Developers need a way to interact with all data platforms in a uniform way, and Microsoft has attempted time and again to meet this need with its Universal Data Access strategy. In developing ADO.NET, Microsoft has made their additions of support for XML and disconnected data sets easier to use. This tutorial will guide the reader through ADO.NET from the top down, showing readers the hows and whys of using ADO.NET with lots of examples they can mold into their own projects right away. It is intended to be an introduction to ADO.NET for developers with some knowledge of data access. While it will show readers how ADO.NET follows on its predecessors, it will be written to avoid repeating any remedial instruction in databases and storage theory.