Memory Efficiency:?
Short answer: A DataReader is a forward-only, read-only cursor, meaning it streams data from the database and does not store the entire result set in memory. DataSet, on the other hand, loads the entire result set into memory, which can consume significant memory for large datasets.
Real-world example (ShopNest)
ShopNest’s reporting job still uses ADO.NET for a heavy SQL query where raw performance and stored procedures matter more than EF convenience.
Say this in the interview
- Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
- Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
- Trade-off — when you would not use it.
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