ADO ODBC in VB.NET

where I work, since the day i got here all programming has used a odbc connector from mysql.com to connect to a mysql database on the local network..

i'm wondering if开发者_如何学JAVA this is a waisted effort, and just introduces more steps and if it would be wiser to just use a direct connection in .net instead of using the odbc layer..

thanks

---

The advantage to ODBC is of course the standardization, so if you later decide to use another ODBC compliant database you can hopefully re-use the current code (would probably be some changes but hopefully not many).
Another possible advantage is that it might be easier to pick up for developers with previous ODBC experience (which is quite common).

But in the end it depends on the circumstances of your company/project.