Hi Steve.
The short answer is yes, currently this is still being looked into by R&D.
I have been looking into the issue and so far this is what I can tell you:
In the world of .NET Windows.Forms programming, there is a feature called data binding that allows the programmer to easily associate the controls on a form with data from a database. In a Windows.Forms application, you can pretty much just hook it up and it works.
When you attempt to do the same things with Windows.Forms controls that are hosted on a LabVIEW front panel, however, it doesn't. The reason is simply that in Windows.Forms, the Form that hosts the controls provides a BindingContext, which is basically just a collection where the objects for managing the data binding are kept.
All I can say is that it is possible for the user to create a BindingContext and hook it up if you know how to do this. Since it is there by default in its native land of Windows.Forms, most programmers aren't even aware of it.
R&D are fully aware of this inconvenience but I am afraid I cannot give you any sort timescale on a resolution.
I hope this information helps you.