What is ActiveX Data Object?

ADO is a scripting object that provides access to data from various sources such as files, databases, and other systems. It includes the ability to create, delete, update and retrieve records. This data can be manipulated by using SQL statements.

ADO was first introduced in 1996 as part of Microsoft’s Active Server Pages technology which allows for dynamic web pages to interact with back-end databases without needing knowledge of database languages or programming skills.

ADO has been widely adopted by many scripts because its functionality is built into all Windows operating systems since NT4 SP6a (except Home editions). A variety of tools exist for creating programs that use ADO including Visual Basic .NET, ASP.NET Web Forms, and ASP.NET MVC frameworks for server-side processing, and Microsoft Access for client-side data access.

What are the advantages of using ActiveX Data Object?

ADO allows developers to deal with data in terms of relational databases through collection objects. This is done via a property called “recordset” which holds all records returned from SQL queries.

ADO supports both OLE DB and ODBC connectivity models, making it much easier to connect to different types of databases compared to other technologies that only support one or two specific databases.

Using ADO also means that applications are not restricted when linked with other third-party components such as Visual Basic 6, Microsoft Access, etc.

What are the disadvantages of using ActiveX Data Object?

ADO does not support disconnected recordsets, meaning that any changes made to the data must be saved back to the database before the connection is closed. This can be an issue when working with large datasets as it can slow down performance and take up more memory.

Another disadvantage is that, while ADO supports cursors, they are not always implemented in the same way by different database providers. This can lead to inconsistency when using cursors between different data sources.

ADO also has a steep learning curve for those who are not familiar with relational database concepts. However, there are many resources available online and in libraries which can help you get started.

Overall, ADO provides a powerful and easy-to-use interface for accessing data from various sources and should be considered when developing data-driven applications.