Question

what is the correct format that an XML data needs to be in to use as a dataset?

Asked by: bd9000

I have an XML file I wish to use as the source for a dataset, but am having all sorts of trouble with.
I need to know the correct format that an XML file needs to be in so that it can be read into a dataset using the ReadXml method of a dataset
for example: "dsResponse.ReadXml(xmldatastream, XmlReadMode.InferSchema)"

the problem is that I'm getting 6 datatables and the data is basically junk from the following (see code box).
There should only be 1 datatable in the dataset.
I also am not sure what to set the DataMember to (MS's examples are far too simplified, so I have no clue as where to proceed)  
DataMember = "link" ???  
DataMember = "links" ???
DataMember = "links/link" ???

how can the reader know what will be turned into a table and rows and such?
I just need to know what it is looking for, so I can modify the XML appropriately for reading into a dataset or datatable.  

any ideas?

NOTE: (the source of this XML is coming from an affiliate management site and I have no control of this - but it is always in the format below)

<cj-api>
	<links total-matched="178" records-returned="1" page-number="1">
		<link>
			<advertiser-id>2723219</advertiser-id>
			<advertiser-name>SuperBiiz</advertiser-name>
			<category>computer hw</category>
			<click-commission>0.0</click-commission>
			<creative-height>250</creative-height>
			<creative-width>300</creative-width>
			<category>computer hw</category>
			<click-commission>0.0</click-commission>
			<creative-height>250</creative-height>
			<creative-width>300</creative-width>
			<language>en</language>
			<lead-commission/>
			<link-code-html>...</link-code-html>
			<link-code-javascript>...</link-code-javascript>
			<description>PC Hardware Sale</description>
			<destination>http://www.ewiz.com</destination>
			<link-id>10693263</link-id>
			<link-name>PC Hardware Sale</link-name>
			<link-type>Banner</link-type>
			<performance-incentive>true</performance-incentive>
			<promotion-end-date/>
			<promotion-start-date/>
			<promotion-type>sale/discount</promotion-type>
			<relationship-status>joined</relationship-status>
			<sale-commission>2.0%</sale-commission>
			<seven-day-epc>15.24</seven-day-epc>
			<three-month-epc>N/A</three-month-epc>
		</link>
	</links>
</cj-api>

                                  
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Asked On
2009-09-09 at 19:58:09ID24720217
Tags

XML

,

dataset

,

VB.Net

,

ASP.NET

Topics

Programming for ASP.NET

,

Visual Studio

,

.NET Framework 3.x versions

Participating Experts
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Comments
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Answers

 

by: nmarunPosted on 2009-09-09 at 22:35:32ID: 25297590

Hey, the code below worked for me. I copied the xml to a file and read it into the dataset.

Arun

// aspx page:
<asp:GridView ID="gridView" runat="server" AutoGenerateColumns="true" />
 
// code-behind file:
DataSet ds = new DataSet();
ds.ReadXml(Server.MapPath("Data/SiteMapNode.xml"));
gridView.DataSource = ds;
gridView.DataMember = "Link";
gridView.DataBind();

                                              
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by: bd9000Posted on 2009-09-10 at 09:53:53ID: 25302068

I figured out that the problem is in the "<link-code-html>...</link-code-html>" block for about 90% of the records they send back (they need to use CDATA - and are not, so it's wreaking havoc)
I removed the "link-code-html" innertext in the example above - that must be why it worked for you, the offending data was removed.

I'm having to parse the document with looping and building a table programmatically (which is working so far) reading the stream into an XMLDocument.

        Dim dx As New XmlDocument
        dx.Load(xmldatastream)

        Dim nl As XmlNodeList = dx.GetElementsByTagName("link")
        For Each n As XmlNode In nl

            Dim advertiser_id As String = n.Item("advertiser-id").InnerText
...
...
        Next

 

by: nmarunPosted on 2009-09-10 at 11:34:02ID: 25302974

Good to know you figured out the bug.

 

by: bd9000Posted on 2009-09-10 at 16:12:27ID: 25305408

actually, the bug was in the returned XML that contained erroneous repeated nodes.

When the InferSchema is used, the reader looks at any repeating nodes and creates a  separate table.
I parsed the tables collection it created and found 6 tables.
table(0) has the Links node and the attributes are used for the column names in a table called "links".
table(1) had advertiser-id and advertiser-name columns in a table called "link".
table(2) had a table called "link_category" with an un-named column ("category" was repeated, so it assumed it was a separate table)
table(3) - table(5) were called "link_click-commission","link_creative-height","link_creative-width" respectively (also repeated as in table(2))

InferSchema automatically renames the columns (so it generates an error in the GridView since it's column name was different, in my case)

It all makes sense now how InferSchema determines how to create each table.

 

by: bd9000Posted on 2009-09-10 at 16:14:45ID: 25305422

correction:
table(2) was named "category" and had 1 column named "link_category"
ditto for tables 3-5

 

by: nmarunPosted on 2009-09-10 at 16:33:19ID: 25305556

I'm not sure what your question is. Or are you just updating your status?

 

by: bd9000Posted on 2009-10-01 at 12:50:25ID: 25472529

I solved this question myself.  PLEASE CLOSE SO I CAN ASK ANOTHER QUESTION!!

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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