Using ActiveSync from .NET Compact Framework

[Ramjee Tangutur]

Hi All

I am developing a .NET Smart Device Application. The app will store its data
in a SQL CE Database on the device. I would want to synchronize the data
between the SQL CE DB on the device with a SQL Server database on the
desktop, when the device is cradled. I do not want to use SQL CE Replication
for this purpose but want to achieve it differently.
I would specifically like to know if we can use ActiveSync APIs from .NET
CF?.

Any pointers on the same would help me a lot.
Thanks
Ramjee

 

[Ginny Caughey [MVP]]

Ramjee,

The Activesync API (Rapi) is for desktop apps, not for device apps. It
allows you to do things on the device such as launching apps and copying
files on the device from the desktop side, not the reverse. You can find a
..Net wrapper for Rapi on www.opennetcf.org in the Communication section.

As for moving SQL CE data, most people use either XML or CSV if they aren't
using SQL Server replication. This strategy can work fine if the amount of
data you need to move isn't large, but then you still have to do something
with the XML or CSV file on the desktop once you get it there. Is there a
particular reason that you don't want to use merge replication or RDA? It
sounds like that might be a good option for you since you have SQL Server on
the other side.

Ginny Caughey
..NET Compact Framework MVP

 

[info]

Hi there

I'm not quit sure baoutthis and please correct me if I'm wrong but as I
see it the SQL CE Database is free as long as you don't use the
replication isn't it ?

What amount of data is it pratical to use XML as data transform format?

Whats an good technique to synchronize the SQL CE Databse on the PDA
with the PDA without replication?

Thanks

 

[Guest]

SQL CE is free if you don't get data from a SQL Server. If data comes from
a SQL Server, it doesn't matter how you get it, you must have a CAL.

-Chris

 

[Ginny Caughey [MVP]]

I agree with Chris. You're going to need the CAL anyway, so why not use the
built in replication features of SQL Server? But to answer your question,
the speed of using XML depends on the speed of your device and also the
version of .Net CF you're using as it's faster in 2.0. It also depends on
what your users might be doing while you're parsing the XML. For example, I
know of a medical app that uses XML as an intermediate format. It takes many
minutes to parse the intial drugs database, but parsing updates is quicker.
Users are told to expect a long wait initially, and apparently that works
for them.

Still, in your case I'd strongly consider using SQL Server replication.

Ginny Caughey
..NET Compact Framework MVP

 

[info]

What are the pricings of the SQL CE Server? I can't find any local
vendor here :-/
Because I've Visual FoxPro Table the synchronisation process can't be
solved via replication so i need a manual syncrhonization and at the
moment i don't know exactly how to do

BTW I found another strange thing. Isn't there anything like the smart
devices extensions for developping PocketPC Solutions ?

Do you have any sites with samples getting startet infos for PocketPC
programming?

thx

 

[Ginny Caughey [MVP]]

There is no charge for SQL CE. (It's considered part of the Windows Mobile
platform I believe.) The pricing comes about when you attach any kind of
device - desktop computer, Windows Mobile phone, CE device, TabletPC - to a
SQL Server that isn't using per-processor licensing since SQL Server can
also be licensed per-device and you need a CAL for each device.

Since you're working with VFP, you might be interested in a new 3rd party
product that uses DBF files that are roughly compatible with VFP. It's
called VulcanDB and it's currently in beta, but you can get more info at
www.grafxsoft.com. To create compatible DBF files from VFP 9 you use COPY TO
.... TYPE FOXPLUS or FOX2 - or just create the files using VulcanDB. VFP can
read and update them fine.

I'm not sure what type of samples you're looking for, but www.opennetcf.org
is a good place to start for anything .Net Compact Framework related. There
are also some quick-starts that come with VS 2003 Pro (and above) I believe,
which is the product you need for Compact Framework developemnt. There are
also some really good books on Compact Framework development available these
days that could save you a lot of time, and most of them are
language-specific so just pick your language and then choose a book.

Ginny Caughey
..NET Compact Framework MVP

 

[Boas Enkler]

Hi
thank you a lot these links are greate i'm going to evaluate them.
Because i'm new to all this things its hard to keep the overview

 

[Boas Enkler]

Can someone tell me how big the licensefee for the SQL CE would be when i
would transform my application to an MSDE an goint to use the replication ?
Can't find any informations

thank you very much

 

[Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]]

It's not SQL CE that you're buying the license for. Maybe that's the
problem. You need a client access license for SQL Server (the
desktop/server database). Amazon has a 5-pack of client licenses for $399.

Paul T.