2/13/2017 MicrosoftADOTutorialsLesson1:IntroductiontoADO

ADOFundamentals

Overview

Introduction
Microsoft Windows was created to solve various kinds of computer problems. Text or word
processingwastakencareofeasilyasitcanbeperformedusingWordPad,anapplicationthat
ships with every installation of the operating system. All regular calculations were also taken
care of as can be verified in Calculator, an application that also ships with MS Window. Basic
drawing and graphics can be performed using Paint, another application that is installed with
MSWindows.

TosupportdatabasesinMSWindows,MicrosoftcreatedalibrarycalledActiveXDataObjectsor
ADO.ADOwasmeanttocreate,administer,andmanipulatedatabases.TouseADO,youhadto
first create a database using an application such as Microsoft Access or by other related
means.Becausethisonlypartlysolvedtheproblem,andbecausethisalmostrestrictedpeople
touseMicrosoftAccess,therewasneedforadditionalsolutions.AmongthelimitationsofADO,
there was security and even the ability to create a database without necessarily using a
productfromMicrosoft.Toaddresstheseissues,Microsoftcreatedanadditionallibrarycalled
Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects Extensions for Data Definition Language and Security,
abbreviated ADOX. Nowadays, Microsoft has made free everything you need to create,
manage,andevendistributedatabases(infact,atthistime,exceptfortheoperatingsystems,
Microsofthasdevelopedvariouslibrariesandcompilersandmadethemcompletelyfreesothat
you can create any type of application without spending money: you only need time to use
them).

UsingADO
Although treated as one entity, Microsoft ActiveX Data Object is really many libraries grouped
underonename.Fortherestofourlessons,ADOwillbeusedtorefertoallthetechnologieswe
needtocreateandadministerourdatabases.Wewillpointthedifferencesonlywhenneeded.

ADO is only a library, that is, a series of files that provide "drivers" and documentation to
perform a task. In order to use ADO, you need a programming or development environment in
which you can write code. The environment you use should/must also be able to "understand"
yourcode,analyzeitandproducearesult.ThisisnotananomalyofADO.Alllibrariesworklike
that.TherearemanyenvironmentsyoucanusewithADO.SomeofthemareMicrosoftInternet
Explorer (using scripting languages such as VBScript or JavaScript), Borland Delphi, Microsoft

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2/13/2017 MicrosoftADOTutorialsLesson1:IntroductiontoADO

VisualC++,VisualInterDev,BorlandC++Builder,MicrosoftVisualStudio.NET,justtonamea
few.
Whenwritingtheexercisesonthissite,wehadtodecideandchooseamongvarious
availableoptions,unfortunately.Differentprogrammingenvironmentsoffer
differentadvantagesanddisadvantages.Onthissite,wewillcreateallofour
databasesusingMicrosoftVisualBasic6.Wechoseitbecauseatthetimeofthis
writing,wefoundoutthatmanypeoplearestillusingit.Ofcourse,MicrosoftAccess
wouldofferthesameflexibilitybutwepreferredthisbecauseMSAccessisalready
acompletedatabaseenvironmentinitsownright.

In order to follow the lessons on this site, you are supposed to have some knowledge of
MicrosoftVisualBasicasitisthemainlanguageofADO.Thetopicsyouare:

Variables
ProceduresandFunctions
ObjectsandMethodsofObjects
ConditionalStatements

It would be a big waste of time to try to teach both MSVB (which is a language or a
programmingenvironment)andADO(whichisalibrary).

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