vb6-ado-late-binding

ADO Late Binding — VB6

ADO is accessed via late binding to avoid version-locking the MDAC stack on client machines. No reference to "Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects x.x Library" is added to the project. Both Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL are supported through the same ADO surface, with small naming differences in parameter handling.

1. Declaration and instantiation

' Declarations — always As Object
Private mobjCnn As Object
Private mrsCustomers As Object

' Instantiation — always CreateObject
Set mobjCnn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
Set objRs = CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")
Set objCmd = CreateObject("ADODB.Command")

Never:

• Dim cnn As ADODB.Connection
• Dim rs As ADODB.Recordset
• Set rs = New ADODB.Recordset
• Adding a reference to the ADO type library

Rationale: different Windows versions ship different MDAC versions. Early binding to a specific type library version causes "ActiveX component can't create object" or "type mismatch" errors when the client has a different version installed. Late binding works against whatever ADO is present.

2. ADO constants — defined locally

Because the type library is not referenced, ADO constants must be defined as local constants or used as literals. The recommended approach for new code is to declare them at the top of any module that uses ADO, or in a shared modADOConstants.bas.

Option Explicit

' Command types
Private Const adCmdText         As Long = 1
Private Const adCmdTable        As Long = 2
Private Const adCmdStoredProc   As Long = 4

' Parameter directions
Private Const adParamInput      As Long = 1
Private Const adParamOutput     As Long = 2
Private Const adParamInputOutput As Long = 3
Private Const adParamReturnValue As Long = 4

' Cursor types
Private Const adOpenForwardOnly As Long = 0
Private Const adOpenKeyset      As Long = 1
Private Const adOpenDynamic     As Long = 2
Private Const adOpenStatic      As Long = 3

' Lock types
Private Const adLockReadOnly    As Long = 1
Private Const adLockPessimistic As Long = 2
Private Const adLockOptimistic  As Long = 3

' Cursor locations
Private Const adUseServer       As Long = 2
Private Const adUseClient       As Long = 3

' Connection states
Private Const adStateClosed     As Long = 0
Private Const adStateOpen       As Long = 1

' Data types (common subset)
Private Const adInteger         As Long = 3
Private Const adBigInt          As Long = 20
Private Const adVarChar         As Long = 200
Private Const adLongVarChar     As Long = 201
Private Const adVarWChar        As Long = 202
Private Const adLongVarWChar    As Long = 203
Private Const adBoolean         As Long = 11
Private Const adCurrency        As Long = 6
Private Const adDouble          As Long = 5
Private Const adDate            As Long = 7
Private Const adDBTimeStamp     As Long = 135
Private Const adGUID            As Long = 72
Private Const adBinary          As Long = 128

A complete reference list is in reference/ado-constants.bas.

Older code may use numeric literals directly (rs.Open SQL, cnn, 0, 1). Preserve those as-is — see vb6-guidelines section 1 on case-preservation; the same principle applies to literal-vs-constant style.

3. Connection setup

If mobjCnn Is Nothing Then
    Set mobjCnn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
End If

If mobjCnn.State = adStateClosed Then
    mobjCnn.ConnectionTimeout = 10                  ' mandatory before Open
    mobjCnn.Open BuildConnectionString()
End If

ConnectionTimeout is mandatory before Open. Without it, a network failure or a misconfigured server can block the UI thread for 30+ seconds (the OLE DB default). 10 seconds is a sensible default for LAN; adjust for remote/cloud databases.

4. Disconnected recordset (standard pattern for SELECT)

For read queries that fetch and release, use the disconnected pattern:

Dim objRs As Object

Set objRs = CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")
objRs.CursorLocation = adUseClient                  ' required to disconnect
Set objRs.ActiveConnection = mobjCnn
objRs.Open strSQL, mobjCnn, adOpenForwardOnly, adLockReadOnly

Set objRs.ActiveConnection = Nothing                ' disconnect

' ... use objRs ...

' in _Exit / _Err:
Set objRs = Nothing

The line Set objRs.ActiveConnection = Nothing after Open decouples the recordset from the connection. The recordset becomes a client-side snapshot and the connection is immediately available for other queries. Without this line, connection handles accumulate in the database server.

CursorLocation = adUseClient must be set before Open — setting it after has no effect.

5. Parameterized queries — the rule for any user-supplied value

Concatenating values into SQL strings is forbidden. Use parameters for every value that comes from user input, business logic, or any source that is not a hardcoded structural part of the query.

What goes in parameters	What may be concatenated
Any value (WHERE id = ?)	Table names (FROM & strTable)
Dates, numbers, booleans, strings, NULLs	Column names in SELECT lists
Result of business logic	Conditional JOIN clauses
Input from forms, files, network	Optional WHERE clauses (the keyword, not the value)

Reasons parameters win:

1. Security: prevents SQL injection. Even on an internal LAN PDV, a free text field ("L'Oréal" with an apostrophe) breaks concatenated SQL.
2. Performance: SQL Server caches query plans by SQL text. Parameterized queries reuse one plan; concatenated queries fill the plan cache with equivalent variants.
3. Type safety: dates, decimals, and NULLs serialize correctly without manual ToSQL() calls or locale-dependent formatting (decimal , vs .).
4. Readability: SQL stays clean; values appear in a separate block.

