In "Much Ado about ADO," I mentioned that Scripting Pro VIP will be providing much-needed coverage on ActiveX Data Objects (ADO). Knowing how to use ADO in VBScript scripts can be very helpful because you can use ADO to interact with a variety of data sources, including Active Directory (AD), Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, and Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access databases. You can even use ADO to work with data in delimited text files.
Scripting Pro VIP's ADO coverage starts this month. In the first article "Introduction to ADO," Robert Sheldon discusses the ADO basics that you need to know no matter what type of data source you want to access. He goes over the five primary ADO objects—Connection, Command, Field, Parameter, and Recordset—and provides sample .vbs scripts that demonstrate how to use these objects. With the basics covered, Scripting Pro VIP will then show you how to use these ADO objects for specific implementations:
- How to use ADO to search AD. Bill Stewart discusses the three ADO objects you need to use to search AD for account information and walks you through the three steps to writing ADO search scripts. He also explains how to create effective LDAP and SQL query searches when using ADO.
- How to use ADO to work with Excel spreadsheets. Jim Turner demonstrates what a powerful tool ADO can be when using it to access data in Excel spreadsheets. ADO provides methods that let you easily sort, filter, and find data. In addition, you can add new records and modify cell values.
- How to use ADO to parse through and process delimited text files. Using ADO instead of VBScript's Split function to work with data in delimited text files is clearly advantageous. After describing the advantages, Bill Stewart discusses the tools you need and the steps to take to access data in delimited text files.
- How to use ADO to access data in SQL Server and Access databases. ADO offers flexibility and consistency when working with SQL Server and Access databases. Robert Sheldon shows you how to use the same ADO objects to not only access but also modify data in these databases.
I hope you find these articles helpful!