In a
DataSet with multiple
DataTable objects, you can use
DataRelation
objects to relate one table to another, to navigate through the tables,
and to return child or parent rows from a related table.
The arguments required to create a
DataRelation are a name for the
DataRelation being created, and an array of one or more
DataColumn references to the columns that serve as the parent and child columns in the relationship. After you have created a
DataRelation, you can use it to navigate between tables and to retrieve values.
Adding a
DataRelation to a
DataSet adds, by default, a
UniqueConstraint to the parent table and a
ForeignKeyConstraint to the child table. For more information about these default constraints, see
DataTable Constraints.
The following code example creates a
DataRelation using two
DataTable objects in a
DataSet. Each
DataTable contains a column named
CustID, which serves as a link between the two
DataTable objects. The example adds a single
DataRelation to the
Relations collection of the
DataSet. The first argument in the example specifies the name of the
DataRelation being created. The second argument sets the parent
DataColumn and the third argument sets the child
DataColumn.
customerOrders.Relations.Add("CustOrders",
customerOrders.Tables["Customers"].Columns["CustID"],
customerOrders.Tables["Orders"].Columns["CustID"]);