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ADO.NET Picks Up SQL Provider Support
By David A. Utter
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2007-12-07
IBM, MySQL, and other SQL database providers plan to support the ADO.NET Entity Framework, currently available as version Beta 3.
Microsoft has touted ADO.NET as an easier mechanism for constructing data-centric services without regard to the underlying data source. A number of SQL vendors plan to support this with their products.
The ADO.NET Entity Framework is a new modeling framework that enables developers to define a conceptual model of a database schema that closely aligns to a real-world view of the information. Application code that is shielded from underlying database schema changes is easier to understand and to maintain, according to the company.
Several providers will have Entity Framework-enabled versions of their products available once ADO.NET hits the release to marketing (RTM) phase. IBM, MySQL, Sybase, and several others expect those version becoming available within three months of RTM. DataDirect Technologies and Firebird should have similar versions released in 2008.
The ADO.NET Entity Framework extends the capabilities of Microsoft's popular Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) technology by enabling developers to use LINQ against many back-end databases, Microsoft noted. This should permit development that focuses on business logic for application building, rather than worrying about data access.
Microsoft won't miss out on updating products to mesh with the Entity Framework either. They plan to update the provider for SQL Server Compact, their embeddable database engine.
Web developers should also note Microsoft's planned release of a preview of the ASP.NET 3.5 extensions. These will leverage the Entity Framework for application development. Data services, new additions to AJAX under ASP.NET, and Silverlight controls will be among the ASP.NET 3.5 previews.
About the Author:
David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.
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