| ADO 2.5 |  |
The ADO Object Model
ADO requires only nine objects and four collections to provide its entire functionality. The following table introduces them.
| Object or Collection | Description |
|---|---|
| Connection object | Represents a unique session with a data source. In the case of a client/server database system, it may be equivalent to an actual network connection to the server. Depending on the functionality supported by the provider, some collections, methods, or properties of a Connection object may not be available. |
| Command object | Used to define a specific command, such as a SQL query, intended to run against a data source. |
| Recordset object | Represents the entire set of records from a base table or the results of an executed command. All Recordset objects consist of records (rows) and fields (columns). |
| Record object | Represents a single row of data, either from a Recordset or from the provider. This record could represent a database record or some other type of object such as a file or directory, depending upon your provider. |
| Stream object | Represents a stream of binary or text data. For example, an XML document can be loaded into a stream for command input or returned from certain providers as the results of a query. A Stream object can be used to manipulate fields or records containing these streams of data. |
| Parameter object | Represents a parameter or argument associated with a Command object, based on a parameterized query or stored procedure. |
| Field object | Represents a column of data with a common data type. Each Field object corresponds to a column in the Recordset. |
| Property object | Represents a characteristic of an ADO object that is defined by the provider. ADO objects have two types of properties: built-in and dynamic. Built-in properties are those properties implemented in ADO and immediately available to any new object. The Property object is a container for dynamic properties, defined by the underlying provider. |
| Error object | Contains details about data access errors that pertain to a single operation involving the provider. |
| Fields collection | Contains all the Field objects of a Recordset or Record object. |
| Properties collection | Contains all the Property objects for a specific instance of an object. |
| Parameters collection | Contains all the Parameter objects of a Command object. |
| Errors collection | Contains all the Error objects created in response to a single provider-related failure. |
The following figures show the ADO objects and their collections. Click an object or collection for more information from the ADO Programmer's Reference.
