.net - Bulk Update in C#

Question

For inserting a huge amount of data in a database, I used to collect all the inserting information into a list and convert this list into a DataTable. I then insert that list to a database via SqlBulkCopy.

Where I send my generated list
LiMyList
which contain information of all bulk data which I want to insert to database
and pass it to my bulk insertion operation

InsertData(LiMyList, "MyTable");

Where InsertData is

 public static void InsertData<T>(List<T> list,string TableName)
        {
                DataTable dt = new DataTable("MyTable");
                clsBulkOperation blk = new clsBulkOperation();
                dt = ConvertToDataTable(list);
                ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(ConfigurationUserLevel.PerUserRoamingAndLocal);
                using (SqlBulkCopy bulkcopy = new SqlBulkCopy(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["SchoolSoulDataEntitiesForReport"].ConnectionString))
                {
                    bulkcopy.BulkCopyTimeout = 660;
                    bulkcopy.DestinationTableName = TableName;
                    bulkcopy.WriteToServer(dt);
                }
        }    

public static DataTable ConvertToDataTable<T>(IList<T> data)
        {
            PropertyDescriptorCollection properties = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(typeof(T));
            DataTable table = new DataTable();
            foreach (PropertyDescriptor prop in properties)
                table.Columns.Add(prop.Name, Nullable.GetUnderlyingType(prop.PropertyType) ?? prop.PropertyType);
            foreach (T item in data)
            {
                DataRow row = table.NewRow();
                foreach (PropertyDescriptor prop in properties)
                    row[prop.Name] = prop.GetValue(item) ?? DBNull.Value;
                table.Rows.Add(row);
            }
            return table;
        }

Now I want to do an update operation, is there any way as for inserting data is done by SqlBulkCopy for Updating data to DataBase From C#.Net

Answer 1

What I've done before is perform a bulk insert from the data into a temp table, and then use a command or stored procedure to update the data relating the temp table with the destination table. The temp table is an extra step, but you can have a performance gain with the bulk insert and massive update if the amount of rows is big, compared to updating the data row by row.

Example:

public static void UpdateData<T>(List<T> list,string TableName)
{
    DataTable dt = new DataTable("MyTable");
    dt = ConvertToDataTable(list);

    using (SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["SchoolSoulDataEntitiesForReport"].ConnectionString))
    {
        using (SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand("", conn))
        {
            try
            {
                conn.Open();

                //Creating temp table on database
                command.CommandText = "CREATE TABLE #TmpTable(...)";
                command.ExecuteNonQuery();

                //Bulk insert into temp table
                using (SqlBulkCopy bulkcopy = new SqlBulkCopy(conn))
                {
                    bulkcopy.BulkCopyTimeout = 660;
                    bulkcopy.DestinationTableName = "#TmpTable";
                    bulkcopy.WriteToServer(dt);
                    bulkcopy.Close();
                }

                // Updating destination table, and dropping temp table
                command.CommandTimeout = 300;
                command.CommandText = "UPDATE T SET ... FROM " + TableName + " T INNER JOIN #TmpTable Temp ON ...; DROP TABLE #TmpTable;";
                command.ExecuteNonQuery();
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                // Handle exception properly
            }
            finally
            {
                conn.Close();
            }
        }
    }
}

Notice that a single connection is used to perform the whole operation, in order to be able to use the temp table in each step, because the scope of the temp table is per connection.