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Anonymous
Posted Mon Apr 14 00:00:00 EDT 2003
Pragmatic ADO.NET is an excellent introduction to database programming using ADO.NET. The author uses very easy to understand language an code that even a beginner could understand, yet still manages to cover the material in enough depth to make the book still useful to intermediate programmers. The book starts with an introduction to database connections and ends with XML Datasets and database programming best practices. Everything in between is covered with great attention paid to detail. The one thing I would have liked to see in the book was a brief introduction to database system setup. Since it is a beginner book, a brief overview would help those inexperienced, which would make the book even better. This was one of the few programming book I have read in a long time where the code examples very clearly demonstrated the concepts being explained. Far too often, I have to sit scratching my head trying to understand code examples in books. This book is not like that at all. Shawn Wildermuth does a fantastic job making fairly complex ideas easy to understand and engaging. I found the book to be a wonderful, easy read, which left me feeling I really learned a lot.
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Posted Mon Mar 17 00:00:00 EST 2003
Pragmatic ADO.NET: Data Access for the Internet World by Shawn Wildermuth Addison-Wesley Pub Co The world of ADO.NET can be confusing to someone who is used to the old versions of ADO. I remember the frustration of trying to wrap my mind around the new concepts of the ¿disconnected data¿ world. I read a couple of books that had information on ADO.NET and some decent examples. Even though the examples helped me grasp some of the ¿how to do¿ questions in my mind, none of them really explained how the new version of ADO.NET worked, why it was designed the way it is, or gave any best practices. Luckily, I was able to review this book and a million pieces of the puzzle came flying into place. Pragmatic ADO.NET is an excellent teacher of what ADO.NET is, how it works, and how the everyday developer can use it. This is THE book to read if you want to understand how ADO.NET works, and learn best practices of how to use it. This book has many examples, but is not over laden with them. They are shared in a very clear and precise manner, which is always straight to the point. The examples will help you put into play the best practices that are discussed in the book. One thing I would have liked to see were more examples in VB.NET. 99% are in C#. The book is very well written, and flowed very smoothly from one topic to the next. Shawn has a way of explaining things very clearly, and in such a way that anyone can understand. That being said, this is not a beginner¿s book. But, is a ¿Must Read¿ book for anyone who knows ADO and wants to go to the world of ADO.NET. More seasoned developers would also greatly benefit from this book. The best practices that Shawn shares are priceless, and come from his real world experiences. Summary: Chapter 1: Why ADO.NET This chapter gives a short history of Universal Data Access, and then gives a primer on ADO.NET. It discusses why the new ADO.NET is better than the old ADO, and also goes into things like ADO.NET data structures and managed providers. Chapter 2: Getting Connected with ADO.NET. This chapter deals with connections in the ADO.NET world. SQL Server, OLE DB, Oracle, and ODBC connections are discussed. Connection pooling for all these connection types are discussed. Returning OLE DB database schema information and ADO.NET exception handling are also covered. Chapter 3: Commanding the Database. ADO.NET command types are discussed, as well as how to execute them. Some other topics include, wrapping stored procedures, using parameters, and parameterized queries. The chapter ends by covering Transactions and Batch Queries. Chapter 4: Reading Data. All about the world of DataReaders. How they are made, how they work, etc. Dealing with Database locks, multiple result sets, and working with datareader Meta Data are some of the other topics covered. Chapter 5: Constructing DataSets. This is one of my favorite chapters. It helped put a lot of my ¿missing puzzle pieces¿ in place. DataSets are thoroughly discussed, and topics include TableMappings, multiple DataTables, DataAdapters, creating DataSets from XML, etc. The chapter also covers defining the DataSet schema, which includes how to work with primary keys, relationships, constraints, triggers, and many other things. Chapter 6: Typed DataSets. This chapter discusses Typed DataSets. What they are, how you make them, and how to use them. The chapter ends with a discussion on simplifying Business Object Layers with Typed DataSets. Chapter 7: Working with DataSets. Now that we know what DataSets are, this chapter begins working with them. Topics covered include changing, navigating, searching, and merging Data in DataSets. Chapter 8: Updating the Database. Disconnected data is great, but it ¿comes at a cost¿ as Shawn puts it. This chapter teaches the ins and outs of concurrency in the ADO.NET world. Inserts, updates, deletes, and the different concurrency types are covered. It is a grea
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More About This Textbook
Overview
"This is my favorite book on ADO.NET. The author clearly has an extensive understanding of the subject matter. It is useful not only for expert data access programmers but also for weekend code warriors."
