Build your expertise as you move beyond the basics—and delve into the essential topics of programming with ADO.NET 2.0. This comprehensive reference offers expert guidance, hands-on instruction, and code samples in Microsoft Visual C#® and Visual Basic® to help advance your mastery of developing database applications for Microsoft Windows and the Web.

Discover how to: • Work with design-time data access features in Microsoft Visual Studio® 2005 • Use Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 data providers to connect to databases • Build connection strings and enable connection pooling • Execute queries, including parameterized and asynchronous queries, and retrieve their results • Create DataSet objects to work with offline data and explore common usage scenarios • Use the new Common Language Runtime features and XML data type in Microsoft SQL Server™ 2005 • Generate logic and use stored procedures for simple to advanced updating scenarios • Design Web applications with new data access features in ASP.NET 2.0—including code-free data-binding capabilities

PLUS—Get Visual Basic and C# code samples, and a Microsoft .NET Data Provider on the Web

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 10 Ratings

too difficult for me, - 2007-10-24
Reviewer Rating:
I want one that may tell me step by step. Obviously this one is not such a book. It is too professional and focused in details that make things longer than you expected. if you are a beginner you would better not buy this one.

An ADO Keeper - 2008-06-13
Reviewer Rating:
It is not "ADO for Dummies" or a tedious quick tutorial. Have a working handle on either C# or VB going in because it's not going to explain it. There are no lengthy history lessons or idle chit-chat.

With that said, this is a fast pace process through ADO with examples in both languages. It neither glosses nor dwells but moves through what you need when you need it. It is well structured from getting started with hookups and data readers through heavy lifting with parameterization on multi and mixed providers at the end. Most everything else is in between including working offline, online, modification and return to database.

Physically doing the examples, in sequence, provides the tutorial and the opportunity to play what-if to soak it in. Each sections assumes you understand the previous. In the end, this will give you a working foundation. It's well indexed and makes a good reference text for the bookshelf after teaching the basics.

I've had this book over a year and is still one of my go-to's. Recommended...

The best book on the subject - 2009-07-17
Reviewer Rating:
This book is great. I finally understand how ADO.NET works! And I've read quite a few books on the topic.

I find that most other books just tell you HOW to do things in ADO.Net without much explanation as to WHY you should. In my opinion, this book never does that. It explains WHY you should do something even before going into the HOW. I love that.

I wish the author would write a book on the new versions of ADO.NET, though.

Highly recommended book.

Hands down best ADO.NET book - 2009-07-11
Reviewer Rating:
I only wish David were going to be around to do an ADO.NET 3.5 or 4 version of this book. It is a REALLY good coverage of such a broad topic. There are just so many nuggets of wisdom in the book that you can tell he has labored long and hard with ADO.NET as much more than a programmer. (he has left the ADO team)

I have spent WAY more time than most going over every little sample and fact to put into my own product information. There are just so many little things here that you cannot find in MSDN sources. This is what MSDN technical docs used to look like 10 years ago. Now they all end up as blog post collections.

If you need introductory level material the book is great. If you need spec information for making your own ADO.NET provider it has a decent amount of information. But both of those scenarios assume you already know VB or C# and are familiar with databases in some shape or form.

Needs more emphasis on typed datasets - 2009-07-09
Reviewer Rating:
I was assigned to work on a project using VS 2008 with SQLServer Express. Not knowing anything about ADO.NET but having read other books by this excellent author, I bought this book (actually, I ended up with 2 copies by mistake - however I leave one copy at home).

Sceppa covers everything extensively regarding untyped datasets and, being a slow learner, I hard a hard time taking the material he presents and applying it to strongly typed datasets, which in my opinion he covers too scantily. Then I discovered the TypedTableBase(Of xxxRow) class in the VS help files. I printed a copy of this Help topic, and with this in hand, I can easily connect untyped-to-typed datasets.

All in all, it's a very useful book. If he ever writes an updated edition, maybe he can save others some time by expanding the typed dataset topic. Better coverage of DataGridViews and bound controls in general would also be helpful.

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