null datarow, better way?

Currently when I am querying a table, I assign a datarow the values I requested. If the search turns up null, I resolve it -a- la - ghetto. There has to be a better way

VB Code:

dim rowInput as datarow
dim tblIptval as new datatable
 
Try
   rowInput = tblIptVal.Select("CID = " & CID )(0)
Catch
    'no records
End Try

I was l;ooking for a solution also and foun this on MSDN.
Much ADO About Nothing

But I would still prefer a simpler method ....

Very interesting article... but if I get the error "attempting to read data when there is no data present" when I access a datareaders itemcollection, does that mean Im accessing a null field or that the entire datarow is scrap...?


kind regards
Henrik