SUMMARY

This is the first of two related chapters that look at how ASP.NET 2.0 changes the way data can be accessed, displayed, and updatedwithout requiring any code to be written (or at least considerably reducing the code requirements) in almost all cases. The combination of a data source control and server-side data binding, especially when matched up with a GridView or DetailsView control, provides a powerful new technique for working with data in your Web pages and Web applications.

In this chapter we started off with a brief look at what the new controls can achieve. The "no-code" examples we used show just how powerful the new approach is and how quickly and easily you can build pages that are attractive and highly interactive.

Then we moved on to look in more depth at the data source controls that power the process. The most commonly used is likely to be the SqlDataSource control, and we concentrated mainly on this in the chapter and the examples. However, we also looked at the other data source controls that are included in the Technology Preview release and those that may appear as the product moves toward final release.

In the next chapter we continue on the same theme and complete the discussion of accessing, displaying, and manipulating data through the new controls. In particular, we look in depth at the new GridView and DetailsView controls and the new simplified syntax for data binding.