Datasheet

If you remember, in Chapter 5 when we looked at functions, we had a function name encapsulating some
code statements. Think of a stored procedure in a similar way – it wraps a set of SQL statements,
allowing us to use the name of the stored procedure to run those SQL statements. We're not going to
focus much on this topic as it's outside the scope of this book.
To learn more about SQL, read SQL for Dummies (ISBN 0-7645-4075-0) by John Wiley & Sons.
Here are a few reasons why you should always use stored procedures instead of direct SQL:
❑
Security: Using the .NET data classes with stored procedures protects you against certain forms
of hacking.
❑
Speed: Stored procedures are optimised the first time they are called, and then the optimised
code is used in subsequent calls.
❑
Separation: It keeps the SQL separate from your code.
During the rest of this book we'll actually be using a mixture of SQL and stored procedures, for the
simple reason that sometimes it's easier to use SQL in the context of an example. Remember, our main
focus is ASP.NET. We'll be using Microsoft Access for the samples, and although Access doesn't support
stored procedures, its use of stored queries is equivalent.
Let's get on with some examples.
The Web Matrix Data Explorer
You've already seen how powerful Web Matrix is for creating Web pages, and this power extends to
working with data. Where you've used the
Workspace Explorer in the top right hand corner of Web
Matrix to work with files, you can use the
Data Explorer to work with data. This provides ways of
creating databases, connecting to existing ones, and working with tables and queries. Let's give this a go.
Try It Out Connecting to a Database
1.
Select the Data Explorer tab, and click the Add Database Connection button – the one that's
second in from the right, and will be the only one highlighted, as shown in Figure 8-2, if you
haven't already got a database connection open:
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Reading From Databases
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