Everything You Need To Know About ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)

After we have learned about databases, various database concepts, and the SQL from the previous presenters from this recently concluded Coding Boot Camp 2022, we are advancing to the next core. In this session, we will be looking at data access and data-aware applications. In addition to that, we will also have a basic overview of ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) and FireDAC and learn how these frameworks are being used not just in Windows application development but also with other platforms. We will also see some basic ADO examples to demonstrate how they work.

What You Should Know About Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) and FireDAC?

Just like any presentations from the Coding Boot Camp 2022, this video is also based on Kevin Bond’s “How to Program Effectively in Delphi for AS/A Level Computer Science” book. Database applications form an integral part of today’s information and communication technology domain. We cannot think of working with data or with an application where data is not required. Generally, database applications let users interact with information that is stored in databases (that database may either be stored locally, on a server or somewhere within a cloud).

Interestingly, Delphi is an ideal technology and programming development environment that allow us to connect to any type of database. Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects or simply ADO provides programmers with a full logical model for programmatically accessing, editing, and updating data from a wide variety of data sources through OLE DB system interfaces. The most common usage of ADO is to query a table or tables in a relational database, retrieve and display the results in an application, and perhaps, let users make and save changes to the data.

FireDAC, on the other hand, is RAD studio’s newest data access framework and has quickly become the top data access framework of choice. FireDAC is a universal data access library for developing applications for multiple devices connected to the enterprise database. The framework is the new, high-performance, cross-platform, multi-database component framework that is included in the box. It allows us to create applications fast that connects to any type of database. When working with Delphi’s FireMonkey, the typical data-aware components are not available and live bindings are used to provide interactions with the data in the underlying data set.

Bertie Buitendag will provide comprehensive demos and samples showcasing how ADO works. To learn more, feel free to watch the video below.