ActiveX Data Objects.
It's a Microsoft data access layer that enables client applications to simply access and update many differing data sources, such as databases, Excel spreadsheets, text files, etc.
It is intended to abstract the client application from the back-end data source, providing a common set of data access interfaces.
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HTH
Bob Phillips
... looking out across Poole Harbour to the Purbecks
(remove nothere from the email address if mailing direct)
what is ado