How do you perform asynchronous database operations in ADO.NET?

Short answer: ADO.NET supports asynchronous database operations using the async and await keywords in C#.

Explain a bit more

This allows the application to remain responsive while waiting for the database operation to complete. ExecuteNonQueryAsync: Executes a SQL command asynchronously. ExecuteReaderAsync: Executes a query and returns a SqlDataReader asynchronously. ExecuteScalarAsync: Executes a query and returns a single value asynchronously. Example: public async Task GetDataAsync()

Example code

{
SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString);
await connection.OpenAsync(); SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand("SELECT * FROM Customers", connection); SqlDataReader reader = await command.ExecuteReaderAsync(); while (await reader.ReadAsync()) { Console.WriteLine(reader["CustomerName"].ToString()); } reader.Close(); }

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

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.