title: DataTables ajax requires explicit json collection name for the returned datasource?
body: <p>I recently ran into a problem when implementing the ajax functionality of jquery DataTables. Until I actually gave my json object collection an explicit name I couldn't get anything to display.  Shouldn't there be a default data source if nothing named is returned?</p>
  
  <p>Client Side control setup (includes hidden field that supplies data to dynamic anchor: </p>
  
  <pre><code> $('#accountRequestStatus').dataTable(
        {
            "destroy": true,  // within a method that will be called multiple times with new/different data
            "processing": true,
            "ajax":
                {
                    "type": "GET",
                    "url": "@Url.Action("SomeServerMethod", "SomeController")",
                    "data": { methodParam1: 12341, methodParam2: 123423, requestType: 4123421 }
                }
            , "paging": false
            , "columns": [
                  { "data": "DataElement1" },
                  { "data": "DataElement2", "title": "Col1" },
                  { "data": "DataElement3", "title": "Col2" },
                  { "data": "DataElement4", "title": "Col3" },
                  { "data": "DataElement5", "title": "Col4" },
            ]
            , "columnDefs": [                            
                {
                    "targets": 0, // hiding first column, userId
                    "visible": false,
                    "searchable": false,
                    "sortable": false
                },
                {
                    "targets": 5,  // creates action link using the hidden data for that row in column [userId]
                    "render": function (data, type, row) {                          
                        return "&lt;a href='@Url.Action("ServerMethod", "Controller")?someParam=" + row["DataElement1"] + "'&gt;Details&lt;/a&gt;"
                    },
                    "searchable": false,
                    "sortable": false
                }
            ]
        });
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Here's a snippet of my server side code that returns the json collection.<br>
  tableRows is a collection of models containing the data to be displayed.</p>
  
  <pre><code> var json = this.Json(new { data = tableRows });
              json.JsonRequestBehavior = JsonRequestBehavior.AllowGet;
  
              return json;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>As I said before, the ajax call returned data but wouldn't display until I gave the collection a name.  Maybe I missed this required step in the documentation, but <strong>wouldn't it make sense for the control to wire up to a single returned collection as the default data source and not require the name</strong>?  Figuring out the name thing  equated to about 2+ hours of messin' around trying different things.  That's all I'm saying.</p>
  
  <p>Maybe this'll help someone else too...</p>