diff --git a/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.css b/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.css
index 5b9032d196b3..31bd3b658d8b 100644
--- a/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.css
+++ b/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.css
@@ -1,19 +1,10 @@
-/* Structure */
 .example-container {
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: column;
+  max-height: 500px;
   min-width: 300px;
 }
 
-.example-header {
-  min-height: 64px;
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  padding-left: 24px;
-  font-size: 20px;
-}
-
 .mat-table {
   overflow: auto;
-  max-height: 500px;
 }
diff --git a/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.html b/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.html
index 03bef390337d..66dd020c6d55 100644
--- a/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.html
+++ b/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.html
@@ -4,28 +4,28 @@
     <!--- Note that these columns can be defined in any order.
           The actual rendered columns are set as a property on the row definition" -->
 
-    <!-- ID Column -->
-    <ng-container mdColumnDef="userId">
-      <md-header-cell *mdHeaderCellDef> ID </md-header-cell>
-      <md-cell *mdCellDef="let row"> {{row.id}} </md-cell>
-    </ng-container>
-
-    <!-- Progress Column -->
-    <ng-container mdColumnDef="progress">
-      <md-header-cell *mdHeaderCellDef> Progress </md-header-cell>
-      <md-cell *mdCellDef="let row"> {{row.progress}}% </md-cell>
+    <!-- Position Column -->
+    <ng-container mdColumnDef="position">
+      <md-header-cell *mdHeaderCellDef> No. </md-header-cell>
+      <md-cell *mdCellDef="let element"> {{element.position}} </md-cell>
     </ng-container>
 
     <!-- Name Column -->
-    <ng-container mdColumnDef="userName">
+    <ng-container mdColumnDef="name">
       <md-header-cell *mdHeaderCellDef> Name </md-header-cell>
-      <md-cell *mdCellDef="let row"> {{row.name}} </md-cell>
+      <md-cell *mdCellDef="let element"> {{element.name}} </md-cell>
+    </ng-container>
+
+    <!-- Weight Column -->
+    <ng-container mdColumnDef="weight">
+      <md-header-cell *mdHeaderCellDef> Weight </md-header-cell>
+      <md-cell *mdCellDef="let element"> {{element.weight}} </md-cell>
     </ng-container>
 
     <!-- Color Column -->
-    <ng-container mdColumnDef="color">
-      <md-header-cell *mdHeaderCellDef>Color</md-header-cell>
-      <md-cell *mdCellDef="let row" [style.color]="row.color"> {{row.color}} </md-cell>
+    <ng-container mdColumnDef="symbol">
+      <md-header-cell *mdHeaderCellDef> Symbol </md-header-cell>
+      <md-cell *mdCellDef="let element"> {{element.symbol}} </md-cell>
     </ng-container>
 
     <md-header-row *mdHeaderRowDef="displayedColumns"></md-header-row>
diff --git a/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.ts b/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.ts
index 4db0a4aaa62e..be57119ec16e 100644
--- a/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.ts
+++ b/src/material-examples/table-basic/table-basic-example.ts
@@ -1,91 +1,58 @@
 import {Component} from '@angular/core';
 import {DataSource} from '@angular/cdk/table';
-import {BehaviorSubject} from 'rxjs/BehaviorSubject';
 import {Observable} from 'rxjs/Observable';
-import 'rxjs/add/operator/startWith';
-import 'rxjs/add/observable/merge';
-import 'rxjs/add/operator/map';
+import 'rxjs/add/observable/of';
 
-/**
- * @title Basic table
- */
 @Component({
   selector: 'table-basic-example',
   styleUrls: ['table-basic-example.css'],
   templateUrl: 'table-basic-example.html',
 })
 export class TableBasicExample {
-  displayedColumns = ['userId', 'userName', 'progress', 'color'];
-  exampleDatabase = new ExampleDatabase();
-  dataSource: ExampleDataSource | null;
-
-  ngOnInit() {
-    this.dataSource = new ExampleDataSource(this.exampleDatabase);
-  }
+  displayedColumns = ['position', 'name', 'weight', 'symbol'];
+  dataSource = new ExampleDataSource();
 }
 