—Glenn Thimmes, Senior Software Engineer, New Dawn Technologies.Formerly Develop Support Engineer (WebData), Microsoft Corporation
Pragmatic ADO.NET is a practical guide to using the first data access services designed specifically for Web-based applications. This tutorial provides developers with a clear introduction to ADO.NET, and gives practical solutions for using it effectively.
The book begins with a concise history of Microsoft's Universal Data Access strategy and the evolution of technology that has led us to ADO.NET. The core of the book demonstrates how to use ADO.NET to interact with databases and the rest of the .NET framework. In addition, readers learn by example the best practices for using ADO.NET to build scalable, high-performance systems. Pragmatic ADO.NET includes numerous code examples in C#, and a companion Web site located at www.adoguy.com/book features implementations in Visual Basic .NET and C#, along with updates on the technology. The book concludes with an appendix detailing strategies for migrating from ADO to ADO.NET.
Readers will learn how to:
The combination of concise coverage, helpful explanations, and detailed examples makes Pragmatic ADO.NET an important guide for all developers looking to gain a working knowledge of ADO.NET.
Books in the Microsoft .NET Development Series are written and reviewed by the principal authorities and pioneering developers of the Microsoft .NET technologies, including the Microsoft .NET development team and DevelopMentor. Books in the Microsoft .NET Development Series focus on the design, architecture, and implementation of the Microsoft .NET initiative to empower developers and students everywhere with the knowledge they need to thrive in the Microsoft .NET revolution.
0201745682B10042002
Editorial Reviews
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewADO.NET isn’t just the newest in Microsoft’s endless line of database access technologies: It’s a whole new way of thinking about data access in distributed and Internet-based applications. ADO.NET’s true power lies in its support for disconnected database programming, which dramatically reduces database connection loads and enhances scalability and performance. That’s the type of ADO.NET programming Shawn Wildermuth wants to teach you.
Wildermuth begins by illuminating ADO.NET’s approach to connections. ADO.NET is designed to open and close connections repeatedly, rather than leaving them open: A Connection class represents a single connection to a data source that can handle multiple open/close cycles. Wildermuth shows how to use ADO.NET’s sophisticated connection pooling, and how to create a ConnectionFactory class for doling out new connections at will, without redundant code.
Wildermuth next introduces ADO.NET’s commands for working with databases -- covering techniques ranging from wrapping stored procedures to writing parameterized queries. There’s a full chapter on using ADO.NET DataReaders to efficiently read data returned by SQL queries, followed by comprehensive coverage of DataSets -- the real heart of ADO.NET.
Here, Wildermuth covers everything from the basics (creating DataSets from databases or from XML) to Typed DataSets (which radically simplify the creation of business object layers). There’s also a full chapter on concurrency and some other sticky database update problems.
From data binding to improving scalability, Wildermuth offers practical examples and real clarity. You won’t just “get by” with ADO.NET: you’ll learn to think about data access the way ADO.NET does -- and leverage all the power ADO.NET promises. Bill Camarda
Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks For Dummies®, Second Edition.
Product Details
Related Subjects
Meet the Author
Shawn Wildermuth is the founder of ADOGuy.com and has been building data-driven software for more than sixteen years. Shawn has developed database applications for a variety of fields, including accounting, real estate, Internet, and medicine. His articles can be found in a number of journals, including MSDN Magazine and Windows 2000 Magazine.
0201745682AB10042002
Read an Excerpt
ADO.NET is not ADO. This is the most important fact that this book tries to convey. Understanding ADO.NET is not just about how to get database data or how to update the database. It requires an understanding of why it was built. ADO.NET takes a completely different approach in accessing databases than older Microsoft data access strategies. This is not your fatherUs ADO.
This book intends to be neither a reference nor an "Internals" book of how ADO.NET works. It is geared towards helping day-to-day developers get their jobs done. This book intends to give clear advice on how to use ADO.NET.
Intended Audience
This book is squarely aimed at developers who have a basic understanding of .NET and of databases. It is intended to help day to day developers get their job done. It does not assume prior experience with ADO, though it does build somewhat on that knowledge if it exists.
Part I The Basics of ADO.NET
Part one is intended to get you started with the basics.
Chapter 1 Why ADO.NET
Before the book explains how to work with ADO.NET, it explains why ADO.NET was written. Chapter one discusses the history of Microsoft Data Access to explain how we got to ADO.NET.
Chapter 2 Getting Connected with ADO.NET
Before we can do anything with a database, we must know how to connect to them. Chapter two is all about getting connected to databases through ADO.NET. This includes a discussion of how connection strings work, connection pooling in a variety of Managed Providers, patterns for connection creation and how to minimize connections to the database.
