I’ve been doing some research on whether what best practice is regarding the use of datatables and datasets and I haven’t found any real conclusive answer. Both work for what I want to do but while there is no conclusive answer, the general consensus here and everywhere is that datasets should be avoided.
Basically, what I want to do is to retrieve data from the database using stored procedures. Each of the stored procedures pulls data from different tables and may perform some joins. This data is then displayed in a windows form. The user will use this data and then either add a new record or update an existing one in the database.
One method that I’m familiar with is to make separate database calls, storing the results in a datatable and then working with this object to display it on the screen. This is done using ADO.net. This works. Also, using a dataset to return all this data from one database call (one stored procedure) works too. But apparently, this isn’t the ideal or most efficient way of doing things? I’m not too familiar with LINQ but this seems like another method of retrieving data.
I suppose this is broad question for a specific problem. While services cannot really be used at the moment, the ideal solution would be to design the system so that we could make use of web services in the future.
I kinda feel like I’m over analyzing things at this point and I’m pretty sure I’ve managed to successfully confuse myself when it comes to all this. I would really appreciate comments and thoughts on this issue.
If you have services anywhere in your future, then you should immediately abandon datatables and datasets and create business classes (aka data transfer objects or DTOs).
This is the correct long term implementation if you have any intent of ever moving the data over a service.