An ASP command object is a server object that performs some operation on a database. The object can contain any valid SQL statement, including one that returns a recordset, or one that inserts, updates, or deletes records in a database. A command object can alter the structure of a database if the SQL statement adds or deletes a column in a table. You can also use a command object to run a stored procedure in a database.

A command object can be reusable, in the sense that the application server can reuse a single compiled version of the object to execute the command a number of times. You make a command reusable by setting the Prepared property of the Command object to true, as in the following VBScript statement:

mycommand.Prepared = true

If you know the command will be executed more than a few times, having a single compiled version of the object can make database operations more efficient.

A command object is created by scripts on an ASP page, but Dreamweaver lets you create command objects without writing a line of ASP code.