Microsoft Enterprise Library

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What Does Microsoft Enterprise Library Mean?

Microsoft Enterprise Library is a collection of reusable application blocks, which are programming libraries and tools used in the .NET framework. They are designed to help developer’s deal with cross cutting concerns such as data access, validation, logging and exception handling. The application blocks appear in the form of source code, documentation and test cases.

Techopedia Explains Microsoft Enterprise Library

The Microsoft Enterprise Library is freely available in the form of source code and pluggable binaries, which can be easily customized by developers to suit their development needs. They are reliable and have strong security and performance requirements.

The different reusable application blocks include:

  • Configuration Block: This permits applications to write and read configuration information.
  • Cryptography Block: This enables developers to include hashing functionalities and an encryption mechanism in applications.
  • Caching Block: This enables developers to include local cache within applications.
  • Security Block: This enables developers to include security functionalities within applications.
  • Logging Block: This enables developers to include logging functionalities within applications.
  • Exception Handling Block: This enables developers to create a strategy for exception processing.
  • Data Access Block: This enables developers to include database functionalities in applications.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.