Chapter 27. Using .NET Data Providers

IN BRIEF

This chapter will show you how to use the various data providers that ship with the .NET Framework, as well as mention some alternative data providers that are available. A data provider is a collection of classes that provides programmatic access to some source of data. That data source could be a flat file on a disk, an MS Access database, an Excel spreadsheet, an Oracle server, SQL Server, or virtually any other data source on the market.

You will see how the SQL and OLEDB data providers work, as well as how to attach a DataSet to a data provider for automatic propagation of changes to the DataSet to the data source. By the end of this chapter, you will have a firm grasp on the concept of a data provider, how to use data providers, and how to use a data provider in combination with a DataSet for dynamic binding and updating.

WHAT YOU NEED

REQUIRED SOFTWARE	.NET Framework SDK v1.1 Visual Studio .NET 2003 with C# installed SQL 2000 Sample DB and/or MS Access sample DB
RECOMMENDED HARDWARE SKILLS REQUIRED	PC that meets .NET SDK minimum requirements C# and .NET familiarity

USING .NET DATA PROVIDERS AT A GLANCE

SQL Server Data Provider		537
	Introduction to the SQL Server Data Provider	537	The SqlCommand Class	540
	Using the SqlConnection Class	537	The SqlDataReader Class	542
	Using Database Connection Strings with a SqlConnection	539	The SqlDataAdapter Class	542
Working with the OLEDB Data Provider		544
	Overview of the OLEDB Data Provider	545	Using the OleDbDataReader	546
	Using the OleDbConnection	545	Using the OleDbDataAdapter	546
	Using the OleDbCommand	545
Additional Data Providers		547
	The Oracle .NET Data Provider (ODP.NET)	547	The .NET ODBC Data Provider	548
			The mySQL .NET Data Provider	548
	The Microsoft .NET Data Provider for Oracle	547
DataSet and DataAdapter Binding		548
	DataSet Review Review	548	Sample: Hooking Up a DataSet to a Live Data Source	549
	Associating a DataSet with a DataAdapter	549
Summary		552
Further Reading		552