Is ADO.NET the only native way to access databases in .net?

Question

I have used code like this: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dw70f090.aspx to access database before when working in ASP.NET (2-3 years ago). I didn't realize I was working with ADO.NET.

I am just a bit confused...is there another way data in a database can be accessed? How else would you do it?

Answer 1

It's possible to write code against a database using a non-ADO.NET interface. For example, SQLite provides a C api which one could program against. It's very unusual though. ADO.NET provides a standard interface so if all providers implement these interfaces it's much easier for developers to use.

Answer 2

You can use EnterpriseLibrary but I think it is also based on ADO.Net. You can also write data access assembly on other languange and add it as reference on your .Net project.

Answer 3

you can use linq to sql for accessing database in newer version of .net.