBoundItems="True"
            DataTextField="LastName" DataValueField="EmployeeId" AutoPostBack="true" OnSelectedIndexChanged="employeeDropDown_SelectedIndexChanged">
            <asp:ListItem Text="Please select..." />
        </asp:DropDownList>
    </div>
    <div>
        <table>
            <tbody>
                <tr>
                    <th>
                        Home Phone:
                    </th>
                    <td>
                        <asp:TextBox ID="homePhoneTextBox" runat="server" />
                    </td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <th>
                        Extension:
                    </th>
                    <td>
                        <asp:TextBox ID="extensionTextBox" runat="server" />
                    </td>
                </tr>
            </tbody>
        </table>
        <asp:Button ID="submitButton" runat="server" Text="Change" OnClick="submitButton_Click" />
    </div>
    <asp:Label ID="resultLabel" runat="server" ForeColor="Red" />
</div>
</form>
// C#
protected void submitButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    int employeeId = int.Parse(employeeDropDown.SelectedValue);
    string homePhone = homePhoneTextBox.Text;
    string extension = extensionTextBox.Text;
    ChangeContactNumbers(employeeId, homePhone, extension);
    resultLabel.Text = "Contact Details Changed";
}

private void ChangeContactNumbers(int employeeId, string homePhone, string extension)
{
    using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["Northwind"].ConnectionString))
    {
        string selectQuery = "SELECT EmployeeID, HomePhone, Extension " +
                             "FROM dbo.Employees " +
                             "WHERE EmployeeID = @EmployeeID";
        string updateQuery = "UPDATE dbo.Employees " +
                             "SET HomePhone = @HomePhone, " +
                             "Extension = @Extension " +
                             "WHERE EmployeeID = @EmployeeID";
        SqlCommand selectCommand = new SqlCommand(selectQuery, connection);
        selectCommand.Parameters.Add("@EmployeeID", SqlDbType.Int).Value = employeeId;
        SqlCommand updateCommand = new SqlCommand(updateQuery, connection);
        updateCommand.Parameters.Add("@EmployeeID", SqlDbType.Int).SourceColumn = "EmployeeID";
        updateCommand.Parameters.Add("@HomePhone", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 24).SourceColumn = "HomePhone";
        updateCommand.Parameters.Add("@Extension", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 4).SourceColumn = "Extension";
        SqlDataAdapter dataAdapter = new SqlDataAdapter() { SelectCommand = selectCommand, UpdateCommand = updateCommand };
        dynamic dataSet = new DynamicDataSet();
        dataAdapter.Fill(dataSet, "Employees");
        dataSet.Employees[0].HomePhone = homePhone;
        dataSet.Employees[0].Extension = extension;
        dataAdapter.Update(dataSet.Employees);
    }
}
' Visual Basic
Protected Sub submitButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles submitButton.Click
    Dim employeeId As Integer = Integer.Parse(employeeDropDown.SelectedValue)
    Dim homePhone As String = homePhoneTextBox.Text
    Dim extension As String = extensionTextBox.Text
    ChangeContactNumbers(employeeId, homePhone, extension)
    resultLabel.Text = "Contact Details Changed"
End Sub

Private Sub ChangeContactNumbers(ByVal employeeId As Integer, homePhone As String, ByVal extension As String)
    Using connection As SqlConnection = New SqlConnection(WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("Northwind").ConnectionString)
        Dim selectQuery As String = "SELECT EmployeeID, HomePhone, Extension " + _
                                    "FROM dbo.Employees " + _
                                    "WHERE EmployeeID = @EmployeeID"
        Dim updateQuery As String = "UPDATE dbo.Employees " + _
                                    "SET HomePhone = @HomePhone, " + _
                                    "Extension = @Extension " + _
                                    "WHERE EmployeeID = @EmployeeID"
        Dim selectCommand As SqlCommand = New SqlCommand(selectQuery, connection)
        selectCommand.Parameters.Add("@EmployeeID", SqlDbType.Int).Value = employeeId
        Dim updateCommand As SqlCommand = New SqlCommand(updateQuery, connection)
        updateCommand.Parameters.Add("@EmployeeID", SqlDbType.Int).SourceColumn = "EmployeeID"
        updateCommand.Parameters.Add("@HomePhone", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 24).SourceColumn = "HomePhone"
        updateCommand.Parameters.Add("@Extension", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 4).SourceColumn = "Extension"
        Dim dataAdapter As SqlDataAdapter = New SqlDataAdapter() With {.SelectCommand = selectCommand, .UpdateCommand = updateCommand}
        Dim dataSet As Object = New DynamicDataSet()
        dataAdapter.Fill(DirectCast(dataSet, DynamicDataSet), "Employees")
        dataSet.Employees(0).HomePhone = homePhone
        dataSet.Employees(0).Extension = extension
        dataAdapter.Update(dataSet.Employees)
    End Using
End Sub