6. Parameter pattern — direct ADODB.Command usage

For one-off queries, use the Command object directly:

'CSEH: ErrRaise
Public Function GetActiveCustomer(ByVal lngCustomerID As Long, _
                                   ByVal blnIncludeInactive As Boolean) As Object

        '<EhHeader>
        On Error GoTo GetActiveCustomer_Err
        EnterMethod "modDB", "GetActiveCustomer"
        '</EhHeader>

        Dim objCmd As Object
        Dim objRs  As Object
        Dim strSQL As String

100     InitializeDBConnection

105     Set objCmd = CreateObject("ADODB.Command")
110     Set objCmd.ActiveConnection = mobjCnn
115     objCmd.CommandType = adCmdText

120     strSQL = ""
125     strSQL = strSQL & "SELECT idCustomer, custName, custCNPJ " & vbNewLine
130     strSQL = strSQL & "  FROM Customer " & vbNewLine
135     strSQL = strSQL & " WHERE idCustomer = ? " & vbNewLine
140     strSQL = strSQL & "   AND (custActive = ? OR ? = 1) " & vbNewLine

145     objCmd.CommandText = strSQL

150     objCmd.Parameters.Append objCmd.CreateParameter("idCustomer", adInteger, adParamInput, , lngCustomerID)
155     objCmd.Parameters.Append objCmd.CreateParameter("custActive", adBoolean, adParamInput, , True)
160     objCmd.Parameters.Append objCmd.CreateParameter("includeInactive", adBoolean, adParamInput, , blnIncludeInactive)

165     Set objRs = objCmd.Execute

170     Set GetActiveCustomer = objRs

    '<EhFooter>
        On Error GoTo 0

GetActiveCustomer_Exit:
        Set objCmd = Nothing
        ExitMethod "modDB", "GetActiveCustomer"
        Exit Function

GetActiveCustomer_Err:
        Dim sGetActiveCustomer_Err As String
        sGetActiveCustomer_Err = "Error: " & Err.Number & " - " & Err.Description & " (" & Erl & ")"

        Set objCmd = Nothing
        Set objRs = Nothing
        ExitMethod "modDB", "GetActiveCustomer"

        Err.Raise vbObjectError + 100, "SampleApp.modDB.GetActiveCustomer", sGetActiveCustomer_Err
    '</EhFooter>
End Function

Notes

• CreateParameter(name, type, direction, size, value) — size is omitted (,) for fixed-size types like adInteger
• For variable-size types (adVarChar, adVarWChar), specify size: CreateParameter("custName", adVarChar, adParamInput, 100, strName)
• Use ? placeholders in MSSQL for positional binding (the names you give in CreateParameter are documentation only when using ?)

7. Parameter pattern — accumulator helpers

For procedures with many parameters or repeated parameter setup, an accumulator pattern keeps the code clean. Typical project helpers:

' Add a parameter to the internal accumulator
Public Sub AddADOParameter(ByVal ParName As String, _
                            ByVal ParType As EnumADODataType, _
                            ByVal Value As Variant, _
                            Optional ByVal InputPar As Boolean = True)

' Apply all accumulated parameters to a Command and clear the accumulator
Public Function SetADOCommandParameters(objCommand As Object, _
                                         Optional ByVal AfterClearParameters As Boolean = True)

Usage:

105     AddADOParameter "idCustomer", adInteger, lngCustomerID
110     AddADOParameter "custActive", adBoolean, True
115     AddADOParameter "includeInactive", adBoolean, blnIncludeInactive

120     SetADOCommandParameters objCmd

The accumulator is a module-level Dictionary that holds clsADOParameter instances until applied. After SetADOCommandParameters runs, the dictionary is cleared (unless AfterClearParameters = False is passed). See reference/command-pattern.bas for the helper module skeleton.

8. Stored procedures and bidirectional parameters

For stored procedures (or any call with output parameters), use SetParameter and GetParameter to abstract the database-specific naming:

' MSSQL: parameters named @idCustomer, @result
' PostgreSQL: parameters named in_idCustomer, out_result

105     Set objCmd = CreateObject("ADODB.Command")
110     Set objCmd.ActiveConnection = mobjCnn
115     objCmd.CommandType = adCmdStoredProc
120     objCmd.CommandText = "sp_GetCustomerDetails"

125     ' Append parameters (names without prefix; helpers add it)
130     objCmd.Parameters.Append objCmd.CreateParameter(ParamName("idCustomer", adParamInput), adInteger, adParamInput, , 0)
135     objCmd.Parameters.Append objCmd.CreateParameter(ParamName("result", adParamOutput), adVarChar, adParamOutput, 200)

140     SetParameter objCmd, "idCustomer", lngCustomerID

145     objCmd.Execute

150     strResult = GetParameter(objCmd, "result")

The SetParameter and GetParameter helpers consult a global like gParameters.DatabaseType to construct the correct parameter name:

