Extending MFC Applications with the .NET Framework

Working with Typed Datasets

As mentioned earlier in the chapter, typed datasets are not a separate set of ADO.NET classes. Instead, they are derived directly from the standard ADO.NET classes and define extra members that are specific to your database schema. To understand the main benefit of typed datasets, think of how data has been accessed throughout this chapter using the generic DataRow::Item property, where column name or index value is specified. Because the Item property has no intimate knowledge of the underlying data schema, any mistakes made when using it—such as such as misspelling the column name or using an incompatible data type—aren't realized until runtime. Conversely, typed datasets are generated directly from the database ...