Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This text assumes the reader has mastered standard Visual Basic development techniques and is now looking for focused coverage to help develop and implement a universal data access strategy for database application. It gives instruction in the specific techniques and technologies to make Visual Basic a useful programming tool for tapping the power of ADO.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. xxi)
• 1 Overview of ADO and Visual Basic (p. 3)
• A Brief History of ADO (p. 4)
• What's New in ADO 2.5 (p. 6)
• ADO as a System Component (p. 6)
• Record and Stream Objects (p. 7)
• URLs as Connection Strings (p. 7)
• Provider-Supplied Fields (p. 8)
• New OLE DB Providers (p. 8)
• What's New in VB 6 Data Access (p. 9)
• ADO (p. 9)
• Data Environment and Data Report (p. 10)
• Enhanced Data Binding (p. 11)
• User-Created Data Sources (p. 11)
• New Controls (p. 12)
• Enhanced Data Wizards (p. 12)
• Getting ADO (p. 12)
• MDAC (p. 13)
• Windows 2000 (p. 13)
• MDAC SDK (p. 14)
• 2 Understanding Data Access Architecture (p. 17)
• ADO and OLE DB (p. 18)
• OLE DB Architecture (p. 18)
• What ADO Brings to OLE DB (p. 20)
• Available OLE DB Components (p. 22)
• ADO Extensibility (p. 25)
• The Big Picture (p. 27)
• Other Data Access Libraries (p. 29)
• ODBC (p. 29)
• DAO (p. 30)
• RDO (p. 31)
• Choosing a Data Access Library (p. 32)
• 3 The ADO Object Model (p. 35)
• The ADO Object Hierarchy (p. 36)
• The Connection Object (p. 37)
• Methods, Properties, and Events (p. 38)
• Using the Connection Object (p. 40)
• The Command Object (p. 44)
• Methods, Properties, and Events (p. 44)
• Using the Command Object (p. 45)
• The Recordset Object (p. 47)
• Methods and Properties (p. 48)
• Using Recordset Objects (p. 51)
• The Parameter Object (p. 55)
• Methods and Properties (p. 56)
• Using Parameter Objects (p. 56)
• The Field Object (p. 59)
• Methods and Properties (p. 59)
• Using Field Objects (p. 60)
• The Record Object (p. 61)
• Methods and Properties (p. 62)
• Using Record Objects (p. 63)
• The Stream Object (p. 66)
• Methods and Properties (p. 66)
• Using Stream Objects (p. 68)
• The Error Object (p. 70)
• Methods and Properties (p. 70)
• Using Error Objects (p. 71)
• The Property Object (p. 72)
• ADO Extensions (p. 75)
• ADOX (p. 75)
• ADO MD (p. 76)
• 4 Exploring Data from Visual Basic (p. 79)
• Using the Data View Window (p. 80)
• Connecting to Data (p. 82)
• Creating and Using Database Diagrams (p. 90)
• Working with Tables (p. 92)
• Using Triggers (p. 93)
• Using the Query Designer (p. 96)
• Designing a Query (p. 96)
• The Diagram Pane (p. 98)
• The Grid Pane (p. 99)
• The SQL Pane (p. 100)
• The Results Pane (p. 101)
• Creating and Debugging Stored Procedures (p. 102)
• Viewing Stored Procedure Definitions and Resultsets (p. 103)
• The T-SQL Debugger (p. 103)
• 5 Using Bound Controls to Present ADO Data (p. 107)
• Using the ADO Data Control (p. 108)
• Connecting to Data (p. 108)
• ADO Data Control Properties (p. 110)
• Binding Simple Controls (p. 114)
• A Simple Data-Aware Form (p. 115)
• DataList and DataCombo (p. 119)
• DataGrid (p. 122)
• The Data Form Wizard (p. 125)
• Single Record Forms (p. 127)
• Grid Forms (p. 129)
• Master/Detail Forms (p. 131)
• Programming the ADO Data Control (p. 133)
• The Refresh Method (p. 133)
• Events (p. 134)
• The Hierarchical FlexGrid Control (p. 140)
• A Sample Hierarchical FlexGrid Form (p. 141)
• 6 Rapid Data Access with the Data Environment (p. 147)
• Creating Connections (p. 148)
• Using Command Objects in the Data Environment (p. 150)
• Creating Command Objects (p. 151)
• Working with Command Objects (p. 154)
• Command Object Hierarchies (p. 157)
• Data Environment Options and Operations (p. 164)
• General Options (p. 164)
• Associating Control Types with Data (p. 165)
• Miscellaneous Data Environment Options (p. 168)
• Binding Forms to the Data Environment (p. 169)
• Creating Bound Forms (p. 169)
• Using Drag-and-Drop (p. 171)
• Using Parameterized Stored Procedures (p. 172)
• Using ADO Events in the Data Environment (p. 173)
• Data Environment Events (p. 175)
