If you like tools that make creating your data layers easier (like NHibernate or code generation tools like Codesmith & NetTiers), you might be interested in the latest release from the ADO.NET team - the Entity Framework (EF). The latest release, announced today, now also supports Visual Studio 2008 RTM and together with a modeling tool  allows you to quickly construct a high-performance, disconnected data layer for your applications; a major time saver for this perennial chore.