Hi All,
  I am new to VB programming in general, and even newer to database questions, so please bear with me :) I've looked at a lot of help articles and posts, and come up empty. I think the question must be so basic that no one bothers to address it.

  I have created a DataTable, filled it with data, and identified a column as the PrimaryKey. Now I just want to go into that table with a given value that I know exists in the primary key column, find the appropriate row based on that PK value, and get the value from some other column in the same row.

  Big picture, I have a lot of data that I need to be able to access, add to, sort, etc. (but only within a given execution of the program - I don't want a stand-alone external database). I thought it would be easier to create a data table and use database commands than to use arrays and have to write my own logic to do those functions. If someone thinks that's a bad idea, or has a third alternative that I didn't think of, please let me know.

  I don't know if it matters for the answer to my question, but I am using VB 2005 Express.

Thanks!

First of all, using a DataTable is not a bad idea. If it has all the functionality you need, and performs well, there is no reason not to use it.

An alternative would be to create your own collection object inheriting from CollectionBase, and implementing the appropriate interfaces. This would be a very useful exercise as it would greatlty expand your understanding of common programming mechanisms. It would force you to learn about and work with basic OOP concepts that are the foundation of programming today.

Woody Z http://www.learntoprogramnow.com