Compress dataset sent over a web service

[Dan]

Hi,

I pass datasets back and forth between client app and web services (hosted
on iis 5). When written to xml file these datasets can be 500kb+. From a
bandwitdth meter it seems this amount it tripled to about 1500kb for total
traffic to send or receive these datasets thru the webservice. The files
can be zipped down about 99% with Winzip. Should I be looking at zipping
the dataset in code, sending the stream (via byte array) and reconstituting
into dataset on the receiving end? Any other preferred way to compress
this data?

Thanks

 

[Cor]

Hi Dan,

How are you using those datasets on the clientside.
I asume it is not a webservice you are talking about, but how do you use it
than?
Cor

 

[Dan M]

The client side is a regular VB.Net Windows Forms app. The large datasets
brought from the Webservice to the client app usually end up in a datagrid -
where they may be edited and sent back (using HasChanges so getting back
isn't an issue). From my client app I am sending back a large audit log in
a dataset periodically.

 

[Cor]

Hi Dan,

A way to make it smaller that I use is deleting all the empty items which
are made by default.
(Than there must be of course be reasonable amount of empty items).

You have to check per item when it comes from the database on the
dbnull.value for that.
(Creating a new table before you do the writeXML)
When you read it back the item when it not exist is "Is Nothing".

Another way is not sending the schema, I do not know if you do that

It depends also on the use on the other clientside if it are usable ways of
course.

However maybe you can use it

Cor

 

[Charlie Smith]

Hi,

I pass datasets back and forth between client app and web services (hosted

Dan,

I am using a winforms app to consume datasets from a set of web
services over the internet. One of the things we discovered is that
we are way ahead to make several calls for smaller datasets instead of
one large one (we started out transfering a lot of data that we didn't
need or use and refined it down from there).

That said, there are some really good third party tools out there to
compress data streams on the fly, I tested three of them and settled
on the Xceed tool as the one that meets our need the best.

Charlie