3 Typed DataSets

Question 1

What is a typed dataset?

Answer 1

A dataset that is:
* first derived from the base DataSet class
* and then uses information from the Dataset Designer,
* which is stored in an .XSD file (XML Schema Definition),
* to generate a new, strongly typed dataset class.

Question 2

What are some of the advantages of using a typed dataset compared to an untyped dataset?

Answer 2

• Schema information is contained within the strongly typed dataset. This results
  in an improvement in performance over retrieving schema information at
  runtime.
• Programming is more intuitive, and code is easier to read and maintain.
• Table and field names are accessed through properties rather than indexer
  arguments.
• The Visual Studio provides autocomplete functionality for these names.
• Type mismatch errors and errors resulting from either misspelled or out-of-
  bounds indexer arguments to retrieve tables and columns can be detected
  during compilation rather than at runtime.

Question 3

What are some of the disadvantages of using a typed dataset compared to an untyped dataset?

Answer 3

• Using typed classes adds some overhead to code execution.
• If the strongly typed functionality isn’t required, application performance can be improved
  slightly using an untyped dataset.
• The strongly typed dataset will need to be regenerated when the data structure
  changes. Applications using the strongly typed dataset will need to be rebuilt
  using a reference to the new strongly typed dataset.