[dba-VB] ADO.Net

I have been setting up an application to read a block of records, 
perhaps 10K or something.

I designed a class that will load a block of records which consist of a 
name to be parsed, and a set of 6 fields which will be filled in with 
the parsed data returned from the name parser.  Thus as I load the data 
only the name to parse is filled in.

The supervisor iterates this set of records, pulling the name to parse, 
passing it off to the name parser, then reading the data back from the 
name parser and updating the fields in the same record.  Move to the 
next record, wash, rinse repeat.

I do have a couple of questions though.  I am not very familiar with how 
the ADO.net stuff works.

I build a connection string
I build a connection object which I leave not connected (for now), but 
feeding it the connection string.

I build a sql statement that represents the fields to pull WHERE PK 
between StartValue and EndValue.

I build a command object which I pass SQL statement and the still 
unconnected connection object.

I build a data adapter which I feed the command object.  Notice that we 
are still not connected to the data store.

I build a DataTable object with a table name.

I call DataAdapter(DataTable).Fill

Does .Net then connect correctly and proceed to fill the data table?

Once I have the data table filled I start to iterate the DataTable using 
the for each DataRow iterator

I then call the name splitter passing in the name to be split.  Back 
comes the name pieces.  I fill in the row with the name pieces and move 
to the next row.

Once every row has been filled in I need to call an update method of the 
DataAdapter which is SUPPOSED to write the changes back to the table in 
SQL Server.....

The name splitter handles ~1K names / second, NOT as speedy as I had 
hoped.  At this point I haven't a clue how fast the data adapter will 
write back to the table in SQL Server.

What I am trying to do is write this thing such that each instance of 
the data class can then be handed off to a thread so that the write back 
to SQL Server can begin and I can instantiate another data class to load 
/ parse the next "chunk" of data in parallel with the write to SQL Server.

I am trying to discover whether I need to close connections to the 
database while I do the parsing or just not worry about it.  Should I 
just leave all the objects open and close them all down as the data 
class closes once the write to SQL Server is done?  How will I know the 
write is done?  Does the code "hang" at the DataAdapter.Update until the 
entire update (all the rows) is finished?

Am I going about this the right way?  Should I become a used car salesman?

-- 
John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com