DataTable.Clone Method

public virtual DataTable Clone()

using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Data;
using System.ComponentModel;

class Program {
   static void Main(string[] args) {
      DataTable courses = NewCourseDataTable();
      Console.WriteLine("This is the source table:");
      WriteDataTable(courses);

      ClonedDataTable clonedResult = new ClonedDataTable(courses);
      DataTable clonedCourses = clonedResult.DestinationTable;
      Console.WriteLine("This is the destination table:");
      WriteDataTable(clonedCourses);

      // Add the events of updating column collection into the source table.
      clonedResult.UpdateAddedColumn();
      clonedResult.UpdateDeletedColumn();
      // Add a DataColumn in source table.
      DataColumn columnCreidts = new DataColumn("Credits", typeof(Int32));
      courses.Columns.Add(columnCreidts);
      Console.WriteLine("After add a column in source table, it's the result in the destination:");
      WriteDataTable(clonedCourses);

      // Add the event of updating UniqueConstraint into the source table.
      clonedResult.UpdateUniqueConstraint();

      // Add the unique constraint in source table.
      UniqueConstraint uniqueConstraint = new UniqueConstraint(courses.Columns["CourseId"]);
      courses.Constraints.Add(uniqueConstraint);

      Console.WriteLine(@"If we add the unique constraint in source table and then insert the duplicate 
rows into the destination table, we will get the following error:");
      InsertDuplicateData(clonedCourses);
      Console.WriteLine();

      // Add the event of updating ForeignKeyConstraint into the source table.
      clonedResult.UpdateForeignKeyConstraint();

      // Add the ForeignKeyConstraint into the source table.
      DataTable deparments = NewDeparmentDataTable();
      DataSet dataset = new DataSet();

      dataset.Tables.Add(courses);
      dataset.Tables.Add(clonedCourses);
      dataset.Tables.Add(deparments);

      ForeignKeyConstraint foreignKey = new ForeignKeyConstraint(deparments.Columns["DepartmentId"], courses.Columns["DepartmentId"]);
      courses.Constraints.Add(foreignKey);

      Console.WriteLine(@"If we add the foreign key constraint in source table and then insert a row 
without the parent  into the destination table, we will get the following error:");
      InsertNoParentRow(clonedCourses);
      Console.WriteLine();

      Console.WriteLine("Please press any key to exit...");
      Console.ReadKey();
   }

   static private DataTable NewCourseDataTable() {
      DataTable newTable = new DataTable();

      DataColumn[] columns ={ 
                                      new DataColumn("CourseId", typeof(String)),
                                      new DataColumn("CourseName",typeof(String)),                                      
                                      new DataColumn("DepartmentId", typeof(Int32))
                                  };

      newTable.Columns.AddRange(columns);

      newTable.Rows.Add("C1045", "Calculus", 7);
      newTable.Rows.Add("C1061", "Physics", 1);
      newTable.Rows.Add("C2021", "Composition", 2);
      newTable.Rows.Add("C2042", "Literature", 2);

      return newTable;
   }

   static private DataTable NewDeparmentDataTable() {
      DataTable newTable = new DataTable();

      DataColumn[] columns ={ 
                                      new DataColumn("DepartmentId", typeof(Int32)),
                                      new DataColumn("Name",typeof(String)),
                                  };

      newTable.Columns.AddRange(columns);

      newTable.Rows.Add(1, "Engineering");
      newTable.Rows.Add(2, "English");
      newTable.Rows.Add(4, "Economics");
      newTable.Rows.Add(7, "Mathematics");

      return newTable;
   }

   static private void WriteDataTable(DataTable table) {
      if (table == null)
         return;

      foreach (DataColumn column in table.Columns) {
         Console.Write("{0,-15}", column.ColumnName);
      }
      Console.WriteLine();

      foreach (DataRow row in table.Rows) {
         for (int i = 0; i < table.Columns.Count; i++)
            Console.Write("{0,-15}", row[i].ToString());
         Console.WriteLine();
      }

      Console.WriteLine();
   }

   static private void InsertDuplicateData(DataTable table) {
      try {
         table.Rows.Add("C1045", "Calculus", 7);
         table.Rows.Add("C1045", "Calculus", 7);
      } catch (Exception e) {
         Console.WriteLine("\"" + e.Message + "\"");
      }
   }

   private static void InsertNoParentRow(DataTable table) {
      try {
         table.Rows.Add("C1061", "Physics", 11);
      } catch (Exception e) {
         Console.WriteLine("\"" + e.Message + "\"");
      }
   }
}

public class ClonedDataTable {
   private DataTable sourceTable;
   private DataTable destinationTable;

   public ClonedDataTable(DataTable source) {
      sourceTable = source;
      // set the cloned result
      destinationTable = sourceTable.Clone();
   }

   public void UpdateAddedColumn() {
      sourceTable.Columns.CollectionChanged += new CollectionChangeEventHandler(ColumnAdded);
   }

   public void UpdateDeletedColumn() {
      sourceTable.Columns.CollectionChanged += new CollectionChangeEventHandler(ColumnDeleted);
   }

   public void UpdateUniqueConstraint() {
      sourceTable.Constraints.CollectionChanged += new CollectionChangeEventHandler(UniqueConstraint_Changed);
   }

   public void UpdateForeignKeyConstraint() {
      sourceTable.Constraints.CollectionChanged += new CollectionChangeEventHandler(ForeignKeyConstraint_Changed);
   }