Finally, here is an example of how to delete a row from our DynamicDataTable:


<form id="form1" runat="server">
<div>
    <h2>
        Delete Example</h2>
    <div>
        <asp:DropDownList ID="employeeDropDown" runat="server" AppendDataBoundItems="True"
            DataTextField="LastName" DataValueField="EmployeeId">
        </asp:DropDownList>
        &nbsp;<asp:Button ID="deleteButton" runat="server" OnClick="deleteButton_Click" Text="Delete" />
    </div>
    <div>
        <asp:Label ID="resultLabel" runat="server" ForeColor="Red" />
    </div>
</div>
</form>
// C#
protected void deleteButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["Northwind"].ConnectionString))
    {
        string selectQuery = "SELECT EmployeeID, LastName " +
                             "FROM dbo.Employees " +
                             "WHERE EmployeeID = @EmployeeID";
        string deleteQuery = "DELETE FROM dbo.Employees " +
                             "WHERE EmployeeID = @EmployeeID";
        SqlCommand selectCommand = new SqlCommand(selectQuery, connection);
        selectCommand.Parameters.Add("@EmployeeID", SqlDbType.Int).Value = int.Parse(employeeDropDown.SelectedValue);
        SqlCommand deleteCommand = new SqlCommand(deleteQuery, connection);
        deleteCommand.Parameters.Add("@EmployeeID", SqlDbType.Int).SourceColumn = "EmployeeID";
        SqlDataAdapter dataAdapter = new SqlDataAdapter() { SelectCommand = selectCommand, DeleteCommand = deleteCommand };
        dynamic dataSet = new DynamicDataSet();
        dataAdapter.Fill(dataSet, "Employees");
        dataSet.Employees[0].Delete();
        dataAdapter.Update(dataSet.Employees);
    }
    resultLabel.Text = "Item deleted.";
}
' Visual Basic
Protected Sub deleteButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles deleteButton.Click
    Using connection As SqlConnection = New SqlConnection(WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("Northwind").ConnectionString)
        Dim selectQuery As String = "SELECT EmployeeID, LastName " + _
                                    "FROM dbo.Employees " + _
                                    "WHERE EmployeeID = @EmployeeID"
        Dim deleteQuery As String = "DELETE FROM dbo.Employees " + _
                                    "WHERE EmployeeID = @EmployeeID"
        Dim selectCommand As SqlCommand = New SqlCommand(selectQuery, connection)
        selectCommand.Parameters.Add("@EmployeeID", SqlDbType.Int).Value = Integer.Parse(employeeDropDown.SelectedValue)
        Dim deleteCommand As SqlCommand = New SqlCommand(deleteQuery, connection)
        deleteCommand.Parameters.Add("@EmployeeID", SqlDbType.Int).SourceColumn = "EmployeeID"
        Dim dataAdapter As SqlDataAdapter = New SqlDataAdapter() With {.SelectCommand = selectCommand, .DeleteCommand = deleteCommand}
        Dim dataSet As Object = New DynamicDataSet()
        dataAdapter.Fill(DirectCast(dataSet, DynamicDataSet), "Employees")
        dataSet.Employees(0).Delete()
        dataAdapter.Update(dataSet.Employees)
    End Using
    resultLabel.Text = "Item deleted."
End Sub

Summary

The DynamicDataSet and DynamicDataTable classes provide a loosely-typed means of data access which improves code readability and can be used with syntax which is an approximation to that found with strongly-typed datasets, but without the need to auto-generate the code beforehand.

The source code for this and the previous article, can be found here.

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