Binding to DataTable or DataSet

When not using declarative data sources, the most common means of providing a data source for a RadGrid control is probably using a DataTable or DataSet control. You can populate DataTable instance (part of DataSet object or not) with data from a source of your choice (database, custom object collection, xml file, etc.) and then pass it to the DataSource property of the control. Here is a sample that uses the NeedDataSource event, extracting the data from an SQL database:

<telerik:RadGrid RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="RadGrid1" runat="server" CellSpacing="0"
    GridLines="None" OnNeedDataSource="RadGrid1_NeedDataSource1" AllowPaging="true"
    PageSize="10">
    <MasterTableView AutoGenerateColumns="true" DataKeyNames="CustomerID">
    </MasterTableView>
</telerik:RadGrid>

And in the code-behind:

protected void RadGrid1_NeedDataSource1(object sender, Telerik.Web.UI.GridNeedDataSourceEventArgs e)
{
    RadGrid1.DataSource = GetDataTable("SELECT CustomerID, CompanyName, ContactName FROM Customers");
}

public DataTable GetDataTable(string query)
{
    String ConnString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["NorthwindConnectionString"].ConnectionString;
    SqlDataAdapter adapter = new SqlDataAdapter();
    DataTable myDataTable = new DataTable();
    using (SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection(ConnString))
    {
        adapter.SelectCommand = new SqlCommand(query, conn);
        adapter.Fill(myDataTable);
    }
    return myDataTable;
}

Protected Sub RadGrid1_NeedDataSource(ByVal source As Object, ByVal e As Telerik.Web.UI.GridNeedDataSourceEventArgs) Handles RadGrid1.NeedDataSource
    RadGrid1.DataSource = GetDataTable("SELECT CustomerID, CompanyName, ContactName FROM Customers")
End Sub

Public Function GetDataTable(ByVal query As String) As DataTable
    Dim ConnString As [String] = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("NorthwindConnectionString").ConnectionString
    Dim adapter As New SqlDataAdapter()
    Dim myDataTable As New DataTable()
    Using conn As New SqlConnection(ConnString)
        adapter.SelectCommand = New SqlCommand(query, conn)
        adapter.Fill(myDataTable)
    End Using
    Return myDataTable
End Function