Public Sub SetParameter(objCommand As Object, ByVal ParName As String, _
                         ByVal Value As Variant, Optional ByVal InputPar As Boolean = True)
    If gParameters.DatabaseType = EnumDatabaseType.Postgres Then
        ParName = IIf(InputPar, "in_", "out_") & ParName
    ElseIf gParameters.DatabaseType = EnumDatabaseType.MSSQL Then
        ParName = "@" & ParName
    End If
    objCommand.Parameters(ParName).Value = Value
End Sub

Public Function GetParameter(objCommand As Object, ByVal ParName As String) As Variant
    If gParameters.DatabaseType = EnumDatabaseType.Postgres Then
        ParName = "out_" & ParName
    ElseIf gParameters.DatabaseType = EnumDatabaseType.MSSQL Then
        ParName = "@" & ParName
    End If
    GetParameter = objCommand.Parameters(ParName)
End Function

This isolates the database-specific naming convention to two helpers; the rest of the code uses logical parameter names ("idCustomer", "result").

9. Provider strings for the two databases

Microsoft SQL Server (SQLNCLI)

Provider=SQLNCLI10;DataTypeCompatibility=80;Server=<server>;Database=<db>;User Id=<user>;Password=<pwd>;

DataTypeCompatibility=80 is required when the schema uses pre-2008 type mappings. Newer providers (SQLNCLI11, MSOLEDBSQL) are drop-in replacements with different version numbers — pick what is deployed on client machines.

PostgreSQL (via MSDASQL)

Provider=MSDASQL.1;Driver={PostgreSQL UNICODE};Server=<server>;Port=5432;Database=<db>;Uid=<user>;Pwd=<pwd>;

MSDASQL.1 is the OLE DB Provider for ODBC; the actual driver is the PostgreSQL ODBC driver installed on the machine.

A BuildConnectionString function typically inspects a project parameter (connection mode, DSN flag) and chooses the provider:

If InStr(1, strDBPath, "DSN", vbTextCompare) > 0 Then
    ' Postgres via DSN
    BuildConnectionString = "Provider=MSDASQL.1;" & strDBPath & "Pwd=<pwd>;"
    gParameters.DatabaseType = EnumDatabaseType.Postgres
Else
    ' MSSQL
    BuildConnectionString = "Provider=SQLNCLI10;DataTypeCompatibility=80;" & strDBPath
    gParameters.DatabaseType = EnumDatabaseType.MSSQL
End If

10. Cleanup

Recordset

' In _Exit and _Err:
If Not objRs Is Nothing Then
    If objRs.State = adStateOpen Then objRs.Close
    Set objRs = Nothing
End If

For disconnected recordsets, Close is optional but harmless — keep it for consistency with connected recordsets.

Connection

Use a dedicated dispose routine with On Error Resume Next:

Public Sub CloseDBConnection()
    On Error Resume Next
    If Not mobjCnn Is Nothing Then
        If mobjCnn.State <> adStateClosed Then mobjCnn.Close
    End If
    Set mobjCnn = Nothing
End Sub

Command

Set objCmd = Nothing

Setting ActiveConnection = Nothing on the Command before disposing is unnecessary — releasing the reference is enough.

11. Transactions

ADO transactions wrap multiple statements on a single connection:

        mobjCnn.BeginTrans
        
        On Error GoTo Rollback
        
        ' ... multiple commands ...
        
        mobjCnn.CommitTrans
        Exit Sub

Rollback:
        mobjCnn.RollbackTrans
        Err.Raise ...

Watch for nested calls: ADO's BeginTrans returns the nesting level. Most projects keep transactions single-level and use a module-level mblnInTransaction flag to detect and forbid nesting from the application side.

12. Anti-patterns

Anti-pattern	Why it breaks
Dim cnn As ADODB.Connection	Forces type library reference; breaks on clients with different MDAC
Open without ConnectionTimeout	UI hangs 30+ seconds on network failure
Concatenating user input into SQL	SQL injection; query plan cache pollution; locale-dependent formatting
CursorLocation = adUseClient set after Open	No effect; recordset stays server-side; cannot disconnect
Forgetting Set rs.ActiveConnection = Nothing	Connection stays "in use"; server-side handles accumulate
Hot loop calling CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")	Allocation cost per iteration; reuse one recordset where possible
rs.MoveNext without If rs.EOF Then Exit	Infinite loop on empty resultset
Closing connection inside an error handler without On Error Resume Next	Cleanup itself raises and masks the original error

13. Pre-flight check

• Connections and recordsets declared As Object
• Instantiated via CreateObject, not New
• No ADO type library reference in the .vbp
• ConnectionTimeout set before Open
• CursorLocation = adUseClient set before Open for disconnected pattern
• ActiveConnection = Nothing after Open for disconnected pattern
• All user-supplied values passed via Parameters.Append, not concatenated
• Structural SQL (table names, conditional JOINs) concatenated, not parameterized
• Cleanup in both _Exit and _Err
• For stored procs / output params, use SetParameter/GetParameter helpers (or equivalent abstraction)