Information systems have become quite complex, particularly in the current Internet environment. Microsoft has always produced products appropriate for the changing needs of information architecture. Microsoft’s .NET Framework is its latest addition. ADO.NET 2.0 is the important part of this framework, included in the system data name space. Its functions are concerned with managing and communicating with the file-based or server-based data store. This book is an important addition to the literature on this topic.
Chapter 1 presents a brief introduction to ADO.NET 2.0, which can handle concurrency, pooling, and Extensible Markup Language (XML) support in connected and disconnected architectures. The advantages of ADO.NET 2.0 over other application programming interfaces (APIs) like data access objects (DAO), remote data objects (RDO), open database connectivity (ODBC) direct, DleDb, and ActiveX data objects (ADO) are briefly mentioned. Chapter 2 elaborates on the functionalities of ADO.NET 2.0, including establishing a connection with the data source, executing a command, specifying parameters to a command, and fetching results. Appropriate tables of classes and interfaces are included, in what the author calls the “Reference Chapter.”
Chapter 3 contains an example of a Web-based ASP.NET approach and a Windows Forms-based approach. It is also possible to develop code instead of using a drag-drop approach. The author includes the code for the sample example using C++ and VB.NET. The next chapter starts by explaining how to connect to a data source like Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle. Details about class structure, the structure of connection strings, and connection string generators are covered, including connection pooling.
The data can be retrieved in a connected or disconnected fashion. In chapter 5, the details of connected retrieval are described using user defined types. Chapter 6 is concerned with disconnected architecture, where a large number of users want the same valuable data. The data set as an object in this architecture must be serializable, work with XML, and have the property of persistence. A data set consists of tables, relations, and some extended properties. This chapter also describes the use of XML Schema Definition (XSD). Chapter 7 describes the object data adapter, which acts as a bridge between the disconnected portion and connected portion of ADO.NET 2.0. Mapping makes code easier to read and modify.
Objects like data sets are used for relational data, whereas data tables and data relations are for tabular data and relational structures from a data source. ADO.NET 2.0 supports various manipulations, like sorting, searching, and filtering, which are described in chapter 8. It is possible to do operations like find, select, and sort. This chapter also covers the data view object. XML and the data set objects can easily interact with each other. Chapters 9 and 10 are concerned with updating them and having them persist in a data source. Important considerations like data integrity, performance, and tradeoff in designing the data layer are discussed in these chapters. The use of the SQL command builder object is also covered. The SQL bulk cCopy object supports faster insertion in a large database with a multi-user environment.
Chapter 11 concentrates on transactions, including the concepts of atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability (ACID). The chapter discusses the structure of a transaction, its isolation level, and two-phase commit. The new lightweight transaction manager (LTM) facility of ADO.NET 2.0 is elaborated. XML and ADO.NET 2.0 are complementary in operation. Chapter 12 covers this aspect, including the SQLXML object model. Chapter 13 specifically addresses common language runtime (CLR). The use of SQLCLR is described, and compared with Transact-SQL (T-SQL).
Chapter 14 discusses good strategies, practices, and approaches to using ADO.NET 2.0. One should have the correct requirements of the application, and select the right tools. The chapter also discusses the use of T-SQL versus SQLCLR and extended stored procedures, and important “dos” and “don’ts” in the use of ADO.NET 2.0.
The book has an excellent index. The code is in C++, as well as VB.NET, using SQL Server 2005 and Oracle, which increases the usefulness of the book. One can also download code from the publisher’s site.
The glossary and references at the end of the book are very good, and most of the exercises are simple. There is frequent mention of the business, communication, and data layers; a brief introduction at the beginning of the book would have helped newcomers.
This book is an important contribution to the Microsoft world, and is highly recommended to software developers, including graduate students, if they are using these tools in projects and research activities.
