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DataSet.EnforceConstraints Property

Gets or sets a value indicating whether constraint rules are followed when attempting any update operation.

Namespace:  System.Data
Assembly:  System.Data (in System.Data.dll)
public bool EnforceConstraints { get; set; }

Property Value

Type: System.Boolean
true if rules are enforced; otherwise false. The default is true.
Exception Condition
ConstraintException

One or more constraints cannot be enforced.

Constraints are set at the DataTable level (Constraints property). For more information about creating constraints, see DataTable Constraints (ADO.NET).

The following example creates a DataSet with one table, one column, five rows, and one UniqueConstraint. The EnforceConstraints property is set to false and the values of each row are set to the same value. When the EnforceConstraints property is reset to true, a ConstraintException is generated.


private void DemonstrateEnforceConstraints()
{
    // Create a DataSet with one table, one column and 
    // a UniqueConstraint.
    DataSet dataSet= new DataSet("dataSet");
    DataTable table = new DataTable("table");
    DataColumn column = new DataColumn("col1");

    // A UniqueConstraint is added when the Unique 
    // property is true.
    column.Unique=true;
    table.Columns.Add(column);
    dataSet.Tables.Add(table);
    Console.WriteLine("constraints.count: " + 
        table.Constraints.Count);

    // add five rows.
    DataRow row ;
    for(int i=0;i<5;i++)
    {
        row = table.NewRow();
        row["col1"] = i;
        table.Rows.Add(row);
    }
    table.AcceptChanges();

    dataSet.EnforceConstraints=false;
    // Change the values of all rows to 1.
    foreach(DataRow thisRow in table.Rows)
    {
        thisRow["col1"]=1;
        //Console.WriteLine("\table" + thisRow[0]);
    }
    try
    {
        dataSet.EnforceConstraints=true;
    }
    catch(System.Data.ConstraintException e)
    {
        // Process exception and return.
        Console.WriteLine("Exception of type {0} occurred.", 
            e.GetType());
    }
}


.NET Framework

Supported in: 4, 3.5, 3.0, 2.0, 1.1, 1.0

.NET Framework Client Profile

Supported in: 4, 3.5 SP1

Windows 7, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows XP SP3, Windows XP SP2 x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core supported with SP1 or later), Windows Server 2003 SP2

The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.
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Minor clarification
"attempting any update operation" - this does NOT refer to a storage-level update, the constraints in question apply on any update to the in-memory client-side DataTable, and the Exception is IMHO most likely encountered on a Fill operation. Also, you should be aware that an exception can be raised and EnforceConstraints consequently can modify behaviour even when DataTable.Constraints.Count is zero (Field MaxLength and Nullability are not represented there).
Note for WinForms developers
Setting EnforceConstraints to False on a DataSet data-bound to a ReadOnly DataGridView may enable the row selector on the DataGridView.  You should disable adding, editing and deleting to ensure that the data within cannot be modified.  Uncheck Enable Adding, Enable Editing and Enable Deleting in the smart tag, or set "AllowUserToAddRows" and "AllowUserToDeleteRows" to False in the Properties tab or code-behind for the DataGridView.