How to: Create TableAdapters

Data Access in Client and Middle-Tier Programming

TableAdapters provide communication between your application and a database. More specifically, a TableAdapter connects to a database, executes queries or stored procedures, and either returns a new data table populated with the returned data or fills an existing DataTable with the returned data. TableAdapters are also used to send updated data from your application back to the database.

You can create TableAdapters by performing one of the following actions:

Running the TableAdapter Configuration Wizard from the Dataset Designer.
Running the Data Source Configuration Wizard, selecting either the Database or Web Service data-source type.
Dragging database objects from Server Explorer onto the Dataset Designer.

For an introduction to TableAdapters, see TableAdapter Overview.

Note:
Your computer might show different names or locations for some of the Visual Studio user interface elements in the following instructions. The Visual Studio edition that you have and the settings that you use determine these elements. For more information, see Visual Studio Settings.

Creating TableAdapters with the TableAdapter Configuration Wizard

The TableAdapter Configuration Wizard creates a single TableAdapter based on information that you provide to the wizard.

To create a TableAdapter with the TableAdapter Configuration Wizard

Open a dataset in the Dataset Designer. For more information, see How to: Open a Dataset in the Dataset Designer.
Drag a TableAdapter from the DataSet tab of the Toolbox onto the design surface.
The TableAdapter Configuration Wizard opens.
Complete the wizard; a data table and TableAdapter are added to the dataset. For more information, see TableAdapter Configuration Wizard.

Creating TableAdapters with the Data Source Configuration Wizard

The Data Source Configuration Wizard creates a TableAdapter for each database object selected during the running of the wizard. After completing the Data Source Configuration Wizard, you can view the TableAdapters created by opening the dataset in the Dataset Designer. For more information, see How to: Open a Dataset in the Dataset Designer.

To create a TableAdapter with the Data Source Configuration Wizard

Select Add New Data Source in the Data Sources Window. Choose Show Data Sources from the Data menu to open the Data Sources window.
The Data Source Configuration Wizard opens.
Complete the wizard, selecting either the Database or Web Service data-source type. For more information, see How to: Connect to Data in a Database or How to: Connect to Data in a Web Service.

Creating TableAdapters from Server Explorer Database Objects

A single TableAdapter is created for each database object that you drag onto the Dataset Designer.

To create a TableAdapter from Server Explorer database objects

Open a dataset in the Dataset Designer. For more information, see How to: Open a Dataset in the Dataset Designer.
Drag a database object from a data connection in Server Explorer onto the Dataset Designer surface.
A data table and TableAdapter are added to the dataset.

To create a TableAdapter with the TableAdapter Configuration Wizard

To create a TableAdapter with the Data Source Configuration Wizard

To create a TableAdapter from Server Explorer database objects

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