Advantages of ADO.Net

By: Rajesh P.S.

There are some similarities and difeerences between ADO and ADO.NET, but the way they operate and their foundations are quite different.

ADO, being an older technology, relies on COM (Component Object Model) for its implementation. On the other hand, ADO.NET is built on top of the .NET Common Language Runtime and utilizes managed providers defined within the .NET framework. This fundamental difference in technology leads to significant distinctions in how the two models operate.

One similarity between ADO and ADO.NET is the need for a connection to a data store in order to fetch data. Both models require establishing a connection to the data source, and the code for establishing a connection is similar in many cases.

However, a notable difference lies in the way connections are created in ADO and ADO.NET. In ADO, all connections to various types of data sources are accommodated within a single Connection object. In contrast, ADO.NET allows for the creation of separate objects that represent connections to different data sources. This means that ADO.NET provides more flexibility and granularity in managing connections, enabling developers to establish specific connection objects tailored to different data sources.

Moreover, ADO.NET introduces the concept of data provider namespaces. Developers can create multiple namespaces, each targeting a specific data provider for a particular data source. This approach allows for faster and more efficient data access, as each namespace can fully utilize the features and optimizations provided by its targeted data provider. This enhances performance and flexibility in working with different data sources within ADO.NET.

SQL Server Connection

VB.Net

Dim connectionString As String connectionString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("SQLDbConnection").ToString

C#

string connectionString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["SQLDbConnection"].ToString();

OLEDB Connection

VB.Net

Dim connectionString As String Dim connection As OleDbConnection connectionString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("OLEDbConnection").ToString connection = New OleDbConnection(connectionString)

C#

string connectionString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["OLEDbConnection"].ToString(); OleDbConnection connection = new OleDbConnection(connectionString);

In ADO, the ability to create cursors is limited to client-side cursors only. Client-side cursors load all the data from a result set into the client's memory, allowing for manipulation and navigation within the dataset. ADO.NET, on the other hand, offers the flexibility to choose between client-side and server-side cursors. Server-side cursors perform data manipulation and navigation on the server-side, reducing the amount of data transferred between the client and the server.

In terms of data structures, ADO primarily relies on the Recordset object for holding and manipulating data. ADO Recordsets are sets of rows retrieved from a data source. In contrast, ADO.NET replaces the Recordset object with the Dataset. The Dataset serves as a disconnected representation of result sets from the data source and is independent of the data source itself. A Dataset in ADO.NET can hold data from various sources and integrates the data, allowing for interactions and updates to be made across multiple data sources.

Regarding data communication, ADO and ADO.NET differ in their approach. ADO primarily communicates data in binary mode, which involves sending binary representations of data between the client and the data source. In contrast, ADO.NET relies on XML (eXtensible Markup Language) for passing data. XML is a widely recognized and platform-independent data format that allows for structured and standardized data exchange. ADO.NET utilize XML's capabilities to facilitate efficient data communication and integration.

You can find more information on ADO to ADO.NET from the following link :

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163954.aspx

Conclusion

ADO.NET offers a broader range of cursor options, replaces the Recordset object with the more versatile Dataset, and utilizes XML for data communication, providing enhanced flexibility, independence, and integration capabilities compared to ADO.

Next > Disconnected Data Access Architecture

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