| Learn to use the ADO.NET model to expand on data-bound Windows and
Web Forms, as well as how XML and ADO.NET intermingle.
ADO.NET is the data access component of Microsoft’s new .NET Framework. Microsoft
bills ADO.NET as “an evolutionary improvement” over previous versions of ADO, a claim
that has been hotly debated since its announcement. It is certainly true that the
ADO.NET object model bears very little relationship to earlier versions of ADO.
In fact, whether you decide to love it or hate it, one fact about the .NET Framework
seems undeniable: it levels the playing ground. Whether you’ve been at this computer
game longer than you care to talk about or you’re still sorting out your heaps and stacks,
learning the .NET Framework will require a major investment. We’re all beginners now.
So welcome to Microsoft ADO.NET Step by Step. Through the exercises in this book, I
will introduce you to the ADO.NET object model, and you’ll learn how to use that model
in developing data-bound Windows Forms and Web Forms. In later topics, we’ll look at
how ADO.NET interacts with XML and how to access older versions of ADO from the
.NET environment.
Since we’re all beginners, an exhaustive treatment would be, well, exhausting, so this
book is necessarily limited in scope. My goal is to provide you with an understanding of
the ADO.NET objects—what they are and how they work together. So fair warning: this
book will not make you an expert in ADO.NET. (How I wish it were that simple!)
What this book will give you is a road map, a fundamental understanding of the
environment, from which you will be able to build expertise. You’ll know what you need to
do to start building data applications. The rest will come with time and experience. This
book is a place to start. |
