Foreword

It is almost impossible to build a Web application today that does not interact in some way with live data whether by presenting data in a report, editing data within a database, or simply displaying dynamic information within a page. It is through this rich presentation and interaction of data that Web applications often add their unique value and power to users.

Unfortunately for Web developers, though, building data-driven Web applications is often not as easy as they would like. It is extremely challenging to build rich data pages that operate in the confines of HTML and a stateless Web browser world. Adding richer data features like paging, sorting, row editing, and data validation makes the task even more daunting.

To help with this, we built in a suite of powerful server controls with ASP.NET that help developers more easily interact with data. These controls automatically manage a variety of common scenarios, and can literally save a Web developer days of effort when used correctly. Best of all, they are designed to emit only standard HTML down to clients ensuring that they work great with all desktop browsers.

Scott Mitchell has done an excellent job providing a concise and precise guide on how to use the ASP.NET Data Controls for both the most simple and the most advanced tasks. The content within these chapters will help ASP.NET developers save valuable time and effort and ensure that the Web solutions they build are rich and robust. The book is an invaluable resource for the ASP.NET development community.

Scott Guthrie
ASP.NET Development Team
Redmond, Washington