Data Access Using ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)

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ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) is designed to be an easy-to-use application-level interface to any OLE DB data provider, including relational and non-relational databases, e-mail and file systems, text and graphics, and custom business objects, as well as existing ODBC data sources. Virtually all of the data available throughout the enterprise is available using the ADO data access technology.

ADO is easy to use, language-independent, implemented with a small footprint, uses minimal network traffic, and has few layers between the client application and the data source — all to provide lightweight, high-performance data access.

The general characteristics of ADO are:

  • Ease of use.
  • High performance.
  • Programmatic control of cursors.
  • Complex cursor types, including batch and server- and client-side cursors.
  • Ability to return multiple result sets from a single query.
  • Synchronous, asynchronous, or event-driven query execution.
  • Reusable, property-changeable objects.
  • Advanced recordset cache management.
  • Flexibility — it works with existing database technologies and all OLE DB providers.
  • Excellent error trapping.

The simple semantics of ADO and universal application mean minimal developer training, rapid application development, and inexpensive maintenance.

The following sections will acquaint you with ADO data access technology.

Section Description
Understanding the ADO Object Model Defines the ADO object model and how it works.
Accessing Data with ADO Discusses the application and use of the ADO data access technology.
When to Use ADO Specifies when to use ADO in your application.

For More Information   For more information on how to implement data access using ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), search for "ADO Overview" in MSDN Library Visual Studio 6.0.