Overview of Data Applications in Visual Studio

This section provides information and preparatory instructions for working with data in Visual Studio applications that typically target the client and middle tier.

In This Section

• Walkthrough: Creating a Simple Data Application
  Provides step-by-step instructions for creating an application that displays data from a database.

• Data Sources Overview
  Describes the concept of data sources in Visual Studio.

• Local Data Overview
  Describes the features in Visual Studio that you can use to work with SQL Server Express and Access databases.

• How to: Manage Local Data Files in Your Project
  Describes how local data files are managed in a project and how to change the default behavior.

• Object Binding in Visual Studio
  Describes the features in Visual Studio that you can use to blind data to objects.

• Additional Resources for Troubleshooting Data Access Errors
  Provides links to forums related to working with data in Visual Studio.

• Working with Sample Databases
  Provides links for downloading sample databases and lists topics related to configuring sample databases for use in data walkthroughs.

• Data Applications Samples and Walkthroughs
  Provides links for data related walkthroughs and information and links for downloading data samples.

Related Sections

• Connecting to Data in Visual Studio
  Describes how to create connections to databases, Web services, and objects from your application.

• Preparing Your Application to Receive Data
  Explains what typed datasets are and how to create and edit the individual objects that make up typed datasets.

• Fetching Data into Your Application
  Describes how you bring data into your application by executing SQL statements or stored procedures against a data source.

• Binding Controls to Data in Visual Studio
  Describes how to display data on Windows Forms.

• Editing Data in Your Application
  Discusses how to manipulate data before sending it back to the data source or to another process or application.

• Validating Data
  Provides links to topics describing how to add validation to datasets.

• Saving Data
  Discusses the issues that need to be taken care of when working with disconnected stores of records residing in memory.

• Using SQL Server Compact (Visual Studio)
  Provides links to topics about how to incorporate SQL Server Compact databases into applications.

• Object Relational Designer (O/R Designer)
  Provides links to topics about how to create LINQ to SQL classes by using the O/R Designer.

• Hierarchical Update
  Provides links to topics about how to save related tables in a typed dataset by using the TableAdapterManager component.

• Working with Datasets in N-Tier Applications
  Provides links to topics about how to use Visual Studio features create n-tier applications.

• ADO.NET
  Describes the ADO.NET classes, which expose data-access services to the .NET programmer.

• Data in Office Solutions
  Provides links to topics that explain how data works in Office solutions. Includes information about schema-oriented programming, data caching, and server-side data access.