Chapter 3 Commanding the Database
Ouronly interface with the database is to issue commands and deal with the result of those commands. This chapter focuses on how to get the database to do work for us by using Command objects. This includes explanation of how to use the Command objects with simple SQL statements, parameterized queries, stored procedures and batch queries.
Chapter 4 Reading Data
DataReaders are ADO.NETUs method for getting tables from the database. In chapter four, the book explains how to use DataReaders to access database information and shows an example of writing a class that uses the DataReader as its data source.
Part II All about DataSets
The DataSet is the heart of ADO.NET. To use the DataSet effectively, we must examine how it can be used to solve our day-to-day problems.
Chapter 5 Constructing DataSets
This chapter explains exactly what DataSets are and why you should use them. It covers the many ways to make DataSets including using DataAdapters, XML and code to create them. A complete discussion of how to use DataSet schema is also included in this chapter.
Chapter 6 Typed DataSets
Typed DataSets are a useful tool to allow you to have code that adapts to changing schema. Chapter six explores this new programming model where we create Typed DataSets and use them as the basis for business logic layers that are typically all hand-written. This chapter also shows how to create Typed DataSets from within Visual Studio.NET as well as from the command-line.
Chapter 7 Working with DataSets
Now that we know how to create our DataSets, we need to understand how to use them to manipulate data and how the data is structured inside them. Chapter seven explains how the DataSet model works and how you can use it to get your job done.
Chapter 8 Updating the Database
Once we have manipulated data within a DataSet, we have to have a way to update the database with those changes. Chapter eight walks you through how to plan for disconnected concurrency. It includes examples of using the built-in optimistic concurrency and how to implement pessimistic and destructive concurrency. In addition, the chapter discusses how to handle concurrency violations and gives concrete examples of one solution for dealing with concurrency violations.
Part III ADO.NET in Action
Now that we know how to access data, manipulate it and update the database with the changes, we need to know how we can get ADO.NET to interact with the rest of the .NET framework.
Chapter 9 ADO.NET and XML
XML is just data. ADO.NET is the data framework for .NET. These two facts come together to show why ADO.NET is so tightly integrated with the XML framework to allow for database data to be commingled with database data. Chapter nine explores the way to treat each type of data like their brethren.
Chapter 10 Data Binding with ADO.NET
In .NET, there are two forms based technologies Windows Forms and Web Forms. Luckily, ADO.NET containers (DataReaders, DataSet, and DataTables) all support direct data binding. Chapter ten shows you how.
Chapter 11 Scalability & Performance
This chapter brings it all together with concrete design suggestions for how to build scalable, high performance systems. In addition, the chapter lists a set of best practices for using ADO.NET and database development in general.
Appendix Migration Strategies for ADO to ADO.NET
We cannot pretend that all .NET code will be all new development. There are many developers out there who have code to migrate to .NET. This appendix lists a number of strategies for living in a mixed system where you need to have ADO.NET data structures reading ADO structures and vice versa.
Table of Contents
Foreword.
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
I. THE BASICS OF ADO.NET.
1. Why ADO.NET.
A Short History of Universal Data Access.
Why ADO.NET Is a Better Data Access Layer.
A Short Course in ADO.NET.
2. Getting Connected with ADO.NET.
First Impressions.
Connections.
Getting OLE DB Database Schema Information.
Error Handling in .NET.
3. Commanding the Database.
Commands.
Executing Commands.
Database Transactions in ADO.NET.
Batch Queries.
4. Reading Data.
Reading Data.
The DataReader.
Putting It All Together.
II. ALL ABOUT DATASETS.
5. Constructing DataSets.
What is a Dataset.
Filling Datasets.
Defining DataSet Schema.
6. Typed DataSets.
What Are Typed DataSets?
Generating Typed DataSets.
Using Typed DataSets.
Simplification of Business Object Layers.
7. Working with DataSets.
Changing the Data.
Navigating the DataSet.
Searching the DataSet.
Merging DataSets.
8. Updating the Database.
The Trouble with Disconnected Data.
Concurrency in ADO.NET.
Common Updating Issues.
III. ADO.NET IN ACTION.
9. ADO.NET and XML.
.NET and XML.
The DataSet and XML.
The XmlDataDocument Class.
10. Data Binding with ADO.NET.
What is Data Binding in .NET?
Data Binding in Windows Forms.
Data Binding in ASP.NET.
11. Scalability and Performance.
Should You Worry?
Before ADO.NET.
