.equals vs == C# detailed

if(dtData.Rows[0]["Column1"].Equals(1))

Try if this works, if yes, it was just you comparing string to integer, otherwise problem is elsewhere.

EDIT:
So after some testing this is what I got:
Integer.Equals() will return true even if you try another direct type which is shorter byte-wise, for example Short or Byte, as long as their value is same.
Same goes for Short, if you try to Equal to Byte with same value it returns true, but if you try to Equal to Integer, who is longer it will fail.
But this looks like it doesn't apply when you use value directly.

Demonstration

int i = 1;
short s = 1;
byte b = 1;

Console.WriteLine(i.Equals(1)); // True
Console.WriteLine(s.Equals(1)); // True
Console.WriteLine(b.Equals(1)); // True

Console.WriteLine((1).GetType().ToString()); // System.Int32

// Int.Equals(Short) - Int32.Equals(Int16)
Console.WriteLine(i.Equals(s)); // True

// Short.Equals(Int) - Int16.Equals(Int32)
Console.WriteLine(s.Equals(i)); // False

The problem you have is that Integer.Equals is not same Object.Equals (or ValueType.Equals according to MSDN, not sure which is used though), which will also check for type and as Praveen Kumar Upadhyay commented your dtData.Rows is probably array of objects, after trying out GetType even if it sais it's Int16 or Int32 or whatever it will still use Object.Equals instead of the respected method of the types it sais it is.

Notice I checked what type a number 1 is, it's System.Int32 and now when we also compare type we run into this.

The situation you are in is like this:

Console.WriteLine(((object)i).Equals(1)); // True
Console.WriteLine(((object)s).Equals(1)); // False
Console.WriteLine(((object)b).Equals(1)); // False

And way to fix it is

Console.WriteLine(((object)i).Equals(1)); // True
Console.WriteLine(((object)s).Equals((short)1)); // True
Console.WriteLine(((object)b).Equals((byte)1)); // True

As you have mentioned that your column type is tinyint(1). Now when we load the select statement into DataTable, tinyint column value is getting converted into short type of.

Now I will explain your scenario, why

if(dtData.Rows[0]["Column1"].Equals("1"))

returning false.

Consider the below example.

short s = 1;
s.ToString() == "1"

above statement will return true, because when we are doing s.ToString() is returning "1" and we are comparing this with "1".

s.ToString().Equals("1")

above statement will return true, because when we are doing s.ToString() is returning "1" and we are comparing this with "1" using Equals.

s.Equals("1")

above statement will return false, because we are comparing two different types where 1 and Equals("1") are different content.

s.Equals(1)

above statement will return true, because now we are comparing the same type value, means contents are same types where 1 and Equals(1) are same content/value.


Hope this will solve your query of why if(dtData.Rows[0]["Column1"].Equals("1")) --- not working