The basic difference between ASP and ASP.NET is that ASP is interpreted; whereas, ASP.NET is compiled. This implies that since ASP uses VBScript; therefore, when an ASP page is executed, it is interpreted. On the other hand, ASP.NET uses .NET languages, such as C# and VB.NET, which are compiled to Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL).

ASP.NET is a specification developed by Microsoft to create dynamic Web applications, Web sites, and Web services. It is a part of .NET Framework. You can create ASP.NET applications in most of the .NET compatible languages, such as Visual Basic, C#, and J#. The ASP.NET compiles the Web pages and provides much better performance than scripting languages, such as VBScript. The Web Forms support to create powerful forms-based Web pages. You can use ASP.NET Web server controls to create interactive Web applications. With the help of Web server controls, you can easily create a Web application.

DLR is a runtime environment that allows you to integrate dynamic languages with the Common Language Runtime (CLR) by adding a set of services, such as expression trees, call site caching, and dynamic object interoperability to the CLR.

The System.Dynamic and System.Runtime.CompilerServices namespaces are used to hold the classes for DLR. It also provides dynamic features to statically-typed languages, such as C# and Visual Basic to enable their interoperation with dynamic languages.

The following are the usages of the Command object in AD0.NET:

The Command object in AD0.NET executes a command against the database and retrieves a DataReader or DataSet object.

  =>  It also executes the INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE command against the database.
  =>  All the command objects are derived from the DbCommand class.
  =>  The command object is represented by two classes: SqlCommand and OleDbCommand.
  =>  The Command object provides three methods to execute commands on the database:
  =>  The ExecuteNonQuery() method executes the commands and does not return any value.
  =>  The ExecuteScalar() method returns a single value from a database query.
  =>  The ExecuteReader() method returns a result set by using the DataReader object.

The following are the usages of the Command object in AD0.NET:

The Command object in AD0.NET executes a command against the database and retrieves a DataReader or DataSet object.

  =>  It also executes the INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE command against the database.
  =>  All the command objects are derived from the DbCommand class.
  =>  The command object is represented by two classes: SqlCommand and OleDbCommand.
  =>  The Command object provides three methods to execute commands on the database:
  =>  The ExecuteNonQuery() method executes the commands and does not return any value.
  =>  The ExecuteScalar() method returns a single value from a database query.
  =>  The ExecuteReader() method returns a result set by using the DataReader object.

One of the major component of ADO.NET is the DataSet object, which always remains disconnected from the database and reduces the load on the database.

The following are the benefits of using ADO.NET in .NET 4.0 are as follows:

 =>   Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) - Adds native data-querying capabilities to .NET languages by using a syntax similar to that of SQL. This means that LINQ simplifies querying by eliminating the need to use a separate query language. LINQ is an innovative technology that was introduced in .NET Framework 3.5.
 =>   LINQ to DataSet - Allows you to implement LINQ queries for disconnected data stored in a dataset. LINQ to DataSet enables you to query data that is cached in a DataSet object. DataSet objects allow you to use a copy of the data stored in the tables of a database, without actually getting connected to the database.
=>   LINQ to SQL - Allows you to create queries for data stored in SQL server database in your .NET application. You can use the LINQ to SQL technology to translate a query into a SQL query and then use it to retrieve or manipulate data contained in tables of an SQL Server database. LINQ to SQL supports all the key functions that you like to perform while working with SQL, that is, you can insert, update, and delete information from a table.
=>   SqlClient Support for SQL Server 2008 - Specifies that with the starting of .NET Framework version 3.5 Service Pack (SP) 1, .NET Framework Data Provider for SQL Server (System.Data.SqlClient namespace) includes all the new features that make it fully compatible with SQL Server 2008 Database Engine.
=>   ADO.NET Data Platform - Specifies that with the release of .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack (SP) 1, an Entity Framework 3.5 was introduced that provides a set of Entity Data Model (EDM) functions. These functions are supported by all the data providers; thereby, reducing the amount of coding and maintenance in your application. In .NET Framework 4.0, many new functions, such as string, aggregate, mathematical, and date/time functions have been added.

ADO.NET is a very important feature of .NET Framework, which is used to work with data that is stored in structured data sources, such as databases and XML files. The following are some of the important features of ADO.NET:

 =>   Contains a number of classes that provide you with various methods and attributes to manage the communication between your application and data source.

 =>   Enables you to access different data sources, such as Microsoft SQL Server, and XML, as per your requirements.

 =>   Provides a rich set of features, such as connection and commands that can be used to develop robust and highly efficient data services in .NET applications.

 =>   Provides various data providers that are specific to databases produced by various vendors. For example, ADO.NET has a separate provider to access data from Oracle databases; whereas, another provider is used to access data from SQL databases.