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I am kind of wondering which one is better?
I trying to pass data that I got in one dataTable (already) to store it in my database. But Would it be better to pass it to my Business Clasess as a datatable or a ArrayList and why ?
Maybe It sounds silly , and just should pass it as it is (Datatable), But I want to know which is better?
If your going to be reading/writing from a database, stick with the datatable. ADO.NET deals with the datatable/dataset objects natively.
ArrayList is slow because everything within it has to be cast as another object before use. A DataTable is slow due to all of its functionality but for what you're doing, I'd imagine a DataTable would be quicker and/or better.
If it's possible I would opt for a custom class that contains all of the data and using something like a List<MyClass> to hold it all and skip the DataSet / DataTable entirely. Of course, if you're going to eventually go into a DataGrid, DataSet or DataTable then it would be a bit pointless to use a class like I suggest.
You've already got your data in a DataTable. You want to build business objects around this data. What possible advantage can you imagine by copying the data to an ArrayList first? If you think that it might be a good idea then you must have some idea of why it might. What do you think?
Wouldn't it be best to first consider how many columns of data will be stored?
I find that if you need to add/remove data at runtime a List will be of benefit, and if you need to store a specific key with something else then a Dictionary or HashTable would be most appropriate. If you had to use a List then i really wouldn't go with LinkedList<T> as List<T> is a little bit better performance wise but again its up to you ;)
. Im using a List<T> because I am going to change(filter) data and not store all the information from the data table.
Thx 4 the replies
Are you aware that the DataTable class already supports filtering via its DefaultView.RowFilter property or its Select method?
While a List<T> may be technically quicker than a DataTable or DataSet due to less overhead, you should factor in the DataTable and DataSet features before making a decision. As jmcilhinney said, the DataTable can do filtering as well.
If your ultimate goal is to display data in a tabular fashion, then stick with the DataTable.