--- title: "Typed Dataset Q&A" url: "https://osherove.com/blog/2003/6/20/typed-dataset-qampa.md" canonical: "https://osherove.com/blog/2003/6/20/typed-dataset-qampa.html" published: "2003-06-20T12:53:00" updated: "2003-06-20T12:53:00" tags: [".Net Quotations"] author: "Roy Osherove" description: "Q: I need to get the best possible performance out of my middle-tier components, so I'm using untyped DataSet objects on the server. But strongly typed DataSet objects are so handy when I build the client portion of the…" usage: "Licensed under CC BY 4.0 — reuse, quote and adapt with attribution (Roy Osherove, link to the original page)." license: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" --- # Typed Dataset Q&A By Roy Osherove June 20, 2003 In [.Net Quotations](https://osherove.com/blog/category/net-quotations) **Historical article** · Originally published June 20, 2003; technical details may be outdated.
Q:

I need to get the best possible performance out of my middle-tier components, so I'm using untyped DataSet objects on the server. But strongly typed DataSet objects are so handy when I build the client portion of the application. Is there a way to get the best of both worlds?

A:

Yes. Have your middle tier return and accept untyped DataSet objects. Use instances of strongly typed DataSet objects in the client application, and use the Merge method to import the contents of the untyped DataSet objects returned by the middle tier.

Q:

DataSet objects offer limited validation features. I can't set properties on either an untyped or a strongly typed DataSet to ensure that the value of a column falls between certain limits. Can I add my own code to the class file for added validation?

A:

Of course. You can add validation code to the desired properties of your strongly typed classes, but this was not an intended use of the strongly typed DataSet. Your validation code will not be stored in the .xsd file for the strongly typed DataSet class. If you modify the contents of the .xsd file, Visual Studio .NET will regenerate the class for the strongly typed DataSet and you'll lose the code that you've written.

You have another option: create a new class that inherits from the strongly typed DataSet class and add your validation code there.

\[via [ADO.NET Core Reference](https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735614237/qid=1056123818/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/iserializable-20)\] This is easily one of the best tech books I've read, especially on this subject. Heartily recommended. They have this Q&A section on every big subject that is covered, and the questions are to the point. Way to go! ## More in .Net Quotations [All posts in .Net Quotations](https://osherove.com/blog/category/net-quotations) - Jun 28, 2003 ### [Nice page of ADO.NET notes & tips](https://osherove.com/blog/2003/6/28/nice-page-of-adonet-notes-amp-tips.html) - Jun 22, 2003 ### [More About Processes](https://osherove.com/blog/2003/6/22/more-about-processes.html) - Jun 18, 2003 ### [Very Good Winforms FAQ](https://osherove.com/blog/2003/6/18/very-good-winforms-faq.html) - Jun 17, 2003 ### [.Net Shortcuts + Automate GAC and COM operations using this Cool Add-in](https://osherove.com/blog/2003/6/17/net-shortcuts-automate-gac-and-com-operations-using-this-coo.html) --- ## About the author **Roy Osherove**: Senior Solutions Architect at AWS working on AI for production and AI-driven development; author of The Art of Unit Testing and Elastic Leadership, with about 20 years of consulting and training on unit testing, TDD, team leadership and continuous delivery. ### Sites - [RobotPaper](https://robotpaper.ai/): This blog: AI patterns and anti-patterns, AI and coding agents, and engineering leadership. - [osherove.com](https://osherove.com): Roy's personal site. Author of The Art of Unit Testing and Elastic Leadership; consulting and training on unit testing, TDD, team leadership and continuous delivery, plus about 20 years of blog posts. - [The Art of Unit Testing](https://www.artofunittesting.com): The Art of Unit Testing, 3rd Edition (Manning): readable, maintainable, trustworthy unit tests, plus TDD workshops in C#, JavaScript, Java and Kotlin. - [5whys.com](https://www.5whys.com): Roy's writing on software team leadership: self-organizing teams, surviving chaos, learning mode and the Elastic Leadership model. - [Pipeline Driven](https://pipelinedriven.org): Continuous delivery and DevOps practices: build patterns, pipeline-friendly testing, DevOps metrics and enterprise DevOps. - [Elastic Leadership](https://www.elasticleadership.com): Elastic Leadership, Roy's framework for software team leaders (survival, learning and self-organizing modes). ### Social - X: https://x.com/royosherove - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osherove/ ### Contact - Contact form: https://forms.gle/jQSx5KoXvrVA1JCK7 ### License Licensed under CC BY 4.0 — reuse, quote and adapt with attribution (Roy Osherove, link to the original page). License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/