Microsoft has provided application blocks for various application needs for e.g., Data Access block, Exception handling block etc. Since I'm new to VB.NET I'm not very sure about the pros and cons of using these blocks in my app. I'm using a typical 3-tier logical architecture for my app (Presentation, Business logic and Data access layer) and SQL Server 2000 as my db server.

I seek the advice of masters on this subject. I need the pros and cons of using these blocks. If any body has a better idea say for database connectivity and exception handling, then please come forward with your ideas.