ADO.NET
Encyclopedia
ADO.NET is a set of computer software components that programmers can use to access data and data services. It is a part of the base class library
that is included with the Microsoft .NET Framework
. It is commonly used by programmers to access and modify data stored in relational database systems, though it can also access data in non-relational sources. ADO.NET is sometimes considered an evolution of ActiveX Data Objects
(ADO) technology, but was changed so extensively that it can be considered an entirely new product..
ADO.NET is conceptually divided into consumers and data providers. The consumers are the applications that need access to the data, and the providers are the software components that implement the interface and thereby provides the data to the consumer.
IDE to create specialized subclasses of the DataSet classes for a particular database schema, allowing convenient access to each field through strongly typed properties. This helps catch more programming errors at compile-time and makes the IDE's Intellisense
feature more beneficial.
for the Microsoft
.NET Framework
, similar to the Java Persistence API
, targeting the version of ADO.NET that ships with .NET Framework 4.0. ADO.NET Entity Framework is included with .NET Framework 4.0 and Visual Studio 2010, released in April 2010. An Entity Framework Entity is an object which has a key representing the primary key of a logical datastore entity. A conceptual Entity Data Model (Entity-relationship model
) is mapped to a datastore schema model. Using the Entity Data Model, the Entity Framework allows data to be treated as entities independently of their underlying datastore representations.
Entity SQL, a SQL
-like language, serves for querying the Entity Data Model (instead of the underlying datastore). Similarly, LINQ
extension LINQ to Entities provides typed querying on the Entity Data Model. Entity SQL and LINQ to Entities queries are converted internally into a Canonical Query Tree which is then converted into a query understandable to the underlying datastore (e.g. into SQL
in the case of a relational database
). The entities can use their relationships, with their changes committed back to the datastore
Base Class Library
The Base Class Library is a standard library available to all languages using the .NET Framework. .NET includes the BCL in order to encapsulate a large number of common functions, such as file reading and writing, graphic rendering, database interaction, and XML document manipulation, which makes...
that is included with the Microsoft .NET Framework
.NET Framework
The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
. It is commonly used by programmers to access and modify data stored in relational database systems, though it can also access data in non-relational sources. ADO.NET is sometimes considered an evolution of ActiveX Data Objects
ActiveX Data Objects
Microsoft's ActiveX Data Objects is a set of Component Object Model objects for accessing data sources. A part of MDAC, it provides a middleware layer between programming languages and OLE DB...
(ADO) technology, but was changed so extensively that it can be considered an entirely new product..
Architecture
ADO.NET and Visual Studio
Functionality exists in the Visual StudioMicrosoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment from Microsoft. It is used to develop console and graphical user interface applications along with Windows Forms applications, web sites, web applications, and web services in both native code together with managed code for all...
IDE to create specialized subclasses of the DataSet classes for a particular database schema, allowing convenient access to each field through strongly typed properties. This helps catch more programming errors at compile-time and makes the IDE's Intellisense
IntelliSense
IntelliSense is Microsoft's implementation of autocompletion, best known for its use in the Microsoft Visual Studio integrated development environment...
feature more beneficial.
Entity Framework
The ADO.NET Entity Framework is a set of data-access APIsApplication programming interface
An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
for the Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
.NET Framework
.NET Framework
The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
, similar to the Java Persistence API
Java Persistence API
The Java Persistence API, sometimes referred to as JPA, is a Java programming language framework managing relational data in applications using Java Platform, Standard Edition and Java Platform, Enterprise Edition....
, targeting the version of ADO.NET that ships with .NET Framework 4.0. ADO.NET Entity Framework is included with .NET Framework 4.0 and Visual Studio 2010, released in April 2010. An Entity Framework Entity is an object which has a key representing the primary key of a logical datastore entity. A conceptual Entity Data Model (Entity-relationship model
Entity-relationship model
In software engineering, an entity-relationship model is an abstract and conceptual representation of data. Entity-relationship modeling is a database modeling method, used to produce a type of conceptual schema or semantic data model of a system, often a relational database, and its requirements...
) is mapped to a datastore schema model. Using the Entity Data Model, the Entity Framework allows data to be treated as entities independently of their underlying datastore representations.
Entity SQL, a SQL
SQL
SQL is a programming language designed for managing data in relational database management systems ....
-like language, serves for querying the Entity Data Model (instead of the underlying datastore). Similarly, LINQ
Language Integrated Query
Language Integrated Query is a Microsoft .NET Framework component that adds native data querying capabilities to .NET languages, although ports exist for Java, PHP and JavaScript....
extension LINQ to Entities provides typed querying on the Entity Data Model. Entity SQL and LINQ to Entities queries are converted internally into a Canonical Query Tree which is then converted into a query understandable to the underlying datastore (e.g. into SQL
SQL
SQL is a programming language designed for managing data in relational database management systems ....
in the case of a relational database
Relational database
A relational database is a database that conforms to relational model theory. The software used in a relational database is called a relational database management system . Colloquial use of the term "relational database" may refer to the RDBMS software, or the relational database itself...
). The entities can use their relationships, with their changes committed back to the datastore
Data Access Technologies & Implementation Methods
- RDBMS
- ADOActiveX Data ObjectsMicrosoft's ActiveX Data Objects is a set of Component Object Model objects for accessing data sources. A part of MDAC, it provides a middleware layer between programming languages and OLE DB...
(ADO vs ADO.NET) - ODBCOpen Database ConnectivityIn computing, ODBC is a standard C interface for accessing database management systems . The designers of ODBC aimed to make it independent of database systems and operating systems...
- JDBC
- OLE DBOLE DBOLE DB is an API designed by Microsoft for accessing data from a variety of sources in an uniform manner. It is a set of interfaces implemented using the Component Object Model ; it is otherwise unrelated to OLE...
- XMLXMLExtensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
Data Access and Synchronization
- ADO.NET Data ServicesADO.NET Data ServicesWCF Data Services is a platform for what Microsoft calls Data Services. It is actually a combination of the runtime and a web service through which the services are exposed. In addition, it also includes the Data Services Toolkit which lets Astoria Data Services be created from within ASP.NET itself...
- Microsoft Codename "Jasper"
- Microsoft Sync FrameworkMicrosoft Sync FrameworkMicrosoft Sync Framework is a data synchronization platform from Microsoft that can be used to synchronize data across multiple data stores. Sync Framework includes a transport-agnostic architecture, into which data store-specific synchronization providers, modelled on the ADO.NET data provider...
ADO.NET
- ADO.NET Overview on MSDN
- ADO.NET for the ADO Programmer
- ADO.NET Connection Strings
- ADO.NET Team Blog