ADO.NET is a set of classes that allows you to connect and work with data sources like databases, excel file, access file, xml file, mysql, sql or notepad. To connect your application with different sources of database you need to know the right Data Provider. There are several Data Providers in ADO.NET that connects with different types of sources. A list of ADO.NET Data Providers is listed below:
.Net Data Providers
| Data Provider | Description |
|---|---|
| SQL Server | System.Data.SqlClient – This Data Provider is used to connect with SQL Server Databases. |
| OLEDB | System.Data.OleDb – This Data Provider is used to connect with SQL Server, Oracle and Microsoft Jet |
| ODBC | System.Data.Odbc. It is used to connect with SQL Server, Oracle and Microsoft Databases(.mdb). |
| Data Provider for Oracle | System.Data.OracleClient |
| EntityClient Provider | Provides data access for Entity Data Model (EDM) applications. Uses the System.Data.EntityClient namespace. |
| SQL Server Compact 4.0 | Provides data access for Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0. Uses the System.Data.SqlServerCe namespace. |
Core Components of .Net Data Providers
There are 4 Core Components of .Net Data Providers that is used to connect, access and retrieve data from the database. You need to memorize these 4 core components of ADO.Net.1. Connection – This component is used for connecting to the database. The base class is
DbConnection.
2. Command – This component executes SQL query against the data source. The base class is
DbCommand.
3. DataReader – It reads data from data source. It accesses data read-only and forward-only. The base class is
DbDataReader.
4. DataAdapter – It invokes dataset and resolves updates with the data source. The base class is
DbDataAdapter.