Because everything is new, I am not sure if anything could be labeled a "best practice"

Having said that, my opinion is that one dataset with 3 tables is the way to go. I would suggest shying away from the data adapter from filling and updating data for you. Instead, I would build classes that handle the dataset definition and the data update, create, delete, and query options for you.

From a binding standpoint, it will be easier to have 1 dataset as opposed to 3 to worry about.

I have an article coming out in the next issue of Code that begins to explore these very issues.

>What is the best practice in retrieving the data of a table and all related reference tables. For example the table [Products] in northwind database and the related reference tables [Categories] & [Suppliers].
>
>Create one dataset with all three tables?
>Create three datasets?