architectural question re .Net.

[new.microsoft.com]

Got an architectural question re .Net.

Potential client wants to build a c#.net app with the following reqs.

Multiple users in a central office running the app as well as up to 20
remote users going against the same data.
95% of the time they will have a DSL line connecting the remote offices to a
central office. But they want to be totally fault tolerant and run even
when the connection's down.
There could be several thousand customer records that would need to be
searched.

I've done this before in the past a few different ways which usually
resembles the following: a heavy client front end storing data locally in
Access or msSQL synched either via some home brewed mechanism or SQL Server
replication. But if possible I'd like to avoid the trouble of setting up
SQLserver or MSDE on the remote machines.

My question is are there better to do this today using .NET- such as via
MSMQ or disconnected xml record sets? Any way for it to be a browser based
or Web Form front end and go against local data? Anything else I should
look into?

Thanks
-Bill
wiw at nyc rr com

 

[Sushil Chordia]

In ADO.Net you can use the Dataset which is the disconnected DataModel; it
allows to connect to a data source, manipulate the DataSet offline, and
later reconnect to update the data source when necessary.

HTH,
Sushil.

 

[new.microsoft.com]

I don't have all the details yet but I'm thinking the app could be running
on a tablet PC with a WIFI network connection. That could account for the
users's saying 90% network availability - ie as they go in an out of hot
spots in their facility.

Would the ado.net disconnected data model handle a store and forward
approach? Could local data persist after the machine's shut down?

Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Bill

As per your requirement, you cannot avoid a local copy of database with large customer data in it so that disconnected pcs can work w/o being on the main network. Secondly, you will have to write a windows forms for off network pcs to work disconnected otherwise they will all need to have IIS on them to be able to use Web Forms.
My 2 cents.

1. All the UIs developed using Windows Forms so as to work on both on the network as well as off the network PCs
2. Business Layer to enforce all the necessary business rules even when off-network
3. Two different sets of Data Layer code, one to Connect to main database when connected using something like .NET Web Services and second one to connect to local copy of database or (disconnected datasets when in memory/Set of xml files for persistence)
4. Main Database
5. Some kind of Synch mechanis

HTH
Sach

----- new.microsoft.com wrote: ----

I don't have all the details yet but I'm thinking the app could be runnin
on a tablet PC with a WIFI network connection. That could account for th
users's saying 90% network availability - ie as they go in an out of ho
spots in their facility

Would the ado.net disconnected data model handle a store and forwar
approach? Could local data persist after the machine's shut down

Thanks