Datasheet

In the 2.0 Framework, Microsoft has also been able to improve performance by introducing several new
features to reduce the number of queries that need to be run and to make it easier to run multiple
queries at once. For example, the bulk insert feature provides the capability to add multiple rows to a
database with a single query, instead of the current method of inserting one at a time. This can greatly
reduce the amount of time it takes to insert a large number of rows.
Another example is the capability to be notified when data changes and to expire the cache only when
this happens. This eliminates the need to periodically dump and reload a potentially large amount of
data just in case something has changed. The introduction of Multiple Active Result Sets (MARS) provides
the capability to execute multiple queries at once and receive a series of results. Removing the back and
forth communication that is required by executing one query at a time and waiting for the results greatly
improves the performance of an application that needs this functionality. If you prefer to do other work
while waiting for your data to return, you also have the option of firing an asynchronous command.
This has been greatly simplified in the 2.0 Framework.
Another major design goal is to reduce the amount of code necessary to perform common tasks. The buzz
phrase we all heard with the release of .NET Framework 1.0 was “70 percent less code” than previous
methods. The goal with the .NET 2.0 Framework is the same: to reduce the amount of code needed for
common tasks by 70% over .NET 1.0. We’ll leave the decision as to whether this goal was met or not to you,
but after reading this book and using ADO.NET for awhile, you should notice a significant decrease in the
amount of code needed to write your application.
The rest of the enhancements are primarily new features. For example, there is now a database discovery
API for browsing the schema of a database. Also offered is the option of writing provider-independent
database access code. This is very beneficial if you sell applications to customers who want to run it against
numerous data sources. Keep in mind that the queries you write still must match that provider’s syntax.
Summary
Now that you know some of the history behind how technologies such as ADO.NET and Microsoft SQL
Server have evolved, you should have a clearer vision of where these technologies are heading.
Throughout this book, we will cover the new features of these technologies in great depth and lay out
the roadmap describing where many of them are heading. This release is just another major stepping-
stone on the path to efficient universal data access.
For More Information
To complement the information in this chapter, take a look at the following resources:
❑ Funding a Revolution: Government Support for Computing Research, by the Computer Science
and Telecommunications Board (CSTB), National Research Council. Washington, D.C.: National
Academy Press, 1999.
www.nap.edu/execsumm/0309062780.html.
❑ Network (CODASYL) Data Model (Course Library) — http://coronet.iicm.edu/
wbtmaster/allcoursescontent/netlib/library.htm
❑ “Technical Note — IMS Celebrates 30 Years as an IBM Product,” by Kenneth R. Blackman.
www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/374/blackman.html.
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