>>Does anyone want to help me complain, or perhaps direct me to a simple tutorial on .NET data-handling
Hook up with a user group, even it means travelling.
The Philly.NET group is terrific and Microsoft gives them good support.
This past weekend, Microsoft hosted an all day Firestarter session on this very topic, featuring .NET MVP's with solid, practical data handling experience. They answered all the questions I had before I asked them.
You've got to learn the basics of ADO.NET tho and there's no shortcut to it so bite the bullet and learn about those data tables!