[dba-VB] WCF

Michael,

Glad to have you.

I am using VS 2008 Standard edition.  I will probably go with SQL Server Express in order to allow 
each client to use their own database hosted wherever they need.  My intention is to develop a 
client application in C#, and a service application in C#.  The service application will talk to a 
database layer and through to SQL Server or MySQL.  I will use WCF and services to talk from the 
client through the internet to the service application.

I am so new to this that I am just talking generalities here.  From what I am reading, this is the 
big picture of how it is done.  The first chapter of John Sharp's book dives right in and I will be 
diving right in following along exactly, using his tools / database etc.  Once I am able to do so I 
will bring up a parallel track of the volunteer database.

I want to go with the C# client because I just don't like browser based applications.  I don't like 
using them when I am forced to out on the internet, they just always feel clumsy.  At this time my 
clients all use Windows, are all at least at Windows XP, and so can easily host a windows based 
application.  IOW I do not need to run my client app on Linux or other non windows OS so why do 
browser based apps.

I use VisualSVN / Tortoise for source control internal to my business.  IIRC Gustav, Shamil and Mark 
Breen used this same combination for Source control but had the repository on the web.  If you 
remember those guys did a rewrite of Microsoft's Tradewind Access demo database into C#.  Back then 
I was not up to speed in C#.  While I hesitate to say I am up to speed now, I am at least minimally 
functional in C# now, though this WCF thing is going to be a stretch.

I will ask them if that repository is still up and whether we can use it.  Source control is 
critical for a community project in order to be able to share the source code and not step on toes.

This volunteer database is a real application and a real (non-paying) client (Prison Ministries) and 
I am using this as a learning tool to get to this paradigm, to be comfortable with this for future 
development of distributed applications.  I may very well start to design even my internal app to 
use the services paradigm, if for no other reason that to get good at it and stay there.

Anyway, that is what I am up to.  I have committed to delivering an Access database to Prison 
Ministries by the first of the year.  I am so fast in Access that doing so (for something this 
small) is doable, however I cannot see how to publish that application over the web in a manner that 
will stay useful and current and easy to maintain for the future.  Not to mention my faith in the 
future of Access is not very high right now.

Ergo C# / WCF services / SQL Server / MySQL.  That would seem to be the future.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com

On 12/17/2010 10:39 AM, Michael Mattys wrote:
> Hi John,
>
> We're interested also (me and my brother, Eric).
> I've downloaded the chm for the John Sharp book and something called
> HelpExplorer 3 to spare my eyes.
> You right-click in the main viewing panel and select ant text zoom you want.
> I want to catch up with you ...
>
> Michael R Mattys
> Business Process Developers
> www.mattysconsulting.com