Windows Phone 7 databases - sql-server

i am new to windows phone 7 and im just looking for some information in regards to databases.
I understand that we can use SQLce to store a database, i've got some idea on how to create one, at the moment i was wondering how to have prepopulated data when a app is loaded?, ive heard about sqlmetal is that a way of creating a database and addinbf data?
Also When i have a database on a mircosoft sql server, is it possible for SQLce and SQL server to pass data between each other i.e hold the same database with same data?
Also i believe that i must have a webservice for the phone to connect to the webserver how would i apporach this? would i use httprequest to connect to the webservice then the webservice connect/interact with the webserver what code would the webservice be written in?
Any links would be a great help
Sorry if its long winded
Thanks

There are some good tutorials available for how to use SQL CE - e.g. http://www.windowsphonegeek.com/tips/Windows-Phone-Mango-Local-Database(SQL-CE)-Introduction
For a pre-populated database, you might also want to check out http://blog.arsanth.com/?p=343
For synchronising databases and supplying a web service - I think this is for you to code - maybe consider an odata service - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/aa937697
There are alternatives to sqlce - in particular at least a couple of sqlite ports and some wp7 specific stores like Stirling
It might be an idea to try starting on something and then come back to StackOverflow when you hit specific issues/problems.

Your SQL CE file can be shipped as part of your app. Set the df file to COntent in the Solution View and create a DataContext with the appropiate connection string. MIne looks like
DataContext ctx = new DataContext("Data Source=appdata:/DataModel/Database.sdf;Mode=Read Only")
To create Have a read through Converting SQL Server database to local C# database and it points to http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/25685/SQL-Server-to-SQL-Server-Compact-Edition-Database to create a SQLCE database from SQLServer database.

In most cases you don't need a relational DB
Maybe you should look into Sterling, Raven, fileDb or any other nosql that suits for silverlight

Related

Sync Offline Database with External Database Windows Phone 7

I have a wp7 app that uses the local database implemented with linq. I have an external MS-SQL (2008 R2) server. Both databases have the same schema.
I would like to know how to do the following:
Download information from the MS-SQL to the Database into the local DB of the phone. (Can I use some data-binding technique - I have found no links that do this)
If Changes made on the phone (add new record, edit existing record) how can I push changes back to server.
If changes are made to server then push to phone (I know I can use an observer pattern here)
I should also note that the client app is not used always-on access to the internet.
Thanks
There's no magic here.
You will need to create functionality to get updates from the server (probably meaning you need some kind of timestamp on each record, saying when it was last changed so you can query it).
You will need to create the functionality to upload data and update the database on the server (and potentially handle conflicts).
I would either use ODATA to communicate with the server, or plain old WCF/JSON service.
have a look at the Sync Framework Toolkit

Entity Framework, No SQL server, What do I do?

Is there seriously no way of using a shared access non-server driven database file format without having to use an SQL Server? The Entity Framework is great, and it's not until I've completely finished designing my database model, getting SQL Server Compact Edition 4.0 to work with Visual Studio that I find out that it basically cannot be run off a network drive and be used by multiple users. I appreciate I should have done some research!
The only other way as far as I can tell is to have to set up an SQL server, something which I doubt I would be able to do. I'm searching for possible ways to use it with Access databases (which can be shared on a network drive) but this seems either difficult or impossible.
Would I have to go back to typed DataSets or even manually coding the SQL code?
Another alternative is to try using SQL
Install SQL Server express. Access is not supported by EF at all and my experience with file based databases (Access, SQL Server CE) is mostly:
If you need some very small mostly readonly data to persist in database you can use them (good for code tables but in the same time such data can be simply stored in XML).
If you expect some concurrent traffic and often writing into DB + larger data sets their performance and usability drops quickly. They are mostly useful for local storage for single user.
I'm not sure how this relates for example to SQLite. To generate database from model for SQLite you need special T4 template (using correct SQL syntax).
Have you tried SQLite? It has a SQL provider, and as far as I know EF supports any provider. Since it's file-based, that might be a plausible solution. It's also free.

