CDO - FAQ # 2

1) Can you describe more about CDO?

• CDO library encapsulates difficult or repetitive operations, such as meeting requests, for manipulating items in Web Storage System.
• CDO is an API specification that defines objects, interfaces, functions, and properties for accessing messaging and collaboration data.
• It is also available in a series of object libraries. CDO for Windows 2000 is an SMTP-based library that provides base-messaging features.
• CDO comes with Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Server.
• You can use these CDO objects in applications to save developers the time-consuming task of re-inventing commonly used components.
• You can use CDO for Windows 2000 to send e-mail messages and post discussion and news messages where no mailbox is required.
• It also provides extensive MIME content creation and management, and support for the SMTP and NNTP protocol stacks.
• You can use CDO for Windows 2000 for mail-intensive applications, as well as any application that needs to construct MIME content.
• CDO itself is not accessible remotely.

2) CDO and Exchange 2000 & 2003 ?

When Exchange 2000 installs, it adds an extensive set of CDO objects for Exchange object types and provides a larger set of objects than Windows 2000 CDO. Exchange 2000 CDO is compatible with all existing applications, including CDO 1.2x, MAPI, and Windows NT Server CDO. Exchange 2000 CDO provides objects for scheduling systems and resource booking, as well as support for e-mail, mailbox, voice-mail, fax, and pagers. You can also use Exchange 2000 CDO for server-based agents. CDO is an integral part of Microsoft's Rapid Application Development (RAD) strategy.

Exchange 2000 CDO works with ADO and OLE DB. You can use ADO and OLE DB for all generalized data access, such as rowsets, queries, hierarchy navigation, and access control lists (ACLs). You can use recordsets and rowsets in place of certain collections, such as Items, Folders, Recipients, Attachments, and Attendees.

You use CDO to access collaboration-specific data, such as Exchange-specific objects.

3) What are the Internet Standards does CDO adopts?

CDO adopts Internet standards for content and protocols at the API level, including the following:

4) How CDO is useful for Client and Server side programming?  

CDO provides a consistent programming model with the same objects and interfaces on the client and server side. For example, you can use the Outlook object model on the client side and CDO on the server side, and use the same application logic, behavior, and features across all applications.

Exchange 2000 CDO provides a convenient object model for managing folders, messages, Exchange mailboxes, appointments, contacts, and other items as well as the properties of those items. CDO is designed to operate in Web Storage System and supports Internet standards and protocols. It provides direct access to OLE DB interfaces for using Web Storage System.

CDO integrates with the ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) 2.5 component to provide you with a consistent data-access interface to Web Storage System and Active Directory. As you set values to CDO properties or access Web Storage System properties, CDO saves data to the correct Web Storage System or Active Directory locations.