Explicit Connections

Abstract

ADO uses Connection objects to establish and maintain a session between a client program and a data source. It used to be that the first task of any data access program was to create some form of Connection object (in traditional DAO, the Database object fulfills this role), which was then used as the basis for all interaction between the program and its server. As explained in the previous chapter, this is no longer necessary, and the issue of when it is or isn’t appropriate to use explicit Connection objects remains the topic of a healthy debate. I will hold off from entering into this debate until later in the chapter. Instead, let’s begin by exploring what to do with Connection objects on the assumption that you use them.