> # Assemblies

> A .NET assembly is a compiled representation of one or more classes. Each assembly is self-contained, that is, the assembly includes the metadata about the assembly as a whole.

> Assemblies can be private or shared. Private assemblies, which are used by a limited number of applications, are placed in the application folder or one of its subfolders. Even if the client has two different applications that call a private assembly named formulas, each client application loads the correct assembly.

> Shared assemblies, which are available to multiple client applications, are placed in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC). Each shared assembly is assigned a strong name to handle name and version conflicts.

> The assembly name for the .NET data provider is ddtek.sequelink.dll. The assembly, which is placed in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) during installation, is strongly named.