ASP.NET Dynamic Data emphasizes “separation of concerns” where business logic is separated from the web form. In addition, the web controls showing and validating data are shared by all web forms, providing a consistent user interface. It internally handles database interaction, so you don’t have to write code to create, read, update, or delete records (often known as “CRUD”).

In traditional ASP.NET web forms, the web form developer must setup every web control, including the right validators, leaving a potential of saving data that does not match your business logic. There is also the potential of creating a different look-and-feel on fields that are the same datatype. The database interaction is written into each form.

Separation of Concerns

• Business logic – Rules for validation and other aspects of managing data on an individual column are kept within a file specific to your business logic. The web form developer never creates controls or code to handle this.
• FieldTemplates – User interface for displaying and editing the data types used by columns in your database. These are actually UserControls, subclassed from Dynamic Data’s FieldTemplateUserControl class. Each FieldTemplate handles a single data type, such as date and integer. Your web app will have a library of FieldTemplates. There can be several FieldTemplate files for a single data type in your library, offering you different ways to display and edit that data type.
• Web Forms – The standard workspace for displaying HTML is still used to present the columns of your database. It still uses typical web controls, like Labels, Buttons, MultiViews, etc. When you need to show a column from your database, include a DynamicField or DynamicControl web control with the name of the column in its DataField property. ASP.NET Dynamic Data internally converts that web control into the right FieldTemplate and applies the business logic to it.
  Alternatively, let the automatic scaffolding feature populate your DataBound control with a list of columns, following the rules defined in the business logic.
• DataSources – Code to create, read, update and delete records (“CRUD”). ASP.NET Dynamic Data relies on special DataSource controls, such as LinqDataSource or EntityDataSource, that are placed on the Web Forms.

Developers Play Different Roles

• Database developer – Creates the business logic by assigning attributes and code to the classes that dictate the business logic of each table and column, including validation rules.
• FieldTemplate developer – Builds the FieldTemplate UserControls. These are a smart user interface specific to a single type of data, including readonly and editable modes, complete with validators.
• Web form developer – Defines the data fields shown and their layout on the page. By using PageTemplates, the web form developer has most of the work done.