Part I: Getting Started with Microsoft ADO.NET

Part I

Getting Started with Microsoft ADO.NET

Chapter 1

Overview of ADO.NET

ADO.NET is a set of libraries included with the Microsoft .NET Framework that help you communicate with various data stores from .NET applications. The ADO.NET libraries include classes for connecting to a data source, submitting queries, and processing results. You can also use ADO.NET as a robust, hierarchical, disconnected data cache to work with data off line. The central disconnected object, the DataSet, allows you to sort, search, filter, store pending changes, and navigate through hierarchical data. The DataSet also includes a number of features that bridge the gap between traditional data access and XML development. Developers can now work with XML data through traditional data access interfaces and vice-versa.

In short, if you're building an application that accesses data, you should be using ADO.NET.

Microsoft Visual Studio .NET includes a number of data access features you can use to build data access applications. Many of these features can save you time during the development process by generating large amounts of tedious code for you. Other features improve the performance of the applications you build by storing metadata and updating logic in your code rather than fetching this information at run time. Believe it or not, many of Visual Studio .NET's data access features accomplish both tasks.

As we examine ADO.NET throughout this book, we'll also look at features in Visual Studio .NET that you can use to save time and effort.