Setting the simple DataSet dialog box options (ASP.NET)

This dialog box defines a DataSet (typically referred to as a recordset in other dynamic document types) as a source of dynamic content without you having to hand code SQL statements.

To set the simple DataSet options for ASP.NET

1. In the Name text box, enter a name for the DataSet.

   A common practice is to add the prefix ds to DataSet names to distinguish them from other object names in your code. For example: dsPressReleases

   Note that DataSet names can only contain letters, numbers, and the underscore character (_). You cannot use special characters or spaces.

2. Select a connection from the Connection pop-up menu.

   If no connection appears in the list, click Define to create one.

3. In the Table pop-up menu, select the database table that will provide data to the DataSet.

   The pop-up menu displays all the tables in the specified database.

4. To include a subset of the table’s columns in the DataSet, click Selected and choose the desired columns by Control-clicking (Windows) or Command-clicking (Macintosh) them in the list.
5. To include only some of the table’s records, complete the Filter section as follows:
   • From the first pop-up menu, select a column in the database table to compare against a test value you define.
   • From the second pop-up menu, select a conditional expression to compare the selected value in each record against the test value.
   • From the third pop-up menu, select Entered Value.
   • In the text box, enter the test value.

   If the specified value in a record meets your filtering condition, the record will be included in the DataSet.

6. If you want the records to be sorted, select a column to sort by, and then specify whether the records should be sorted in ascending order (1, 2, 3... or A, B, C...) or descending order.
7. You can specify a page to redirect users to if the DataSet query should for some reason fail. For example, if the database were to become unavailable during a query and failed to return the DataSet for the page, you could display an error page with a link to the site’s home page.
8. Click Test to connect to the database and create an instance of the data source.

   A table appears displaying the returned data. Each row contains a record and each column represents a field in that record. Click OK to close the DataSet.

9. Click OK.

   The newly defined DataSet appears in the Bindings panel.

Related topics

• Database Connections for ASP.NET Developers
• Creating a recordset without writing SQL
• Creating an advanced recordset by writing SQL
• Beginner’s Guide to Databases