A combination of code and data that can be treated as a unit, for example, a control, form, or application. Each object is defined by a class. An object is an instance of a class that combines data with procedures.
OLE
A Microsoft® object-based technology for sharing information and services across process and machine boundaries.
OLE DB
A set of OLE interfaces that provide applications with uniform access to data stored in diverse information sources, regardless of location or type. These interfaces allow data sources to share their data through common interfaces without having to implement non-native database functionality to the data store. For more information, see www.microsoft.com/data/.
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)
A standard programming language interface used to connect to a variety of data sources. This is usually accessed through the desktop Control Panel, where data source names can be assigned to use specific ODBC drivers. For more information, see www.microsoft.com/data/.