VB.NET ADO.NET DataView Tutorial

The DataView class in ADO.NET provides flexible and customizable views of the data stored in a DataTable. With a DataView, you can apply sorting, filtering, and searching operations on the underlying data, allowing you to present different perspectives and subsets of the data to users or processes.

One of the key advantages of using a DataView is its ability to dynamically reflect changes made to the underlying DataTable. This means that if you add, modify, or delete rows in the DataTable, the DataView will automatically update to reflect those changes, ensuring data consistency and real-time visibility.

DataView constructor

To create a DataView, you have two options. Firstly, you can use the DataView constructor, which allows you to specify the source DataTable and any desired filtering, sorting, or searching criteria. This gives you full control over the customization of the view. Secondly, you can create a reference to the DefaultView property of the DataTable. This provides a default DataView that exposes the entire content of the DataTable, allowing you to perform basic operations without additional configuration.

Once you have a DataView, you can use its various properties and methods to manipulate and interact with the data. For example, you can use the Sort property to specify a sorting order for the data, the RowFilter property to define a filtering condition, and the Find method to search for specific values. Additionally, you can use the AddNew method to add new rows to the underlying DataTable, and modify the values of existing rows using the DataRow property of the DataView.

Using a DataView provides a powerful mechanism for customizing and presenting data in different ways, catering to specific requirements or user preferences. Whether it's sorting, filtering, searching, or modifying data, the DataView offers a flexible and efficient solution.