How ADO.NET Can Help.
Are DataReaders Scalable.
ADO.NET Performance.
Best Practices.
Appendix: ADO Migration Strategies
Planning for Migration to ADO.NET.
ADO.NET Equivalents for ADO Objects.
Conclusion.
Index. 0201745682T10112002
Preface
ADO.NET is not ADO. This is the most important fact that this book tries to convey. Understanding ADO.NET is not just about how to get database data or how to update the database—it requires an understanding of why it was built. ADO.NET takes a completely different approach in accessing databases than older Microsoft data access strategies.
This is not your father's ADO.This book intends to be neither a reference nor an "internals" book of how ADO.NET works. It is geared toward helping day-to-day developers get their jobs done. This book intends to give clear advice on how to use ADO.NET.
Intended Audience
This book is squarely aimed at developers who have a basic understanding of .NET and of databases. It is intended to help day-to-day developers get their job done. It does not assume prior experience with ADO, though it does build somewhat on that knowledge if it exists.
Part I The Basics of ADO.NET
Part I is intended to get you started with the basics.
Chapter 1 Why ADO.NET
Before the book explains how to work with ADO.NET, it explains why ADO.NET was written. Chapter 1 discusses the history of Microsoft data access to explain how we got to ADO.NET.
Chapter 2 Getting Connected with ADO.NET
Before we can do anything with a database, we must know how to connect to it. Chapter 2 is all about getting connected to databases through ADO.NET. This includes a discussion of how connection strings work, connection pooling in a variety of managed providers, patterns for connection creation, and how to minimize connections to the database.
Chapter 3 Commanding the Database
Our only interface with the database is to issue commands and deal with the results of those commands. This chapter focuses on how to get the database to do work for us by using
Commandobjects. This includes explanation of how to use theCommandobjects with simple SQL statements, parameterized queries, stored procedures, and batch queries.Chapter 4 Reading Data
DataReaders are ADO.NET's method for getting tables from the database. In Chapter 4, the book explains how to use DataReaders to access database information and shows an example of writing a class that uses the DataReader as its data source.
Part II All about DataSets
The DataSet is the heart of ADO.NET. To use the DataSet effectively, we must examine how it can be used to solve our day-to-day problems.
Chapter 5 Constructing DataSets
This chapter explains exactly what DataSets are and why you should use them. It covers the many ways to make DataSets, including using DataAdapters, XML, and code to create them. A complete discussion of how to use DataSet schema is also included in this chapter.
Chapter 6 Typed DataSets
Typed DataSets are a useful tool that allows you to have code that adapts to changing schema. Chapter 6 explores this new programming model where we create typed DataSets and use them as the basis for business logic layers that are typically all handwritten. This chapter also shows how to create typed DataSets from within Visual Studio .NET as well as from the command line.
Chapter 7 Working with DataSets
Now that we know how to create DataSets, we need to understand how to use them to manipulate data and how the data are structured inside them. Chapter 7 explains how the DataSet model works and how you can use it to get your job done.
Chapter 8 Updating the Database
Once we have manipulated data within a DataSet, we have to have a way to update the database with those changes. Chapter 8 walks you through how to plan for disconnected concurrency. It includes examples of using the built-in optimistic concurrency and how to implement pessimistic and destructive concurrency. In addition, the chapter discusses how to handle concurrency violations and gives concrete examples of one solution for dealing with concurrency violations.
Part III ADO.NET in Action
Now that we know how to access data, manipulate it, and update the database with the changes, we need to know how we can get ADO.NET to interact with the rest of the .NET framework.
Chapter 9 ADO.NET and XML
XML is just data. ADO.NET is the data framework for .NET. These two facts come together to show why ADO.NET is so tightly integrated with the XML framework to allow for database data to be commingled with database data. Chapter 9 explores the way to treat each type of data like their brethren.
Chapter 10 Data Binding with ADO.NET
In .NET, there are two forms-based technologies: Windows Forms and Web Forms. Luckily, ADO.NET containers (DataReaders, DataSets, and Data-Tables) all support direct data binding. Chapter 10 shows you how.
Chapter 11 Scalability and Performance
This chapter brings it all together with concrete design suggestions for how to build scalable, high-performance systems. In addition, the chapter lists a set of best practices for using ADO.NET and database development in general.
Appendix ADO Migration Strategies
We cannot pretend that all .NET code will be all new development. Thereare many developers out there who have code to migrate to .NET. Thisappendix lists a number of strategies for living in a mixed system whereyou need to have ADO.NET data structures reading ADO structures, andvice versa.
0201745682P10112002