-/** Constants used to fill up our data base. */
-const COLORS = ['maroon', 'red', 'orange', 'yellow', 'olive', 'green', 'purple',
-  'fuchsia', 'lime', 'teal', 'aqua', 'blue', 'navy', 'black', 'gray'];
-const NAMES = ['Maia', 'Asher', 'Olivia', 'Atticus', 'Amelia', 'Jack',
-  'Charlotte', 'Theodore', 'Isla', 'Oliver', 'Isabella', 'Jasper',
-  'Cora', 'Levi', 'Violet', 'Arthur', 'Mia', 'Thomas', 'Elizabeth'];
-
-export interface UserData {
-  id: string;
+export interface Element {
   name: string;
-  progress: string;
-  color: string;
+  position: number;
+  weight: number;
+  symbol: string;
 }
 
-/** An example database that the data source uses to retrieve data for the table. */
-export class ExampleDatabase {
-  /** Stream that emits whenever the data has been modified. */
-  dataChange: BehaviorSubject<UserData[]> = new BehaviorSubject<UserData[]>([]);
-  get data(): UserData[] { return this.dataChange.value; }
-
-  constructor() {
-    // Fill up the database with 100 users.
-    for (let i = 0; i < 100; i++) { this.addUser(); }
-  }
-
-  /** Adds a new user to the database. */
-  addUser() {
-    const copiedData = this.data.slice();
-    copiedData.push(this.createNewUser());
-    this.dataChange.next(copiedData);
-  }
-
-  /** Builds and returns a new User. */
-  private createNewUser() {
-    const name =
-        NAMES[Math.round(Math.random() * (NAMES.length - 1))] + ' ' +
-        NAMES[Math.round(Math.random() * (NAMES.length - 1))].charAt(0) + '.';
-
-    return {
-      id: (this.data.length + 1).toString(),
-      name: name,
-      progress: Math.round(Math.random() * 100).toString(),
-      color: COLORS[Math.round(Math.random() * (COLORS.length - 1))]
-    };
-  }
-}
+const data: Element[] = [
+  {position: 1, name: 'Hydrogen', weight: 1.0079, symbol: 'H'},
+  {position: 2, name: 'Helium', weight: 4.0026, symbol: 'He'},
+  {position: 3, name: 'Lithium', weight: 6.941, symbol: 'Li'},
+  {position: 4, name: 'Beryllium', weight: 9.0122, symbol: 'Be'},
+  {position: 5, name: 'Boron', weight: 10.811, symbol: 'B'},
+  {position: 6, name: 'Carbon', weight: 12.0107, symbol: 'C'},
+  {position: 7, name: 'Nitrogen', weight: 14.0067, symbol: 'N'},
+  {position: 8, name: 'Oxygen', weight: 15.9994, symbol: 'O'},
+  {position: 9, name: 'Fluorine', weight: 18.9984, symbol: 'F'},
+  {position: 10, name: 'Neon', weight: 20.1797, symbol: 'Ne'},
+  {position: 11, name: 'Sodium', weight: 22.9897, symbol: 'Na'},
+  {position: 12, name: 'Magnesium', weight: 24.305, symbol: 'Mg'},
+  {position: 13, name: 'Aluminum', weight: 26.9815, symbol: 'Al'},
+  {position: 14, name: 'Silicon', weight: 28.0855, symbol: 'Si'},
+  {position: 15, name: 'Phosphorus', weight: 30.9738, symbol: 'P'},
+  {position: 16, name: 'Sulfur', weight: 32.065, symbol: 'S'},
+  {position: 17, name: 'Chlorine', weight: 35.453, symbol: 'Cl'},
+  {position: 18, name: 'Argon', weight: 39.948, symbol: 'Ar'},
+  {position: 19, name: 'Potassium', weight: 39.0983, symbol: 'K'},
+  {position: 20, name: 'Calcium', weight: 40.078, symbol: 'Ca'},
+];
 
 /**
- * Data source to provide what data should be rendered in the table. Note that the data source
- * can retrieve its data in any way. In this case, the data source is provided a reference
- * to a common data base, ExampleDatabase. It is not the data source's responsibility to manage
- * the underlying data. Instead, it only needs to take the data and send the table exactly what
- * should be rendered.
+ * Data source to provide what data should be rendered in the table. The observable provided
+ * in connect should emit exactly the data that should be rendered by the table. If the data is
+ * altered, the observable should emit that new set of data on the stream. In our case here,
+ * we return a stream that contains only one set of data that doesn't change.
  */
 export class ExampleDataSource extends DataSource<any> {
-  constructor(private _exampleDatabase: ExampleDatabase) {
-    super();
-  }
-
   /** Connect function called by the table to retrieve one stream containing the data to render. */
-  connect(): Observable<UserData[]> {
-    return this._exampleDatabase.dataChange;
+  connect(): Observable<Element[]> {
+    return Observable.of(data);
   }
 
   disconnect() {}