   // After the source table adds a column, the method will add the same column in the destination table.
   void ColumnAdded(object sender, System.ComponentModel.CollectionChangeEventArgs e) {
      if (e.Action == CollectionChangeAction.Add) {
         DataColumn column = e.Element as DataColumn;

         if (column != null) {
            DataColumn newColumn = new DataColumn(column.ColumnName, column.DataType, column.Expression, column.ColumnMapping);

            if (!destinationTable.Columns.Contains(newColumn.ColumnName))
               destinationTable.Columns.Add(newColumn);
         }
      }
   }

   // After the source table deletes a column, the method will delete the same column in the destination table.
   void ColumnDeleted(object sender, CollectionChangeEventArgs e) {
      if (e.Action == CollectionChangeAction.Remove) {
         DataColumn column = e.Element as DataColumn;

         if (column != null)
            if (destinationTable.Columns.Contains(column.ColumnName))
               destinationTable.Columns.Remove(column.ColumnName);
      }
   }

   // After the source table changes the UniqueConstraint, this method changes the same UniqueConstraint in destination table.      
   void UniqueConstraint_Changed(object sender, CollectionChangeEventArgs e) {
      UniqueConstraint constraint = e.Element as UniqueConstraint;

      if (constraint == null)
         return;

      String constraintName = constraint.ConstraintName;

      if (e.Action == CollectionChangeAction.Add) {
         DataColumn[] columns = new DataColumn[constraint.Columns.Count()];
         Boolean isPrimaryKey = constraint.IsPrimaryKey;

         // Get the columns used in new constraint from the destiantion table.
         for (Int32 i = 0; i < constraint.Columns.Count(); i++) {
            String columnName = constraint.Columns[i].ColumnName;

            if (destinationTable.Columns.Contains(columnName))
               columns[i] = destinationTable.Columns[columnName];
            else
               return;
         }

         UniqueConstraint newConstraint = new UniqueConstraint(constraintName, columns, isPrimaryKey);

         if (!destinationTable.Constraints.Contains(constraintName))
            destinationTable.Constraints.Add(newConstraint);

      } else if (e.Action == CollectionChangeAction.Remove)
         if (destinationTable.Constraints.Contains(constraintName))
            destinationTable.Constraints.Remove(constraintName);
   }

   // After the source table changes the ForeignKeyConstraint, this method changes  
   // the same ForeignKeyConstraint in the destination table.
   void ForeignKeyConstraint_Changed(object sender, CollectionChangeEventArgs e) {
      ForeignKeyConstraint constraint = e.Element as ForeignKeyConstraint;

      if (constraint == null)
         return;

      // If the source and destination are not in the same DataSet, don't change the ForeignKeyConstraint.
      if (sourceTable.DataSet != destinationTable.DataSet)
         return;

      String constraintName = constraint.ConstraintName;

      if (e.Action == CollectionChangeAction.Add) {
         DataColumn[] columns = new DataColumn[constraint.Columns.Count()];
         DataColumn[] parentColumns = constraint.RelatedColumns;

         // Get the columns used in new constraint from the destination table.
         for (int i = 0; i < constraint.Columns.Count(); i++) {
            String columnName = constraint.Columns[i].ColumnName;

            if (destinationTable.Columns.Contains(columnName))
               columns[i] = destinationTable.Columns[columnName];
            else
               return;
         }

         ForeignKeyConstraint newConstraint = new ForeignKeyConstraint(constraintName, parentColumns, columns);
         newConstraint.AcceptRejectRule = constraint.AcceptRejectRule;
         newConstraint.DeleteRule = constraint.DeleteRule;
         newConstraint.UpdateRule = constraint.UpdateRule;

         if (!destinationTable.Constraints.Contains(constraintName))
            destinationTable.Constraints.Add(newConstraint);
      } else if (e.Action == CollectionChangeAction.Remove)
         if (destinationTable.Constraints.Contains(constraintName))
            destinationTable.Constraints.Remove(constraintName);
   }

   // return the destination table.
   public DataTable DestinationTable {
      get { return destinationTable; }
   }
}