• Connection Events (p. 175)
• Recordset Events (p. 178)
• Using the Data Environment in Code (p. 183)
• 7 Creating Data Reports (p. 189)
• Anatomy of a Data Report (p. 191)
• Creating Data Reports (p. 192)
• Using Drag-and-Drop from the Data Environment (p. 192)
• Using the Data Report Toolbox (p. 194)
• Using Calculated Fields (p. 196)
• Special Header and Footer Controls (p. 197)
• Properties on Data Reports (p. 198)
• Data Report Properties (p. 198)
• Section Properties (p. 199)
• Control Properties (p. 200)
• Summarizing Data on Data Reports (p. 201)
• Using the Function Control (p. 201)
• Using Grouping and Aggregate Hierarchies (p. 203)
• Using Data Reports (p. 207)
• Print Preview (p. 207)
• Print (p. 208)
• Export (p. 209)
• Data Reports in Code (p. 211)
• Data Report Events (p. 211)
• Binding Data Reports Directly (p. 216)
• 8 Fine-Tuning ADO through Visual Basic Code (p. 219)
• Basic Operations (p. 220)
• Connecting to Data Sources (p. 220)
• Connection Strings (p. 224)
• Running Stored Procedures (p. 226)
• Retrieving Data (p. 232)
• Finding and Sorting Data (p. 235)
• Sorting Recordsets (p. 239)
• Updating, Adding, and Deleting Data (p. 241)
• The Supports Method (p. 246)
• Working with Persisted Recordsets (p. 247)
• Saving a Recordset (p. 247)
• Loading a Saved Recordset (p. 249)
• Advanced Operations (p. 250)
• Asynchronous Operations and ADO Events (p. 251)
• Batch Updates and Conflicts (p. 255)
• 9 Creating and Using Visual Basic Data Consumers (p. 263)
• What Is a Data Consumer? (p. 264)
• Data-Aware Classes (p. 265)
• Simple Binding with a Class (p. 265)
• Complex Binding with a Class (p. 268)
• Data-Aware UserControls (p. 270)
• Simple Binding with a UserControl (p. 270)
• Multiple Simple Bindings in the Same UserControl (p. 272)
• Complex Binding with a UserControl (p. 276)
• Using the DataRepeater Control (p. 281)
• 10 Data Shaping (p. 285)
• What Is Data Shaping? (p. 286)
• Hierarchical Recordsets (p. 286)
• The Data Shaping Service (p. 289)
• Types of Hierarchical Recordsets (p. 289)
• Relation Hierarchies (p. 290)
• Parameterized Hierarchies (p. 290)
• Grouping Hierarchies (p. 290)
• The SHAPE Statement (p. 291)
• Syntax of SHAPE (p. 292)
• Examples of the SHAPE Statement (p. 296)
• Synchronizing Recordsets (p. 298)
• 11 Fast Internet Applications with ADO and Visual Basic (p. 303)
• DHTML and ADO (p. 304)
• What Is DHTML? (p. 304)
• The Document Object Model (p. 305)
• A Simple DHTML Application (p. 318)
• Using ADO with DHTML (p. 323)
• Remote Data Service (p. 332)
• Examining RDS (p. 332)
• Using a Disconnected Recordset (p. 334)
• Using the RDS.DataControl Object (p. 339)
• Using the RDS.DataSpace Object (p. 343)
• Invoking Business Objects on the Server (p. 344)
• 12 Using ADO MD to Summarize Data (p. 353)
• Basics of Multidimensional Data (p. 354)
• Understanding Multidimensional Data (p. 354)
• Introduction to Microsoft OLAP Server (p. 356)
• Cubes, Dimensions, and Measures (p. 357)
• MOLAP, ROLAP, and HOLAP (p. 358)
• Microsoft OLAP Manager (p. 358)
• ADO MD Objects (p. 360)
• Schema Objects (p. 361)
• Data Objects (p. 370)
• Additional ADO MD Techniques (p. 375)
• Using OpenSchema to List Objects (p. 376)
• Opening a Recordset from a Cellset (p. 377)
• 13 Creating Data Sources with Visual Basic (p. 381)
• Overview of Creating Data Sources (p. 382)
• Choosing a Plan of Attack (p. 382)
• Creating an ActiveX Data Source Control (p. 383)
• Creating the User Interface (p. 388)
• Handling Properties (p. 389)
• Handling Data (p. 393)
• A More Complex Example (p. 396)
• Creating an OLE DB Provider (p. 398)
• Implementing OLE DB Simple Provider (p. 399)
• Using the OLE DB Simple Provider (p. 405)
• A A SQL Language Primer (p. 411)
• The SELECT Statement (p. 412)
• The SELECT Clause (p. 413)
• The FROM Clause (p. 416)
• The WHERE Clause (p. 421)
• The GROUP BY Clause (p. 422)
• The HAVING Clause (p. 423)
• The ORDER BY Clause (p. 424)
• Data Modification Statements (p. 424)
• The DELETE Statement (p. 425)
• The INSERT Statement (p. 425)
• The UPDATE Statement (p. 426)
• Other SQL Statements (p. 427)