Microsoft is releasing the beta 3 of its ADO.Net Entity Framework, along with a preview of ASP.Net 3.5 Extensions.
The ADO.Net Entity Framework is designed to make it easier for developers to build data-centric applications and services regardless of the underlying data source. Microsoft announced beta 3 of the technology Dec. 6.
Microsoft decided to cut the ADO.Net Entity Framework out of its Visual Studio 2008 release, which the company released to manufacturing in November. Microsoft recently announced that the entity framework would not make the cut and would not be available until the first half of 2008, as part of an update to Visual Studio 2008, formerly codenamed “Orcas.” The entity framework also is expected to be part of SQL Server 2008, which is due to RTM in the second quarter of 2008.
Microsoft officials said the ADO.Net Entity Framework is already gaining support from multiple database vendors and third-party providers, including Core Lab, Data Direct Technologies, Firebird, IBM, MySQL AB, Npgsql, OpenLink Software, Phoenix Software, Sybase and VistaDB.
Meanwhile, Microsoft also announced an upcoming preview of ASP.Net 3.5 Extensions, which leverages the Entity Framework to make it easier for developers to build rich, interactive data-centric applications on the Web, the company said.
The ASP.Net 3.5 Extensions Preview will include: ADO.Net Entity Framework, ASP.Net MVC, ADO.Net Data Services, ASP.Net Dynamic Data, new additions to ASP.Net AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), and Silverlight controls for ASP.Net, Microsoft officials said.
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