Repository Pattern vs DAL

Question

Are they the same thing? Just finished to watch Rob Connery\'s Storefront tutorial and they seem to be similar techinques. I mean, when I implement a DAL object I have the G

Answer 1

A repository is a pattern that can be applied in many different ways, while the data access layer has a very clear responsibility: the DAL must know how to connect to your data storage to perform CRUD operations.

A repository can be a DAL, but it can also sit in front of the DAL and act as a bridge between the business object layer and the data layer. Which implementation is used is going to vary from project to project.