Use the BaseDataList.DataKeys collection to access the key values of each record (displayed as a row) in a data listing control. This allows you to store the key field with a data listing control without displaying it in the control. This collection is automatically filled with the values from the field specified by the BaseDataList.DataKeyField property.

The key field is commonly used in a handler for an event, such as ItemCommand or DeleteCommand, as part of an update query string to revise a specific record in the data source. The key field helps the update query string identify the appropriate record to modify.

For more information on accessing data with ASP.NET, see Accessing Data with ASP.NET.