Where are the truly universal data channels?

Question

In the good old days of Oledb, I used UDL files and the corresponding wizard to check and create connection strings. Currently, connection strings you cannt create in this way, which is universal more. For example, the ADO.NET Entity Framework creates decorated connection strings that the UDL wizard handles. Is there any tool for creating universal data channels today?

Answer 1

I think there is a difference between:

• A tool that helps you create connection strings (the one that appears when you double-click the .UDL file). This tool is based on COM and is located in Ole32.dll and still works.
• The concept of connection strings that never changed. (it's that simple: a list of key / value pairs!)

Today (i.e.. NET?) Connection strings are no less universal than OleDb connection strings. They are always specific to this provider. The key / value pair may not be the same, but the concept is always present.

The UDL tool works using COM objects and can still be used. For example, you could write an extension for the UDL tool for Entity Framework connection strings. Here is the link to the official link: Advanced Data Interface API

.UDL files can still be used in .NET (with P / Invoke) using the IDBPromptInitialize and IDataInitialize OleDb interfaces, although I agree that this does not seem so natural these days :)

Answer 2

The universal "data line" cannot support all the functions of all suppliers / versions of databases; most programs are written by corporations by corporations to talk to their internal databases, so database independence is not required .

It is harder to code an API that is not suitable for the functions selected by your chosen database, since the documentation never matches the database you are trying to use.

Microsoft now expects the database provider to provide Ado.net data access support for the database, so data access tends to be different for each database - but most people don't care that the code only needs to work with one database provider data .

Third-party options exist, such as devArt dotConnect and DataDirect , which provides a universal “data line” for .net, but at a price.

nHibernate will sit on top of most .net database access layers and hide most of the differences if you are happy to use ORM.