Alternatives

RDO - Remote Data Objects

RDO was originally developed as an abstraction of the ODBC API for Visual Basic programmers.
Therefore, RDO is closely tied to ODBC and Visual Basic.

OLE DB - Object Linking and Embedding DataBase

OLE DB could be classified as a low-level database API.
OLE DB incorporates the functionality of ODBC for relational databases and expands on it by providing access to nonrelational data sources.
OLE DB is great for C++ programmers since it requires manipulation of interface pointers

ODBC - Open DataBase Connectivity

ODBC provides a single API for client applications to work with different databases.
Applications that use the ODBC API can communicate with any relational database for which there is an ODBC driver.
Compared to other database interfaces, the ODBC API could be classified as a low-level database interface.
The ODBC API enables client applications to configure and control the database at a relatively low level.