This document discusses ADO.NET and how it can be used to interact with databases in Visual Basic.NET. ADO.NET uses a disconnected data model that allows applications to query databases without maintaining an open connection. It keeps a local copy of queried data in a dataset object. The main components of ADO.NET - connection, command, data adapter, and dataset - are introduced. Code examples are provided to demonstrate connecting to an Access database and retrieving, displaying, and navigating records using ADO.NET.