Passing around a SqlConnection

Question

I have created a TransactionScope and within the scope various items are created and updated in the database. During this process I make a lot of calls to the database. Original

Answer 1

I tend to avoid passing connections around at all cost. I've just seen too many errors creep into a system when someone else, for example, closes a connection in the middle of a sequence of operations because they didn't know others were going to use the same connection.

Creating a SQLConnection is almost free due to ADO.NET's connection pooling mechanisms so don't think you're going to save any space/time by creating one and passing it around.

If, as in your situation, you truly do need to perform a number of DB operations within a transaction scope, then manage your scope appropriately, but create, use and dispose of your connections as and when you need them - it'll help keep your code A LOT cleaner and safer.