ADO.NET DataReaders provide a ___________ way to read data from a database.

ADO.NET DataReaders, such as SqlDataReader, provide a forward-only way to read data from a database. This means that once data is read from the database, it cannot be revisited or navigated backward. DataReaders are efficient for scenarios where data needs to be read sequentially without the need to move backward or access data randomly. They offer high performance and low memory consumption compared to other data access methods like datasets. Understanding how DataReaders work is crucial for optimizing data retrieval operations in ADO.NET applications.