What does ADO.NET mean in SOFTWARE

ADO.NET is a set of computer software components that programmers use to access data and data services. It is part of the Microsoft .NET Framework and provides an interface for applications to access data from various sources, such as relational databases, XML files, and other web services. It can be used with any application or programming language that supports the .NET Framework.

ADO operates in a disconnected manner, while ADO.NET has both connected and disconnected architectures. Additionally, ADO works with COM objects and relies on automation, while ADO.NET utilizes classes written in managed code incorporated into the .Net framework. Lastly, the ADO version can’t communicate directly with XML documents, whereas the .Net version can do this easily as it was designed specifically for manipulating XML files That's why it is largely replacing earlier versions of COM-based data access technologies like ActiveX Data Objects (ADO).

One advantage of using ADO.NET is its ability to connect databases across multiple platforms by making use of different providers, allowing developers greater flexibility when developing applications that require access to multiple databases or web services simultaneously from different platforms. Another advantage is its more efficient management system compared to earlier versions that relied on COM objects or Automation; this means there is less overhead when managing data connections within an application built on .net framework technology like ASP or C#. Finally, since it was designed specifically for manipulating XML files it enables developers to easily work with structured data stored in XML documents within their applications – a feature not present in older versions of COM-based data access technologies like ActiveX Data Objects (ADO).

The main downside of using ADO.Net would be its relatively slow performance when directly compared to other alternatives such as Entity Framework; however this difference might not be noticeable unless your application requires extensive manipulation of large datasets or complex queries on them frequently during operation time intervals of user interaction with the application UI dashboard/screens/forms etc..

When working with an Oracle database through an Ado .net connection one feature that stands out would have to be extensive support for Oracle specific features such as PL/SQL blocks, Bind variables as well as Bulk operations which all help considerably accelerate performance speed compared to traditional database operations especially those involving retrieval & updates scenarios both at individual row & batch levels.

The methods which must be implemented by any custom provider created using Ado .net would include some combination depending upon requirements; but typically these would include GetSchemaTable(), ExecuteNonQuery() ,ExecuteScalar(), ExecuteReader() ,BeginTransaction(), CommitTransaction(), RollbackTransaction(), CreateParameter() ,CreateCommand() ,DisposeMetaData() & Close().

Database independent refers to Ado’s ability for developers so they can switch between different types/versions of databases without necessarily having to make significant modifications at source code level due to API changes thus allowing much faster turnaround times for changes without incurring additional costs associated rearchitecture efforts which at times may prove too costly.