ASP.NET - Data Source vs Data Binding

Data source and data binding are two important concepts in ASP.NET for connecting controls to data. Here's a more detailed explanation of each concept with examples:

Data Source:

A data source is the actual location where the data resides. It could be a database, an XML file, a web service, or any other object that provides data. In ASP.NET, you can use various data sources, such as SQL Server, Access, Oracle, XML files, and web services.

For example, let's say you have a SQL Server database containing information about employees. This SQL Server database would be the data source for the employee data. You can then use ASP.NET controls to connect to this data source and display the employee data on a web page.

Data Binding:

Data binding is the process of connecting data from a data source to a control on a web page. It's a way to display data from a data source in a control such as a GridView, DropDownList, or Repeater. Data binding enables you to create dynamic, data-driven web pages that can display and manipulate data from a variety of data sources.

For example, let's say you have a GridView control on a web page that displays employee data from a SQL Server database. To bind the GridView to the data source, you would use the DataSource property of the GridView control to specify the SQL Server database. You would also use the DataBind method to populate the GridView with data from the database.