How POCO DataSet Ensures That Polymorphic Interfaces Are Serialized Correctly

POCO DataSet uses a combination of interfaces and concrete implementations. The public surface often exposes IDataSet, IDataTable, IDataRow, and IColumnMetadata, while the actual objects are instances of DataSet, DataTable, DataRow, and ColumnMetadata.

Challenges with Polymorphism in JSON

• JSON serializers cannot directly instantiate interface types.
• Polymorphism requires either type discriminators or custom converters.
• Without configuration, deserialization would fail or produce incomplete objects.

Solution Used by POCO DataSet

• Use ConcreteTypeConverter to statically map interfaces to concrete types.
• Avoid complex type hierarchies—keep implementations simple and focused.
• Align internal structures with JSON’s natural object/array shapes.
• Ensure that all interface properties are backed by serializable POCO fields.

As a result, polymorphic interfaces behave predictably during serialization and deserialization. The consuming code can remain interface-oriented, while the JSON layer works with concrete types.

Table of Content POCO DataSet Serialization and Deserialization