Programming ADO

For every developer who's uttered "I wish I knew that before I started writing all this code!" PROGRAMMING ADO demonstrates how to save time, write less code, and build more-powerful data-driven solutions using Microsoft(r) ActiveX(r) Data Objects (ADO). In the book's first section, the author expertly guides readers through the ADO object model-sharing his expertise as a Microsoft Developer Support professional on the properties, events, and methods that can present the greatest challenges to the ADO developer. The remainder of the book is devoted to helping developers comprehend how ADO objects behave and building their proficiency with ADO programming techniques. Topics include connecting to databases; using the Recordset, Command, and Record and Search objects to retrieve and manipulate data; updating databases; and creating remote data services. Readers can study the features of the ADO cursor engine in detail, so to learn how cursors work, what their limitations are, how to shorten development time, and how to avoid coding themselves into a corner.

Written for the intermediate to advanced Windows programmer, David Sceppa's Programming ADO offers an expert's view of developing with this powerful--and occasionally tricky--database library. Filled with tips and suggested best practices for building robust database programs, this title provides a useful real-world perspective to effective coding with ADO.

This book is part reference, offering full coverage of all objects in ADO, and part programming tutorial, describing every object, property, collection, method, and event in this library, including ADOX and JRO in an appendix. Instead of whole programs, the author uses short code excerpts written in Visual Basic to illustrate key points. Complete sample applications are available on the accompanying CD-ROM.

Throughout this text, Sceppa shows off his expert knowledge of ADO. Standout sections here include examples of connecting to databases effectively, different strategies for querying and updating databases, and a nice explanation of disconnected recordsets. The discussion of the various cursor types available in ADO is also a must-read for any serious ADO developer. (Choosing the right cursor type for your project, it turns out, is not as easy as it appears.) Each section ends with "Questions That Should Be Asked More Frequently" in which the author invites you to think carefully about the ways you use ADO.

Later sections here turn to the powerful ADO Cursor Engine and the newer Record and Stream classes, which allow programmers to "persist" recordsets to files (and even XML). There are plenty of tips for handling record conflicts within real-world, multi-user databases. Once again, although ADO looks easy, there is plenty to worry about when multiple users access records frequently. This book shows you how to write more robust database applications.

Filled with time-saving programming expertise, Programming ADO fills a valuable niche for any developer who wants to start working with ADO effectively. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) overview and tutorial; Data Access Objects (DAO) vs. ADO; the ADO object model and version 2.5 enhancements; Connection properties, collections, methods, and events; connection strings; connecting to OLE DB providers; Recordset properties, collections, methods, and events; Command and Parameter properties, collections, and methods; using ADO Record and Stream objects; ADO cursor types and performance hints; strategies for updating databases; programming with the ADO Cursor Engine (programming tips, concurrency issues); handling database conflicts; persisting recordsets; hierarchical recordsets and data shaping; introduction to COM; passing ADO recordsets between processes; the Remote Data Service (RDS); ADO Extensions (ADOX) for manipulating database structures; and the Jet Replication Object (JRO).