[thelist] .NET, datasets and XML

[Chris Marsh]

Dear all

I have a table in a database that contains product category and product
records. Each row has a unique code, and if the CategoryID field is null
then the entry is a category. Otherwise the CategoryID field will
contain the unique code of a product category. I realise that perhaps an
easier way to do it would have been to have two tables, one for Category
and one for Products but I have no influence over the database; and I'd
guess that it was done this way for performance reasons. I need to have
an .aspx page which displays all of the categories. When a category is
clicked on, it displays all of the products in a hierarchical format.
When a product is now clicked on, it calls the same page, and adds the
product to a list of selected products.

My question is as follows. If I get all records from the table into a
dataset, is there a web control that makes hierarchical data binding
easy, or is XML the way to go? I suspect that XML may be it, but any
practical advice on how to achieve this would be very much appreciated
as I am currently finding my feet with .NET.

Many thanks in advance.

Regards

Chris Marsh