ADO and DAO API

[DBG]

Is there an API for ADO and DAO respectively where I can review all of the
features and functions in a format understandable by a programmer?

Also, is there a site somewhere which explains the key differences between
the two?

Thanks,

-David

 

[Allen Browne]

DAO and ADO are data-oriented libraries that Access interacts well with.

If you are storing your data in Access tables, use DAO. The "A" in DAO *is*
Access. The Access interface uses it to run queries and so on. It is the
only library that exposes properties such as the Format, Caption, and
DisplayControl of a field. This library is referenced by default in all
versions of Access except 2000 and 2002.

ADO is a more generic library. It has some capabilities that DAO does not
have (such as disconnnected recordsets), but in general those features do
not apply to Access tables. Microsoft first added it in Access 2000, but it
never really took off in Access. As a generic library it is now dead
(replaced by the quite different ADO.NET library.)

So, if you are using JET tables (Access tables), use DAO.

For a quick introduction to the DAO model and what you can do with it, see:
The DAO Object Model
at:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-04.html

 

[DBG]

Great, that and the bit about references were really interesting reads.

I'm planning to upsize to MS SQL Server. What will / does Access 2k3 use to
exchange data with it, and do you have any good writeups about that?

Regards,

-David

 

[Pat Hartman\(MVP\)]

You can access the help files directly. I find that the Access search
engine has trouble finding topics in these "extra" files.
DAO360.CHM
ado260.chm
JETSQL40.CHM
and there are lots more. Your file names might be different if you have
different versions of DAO/ADO/Jet installed. Just search for *.chm in
"C:\Program Files". I keep a folder on my desktop with shortcuts to the
ones I use most.

 

[Allen Browne]

Someone with more experience in SQL Server could give you a better answer
than I, so hopefully they would.

You have the option of attaching SQL Server tables to your MDB, or using an
ADP, and the options are quite different.