The Data Access Application Block

  • Article

The Enterprise Library Data Access Application Block simplifies the development of tasks that implement common data access functionality. Applications can use this application block in a variety of situations, such as reading data for display, passing data through application layers, and submitting changed data back to the database system.

The application block includes support for both stored procedures and inline SQL statements. Common housekeeping tasks, such as managing connections and creating and caching parameters, are encapsulated in the application block's methods. In other words, the Data Access Application Block provides access to the most often used features of ADO.NET in simple-to-use classes and provides a corresponding boost in developer productivity.

This section includes the following topics that will help you to understand and use the Data Access Application Block:

  • What Does the Data Access Application Block Do? This topic provides a brief overview that will help you to understand what the block can do, and explains some of the concepts and features it incorporates. It also provides a simple example of the way that you can write code to use the block.
  • When Should I Use the Data Access Application Block? This topic will help you to decide if the block is suitable for your requirements. It explains the benefits of using the block, and any alternative techniques you may consider. It also provides details of any limitations of the block that may affect your decision to use it.
  • Developing Applications Using the Data Access Application Block. This describes how to configure the application block, how to prepare your application to use the Data Access Application Block, and contains details of specific features of the application block, such as how you create a database, work with transactions, and handle parameters and exceptions.
  • Key Scenarios. This section demonstrates how to use the application block to perform the most typical data access operations.
  • Design of the Data Access Application Block. This section describes the decisions that went into designing the application block and the rationale behind those decisions.
  • Extending and Modifying the Data Access Application Block. This section describes how to extend the application block by adding your own database provider and gives suggestions for modifying the source code.
  • Deployment and Operations. This section describes how to deploy and update the application block assemblies. It also contains information about configuration and Microsoft® SQL Server® security.

More Information

For more information, see the following resources: