Database Reference
In-Depth Information
C H A P T E R 10
Introduction to ADO.NET
In industry, most applications can't be built without having interaction with a database. Databases serve
the purpose of data storage so the data can be retrieved later via either a SQL query or a database
application. Almost every software application running interacts with either one or multiple databases.
Therefore, the front end needs a mechanism to connect with databases, and ADO.NET serves that
purpose. Most of the .NET applications that require database functionality are dependent on ADO.NET.
In this chapter, we'll cover the following:
•
Understanding ADO.NET
•
The motivation behind ADO.NET
•
Moving from ADO to ADO.NET
•
Understanding ADO.NET architecture
•
Understanding the SQL Server data provider
•
Understanding the OLE DB data provider
•
Understanding the ODBC data provider
•
Data providers as APIs
Understanding ADO.NET
Before .NET, developers used data access technologies such as ODBC, OLE DB, and ActiveX Data Object
(ADO). With the introduction of .NET, Microsoft created a new way to work with data, called ADO.NET
.
ADO.NET is a set of classes exposing data access services to .NET programmers, providing a rich set
of components for creating distributed, data-sharing applications. ADO.NET is an integral part of the
.NET Framework and provides access to relational, XML, and application data. ADO.NET classes are
found in
System.Data.dll
.
This technology supports a variety of development needs, including the creation of front-end
database clients and middle-tier business objects used by applications, tools, languages, and Internet
browsers. Hence, ADO.NET helps connect the UI, or presentation layer, of your application with the data
source or database.
