Glossary

Microsoft defines Microsoft .NET as a set of software technologies for connecting information, people, systems, and devices. To optimize software integration, the .NET Framework uses small, discrete building-block applications called Web services that connect to each other as well as to other, larger applications over the Internet.

The .NET Framework has two key parts:

•ASP.NET is an environment for building smart client applications (Windows Forms), and a loosely coupled data access subsystem (ADO.NET).

•The common language runtime (CLR) is the core runtime engine for executing applications in the .NET Framework. You can think of the CLR as a safe area – a "sandbox" – inside of which your .NET code runs. Code that runs in the CLR is called managed code.

The data access component for the .NET Framework. ADO.NET is made of a set of classes that are used for connecting to a database, providing access to relational data, XML, and application data, and retrieving results.

An object-relational mapping (ORM) framework for the .NET Framework. Developers can use it to create data access applications by programming against a conceptual application model instead of programming directly against a relational storage schema. This model allows developers to decrease the amount of code that must be written and maintained in data-centric applications

A compiled representation of one or more classes. Each assembly is self-contained, that is, the assembly includes the metadata about the assembly as a whole. Assemblies can be private or shared.

•Private assemblies, which are used by a limited number of applications, are placed in the application folder or one of its subfolders. For example, even if the client has two different applications that call a private assembly named formulas, each client application loads the correct assembly.

•Shared assemblies, which are available to multiple client applications, are placed in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC). Each shared assembly is assigned a strong name to handle name and version conflicts.

Rows from the database client are sent to the database server in a continuous stream instead of in numerous smaller packets of data. Performance improves because far fewer network round trips are required.

A mechanism that distributes new connections in a computing environment so that no one server is overwhelmed with connection requests.

A mechanism provided by the common language runtime through which managed code is granted permissions by security policy; permissions are enforced, limiting the operations that the code will be allowed to perform.

The common language runtime (CLR) is the core runtime engine in the Microsoft .NET Framework. The CLR supplies services such as cross-language integration, code access security, object lifetime management, and debugging support. Applications that run in the CLR are sometimes said to be running "in the sandbox."

A mechanism that allows an application to connect to an alternate, or backup, database server if the primary database server is unavailable, for example, because of a hardware failure or traffic overload.

The process by which connections can be reused rather than creating a new one every time the data provider needs to establish a connection to the underlying database.

Connection retry defines the number of times the data provider attempts to connect to the primary and, if configured, alternate database servers after the initial unsuccessful connection attempt. Connection retry can be an important strategy for system recovery.

A pre-defined code block that provides access to the most often used ADO.NET data access features. Applications can use the application block to pass data through application layers, and submit changed data back to the database.

In a Zen Bulk Load operation, the table on the database server into which the data is copied.

An entity is an instance of an EntityType. It has a unique identity, independent existence, and forms the operational unit of consistency. An EntityType defines the principal data objects about which information has to be managed such as person, places, things or activities relevant to the application.

The part of the assembly cache that stores assemblies specifically installed to be shared by many applications on the computer. Applications deployed in the global assembly cache must have a strong name to handle name and version conflicts.

A particular locking strategy employed in the database system to improve data consistency.The higher the isolation level number, the more complex the locking strategy behind it. The isolation level provided by the database determines how a transaction handles data consistency.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) defines four isolation levels:

See client load balancing.

A database operation that restricts a user from accessing a table or record. Locking is used in situations more than one user might try to use the same table or the same time. By locking the table or record, the system that only one user at a time can affect the data.

A component of the Microsoft Enterprise Libraries that simplifies the implementation of common logging functions. Developers can use the Logging Block to write information to a variety of locations, such as the event log, an e-mail message, or a database.

Code executed and managed by the .NET Framework, specifically by the CLR. Managed code must supply the information necessary for the CLR to provide services such as memory management and code access security.

A logical naming scheme for grouping related types. The .NET Framework uses a hierarchical naming scheme for grouping types into logical categories of related functionality, such as the ASP.NET technology or remoting functionality. Design tools can use namespaces to make it easier for developers to browse and reference types in their code. A single assembly can contain types whose hierarchical names have different namespace roots, and a logical namespace root can span multiple assemblies. In the .NET Framework, a namespace is a logical design-time naming convenience, whereas an assembly establishes the name scope for types at run time.

A tool in the Windows SDK that identifies areas in which performance problems exist. You can use Performance Monitor to identify the number and frequency of CLR exceptions in your applications. The Performance Monitor (PerfMon) and VS Performance Monitor (VSPerfMon) utilities also allow you to record application parameters and review the results as a report or graph.

An abstraction of a sequence of binary or text data. The Stream class and its derived classes provide a generic view of these different types of input and output.

Closely related schemas that can be handled more efficiently when grouped together. Database schema elements such as tables and columns are exposed through schema collections.

A name that consists of an assembly's text name, version number, and culture information (if provided), with a public key and a digital signature generated over the assembly. Assemblies with the same strong name should be identical.

Code that is executed directly by the operating system, outside of the CLR. Unmanaged code includes all code written before the .NET Framework was introduced. Because it outside the .NET environment, unmanaged code cannot make use of any .NET managed facilities.