Using the SqlDataSource Control

The SqlDataSource control is a data source control that you can use in an ASP.NET application to connect to a SQL Server database and retrieve data for display or manipulation. The control provides a simple and declarative way to work with databases, without the need to write any code.

To use the SqlDataSource control in your ASP.NET application, follow these general steps:

Drag a SqlDataSource control from the Toolbox onto your web page.

In the Properties window, set the ConnectionString property to the connection string for your SQL Server database. You can either type in the connection string directly or use the Configure Data Source wizard to create one.

Set the SelectCommand property to the SQL query or stored procedure that you want to use to retrieve data from the database. You can type in the query directly or use the Query Builder to create one.

If you want to allow users to update or delete data through the control, set the UpdateCommand and DeleteCommand properties to the appropriate SQL statements or stored procedures.

Bind the SqlDataSource control to a data-bound control, such as a GridView or a DetailsView, by setting the DataSourceID property of the control to the ID of the SqlDataSource control.

Optionally, you can handle events of the SqlDataSource control, such as the Selected or Updated events, to customize its behavior or perform additional processing.

Here’s an example of a simple web page that uses a SqlDataSource control to display customer data from the Northwind database in a GridView control:

<asp:SqlDataSource ID=”CustomersDataSource” runat=”server”

ConnectionString=”<%$ ConnectionStrings:NorthwindConnectionString %>”

SelectCommand=”SELECT * FROM Customers”>

</asp:SqlDataSource>

<asp:GridView ID=”CustomersGridView” runat=”server”

DataSourceID=”CustomersDataSource”>

</asp:GridView>

In this example, the SqlDataSource control is named “CustomersDataSource” and is bound to a GridView control named “CustomersGridView”. The control retrieves all the customer data from the Northwind database and displays it in the grid. Note that this is just a simple example, and there are many other features and options that you can use with the SqlDataSource control to customize its behavior and enhance its functionality.