Overview of Properties

Properties are attributes of an object. For example, a rowset has properties that describe the maximum number of rows that can be open at one time, whether or not the rowset exposes bookmarks, and the rowset's threading model.

Consumers set property values to request specific object behavior. For example, consumers use properties to specify which interfaces they want a rowset to expose.

Consumers get property values to determine the capabilities of an object. For example, consumers use properties to determine what transaction isolation levels a data source can support.

Each property has a value, a type, a description, a read/write attribute, and, for rowset properties, an indicator of whether it can be applied on a column-by-column basis.

This chapter defines and discusses properties, explains property sets as a way of determining which provider defined the property, and defines property groups as a set of properties that are logically related. Consumers can expose and set object properties as well as retrieve information about properties. Property structures and enumerated types are used to pass property values and information about properties. This chapter explains how this is accomplished and provides a detailed definition list of these structures and types.