Suitable method For synchronising online and offline Data

I have two applications with own database.
1.) Desktop application which has vb.net winforms interface, runs in offline enterprise network and stores data in central database [SQL Server]
**All the data entry and other office operations are carried out and stored in central database
2.) Second application has been build on php. it has html pages and runs as website in online environment. It stores all data in mysql database.
**This application is accessed by registered members only and they are facilitied with different reports of the data processed by 1st application.
Now I have to synchronize data between online and offline database servers. I am planning for following:
1.) Write a small program to export all the data of SQL Server [offline server] to a file in CVS format.
2.) Login to admin Section of live server.
3.) Upload the exported cvs file to the server.
4.) Import the data from cvs file to mysql database.
Is the method i am planning good or it can be tunned to perform good. I would also appreciate for other nice ways for data synchronisation other than changing applications.. ie. network application to some other using mysql database
What you are asking for does not actually sound like bidirectional sync (or movement of data both ways from SQL Server to MySQL and from MySQL to SQL Server) which is a good thing as it really simplifies things for you. Although I suspect your method of using CSV's (which I would assume you would use something like BCP to do this) would work, one of the issues is that you are moving ALL of the data every time you run the process and you are basically overwriting the whole MySQL db everytime. This is obviously somewhat inefficient. Not to mention during that time the MySQL db would not be in a usable state.
One alternative (assuming you have SQL Server 2008 or higher) would be to look into using this technique along with Integrated Change Tracking or Integrated Change Capture. This is a capability within SQL Server that allows you to determine data that has changed since a certain point of time. What you could do is create a process that just extracts the changes since the last time you checked to a CSV file and then apply those to MySQL. If you do this, don't forget to also apply the deletes as well.
I don't think there's an off the shelf solution for what you want that you can use without customization - but the MS Sync framework (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sync/default) sounds close.
You will probably need to write a provider for MySQL to make it go - which may well be less work than writing the whole data synchronization logic from scratch. Voclare is right about the challenges you could face with writing your own synchronization mechanism...
Do look into SQL Server Integration Service as a good alternate.

Web interface for SQL Server database

I have been working on VB6 database desktop programming, but now a client is asking for a
simple web interface (some inserts into SQL Server db used by a desktop application).
The question is: Which approach is better?
1)creating asp.net project, connected directly to the SQL Server database;
2)creating separate (simple) mysql database managed by php and synchronization (in 15 minutes for example)
Thanks.
Personally since you already have the SQL Server database, I see no reason whatsoever to add the complexity of another database and then synchonization. The first alternative is simpler to create and can be secure if you design it correctly. The issue about hosting is irrelevant since you are going to your own database that already exists, so is the issue about cost since the databse is already there. Further since you are already supporting SQL Server, you may be able to reuse some code rather than write new code (mysql's version of SQL is not the same as SQl Server's version). Synching the two databases may be more complex than you think (differnt data types, etc.) and the data in the real database is not real-time whereas with the first alternative it is.
I'd prefer the separate database approach.
It's more secure.
PHP/Mysql hosting is widespread
You can pretty much achieve anything with the technologies available, it just depends on your skill and productivity with specific technologies and the availability of online help. Plus Microsoft stuff you tend to have to pay for whereas PHP/MySQL is totally free.

uploading a realtime database into the web

Hi everyone I hav a small problem in uploading my database. I have created a localhost website on my pc for a vehicle tracking system and now i have no clue in uploading it. It's got two Microsoft Access databases in my pc which is used in the website and they get updated at very regular intervals(almost every second) it has to be uploaded to the web real time. Right now I use ODBC on a localhost..
Does anybody have any idea how to do it?
Please help if so...
Depending on your traffic using ACCESS in a webserver multi user environment will be a real pain. (File in access, etc). Perhaps try to build a webservice to make changes directly on the server?
If you don't want to use ODBC you may have a look at ADO connectionstrings (www.connectionstrings.com is a goot starting point).
I would concur with #Sascha I wouldnt even bother wasting the time trying to run your site with access.
Depending on your host you should have access to a free mysql or mssql database. Use this instead. Write a new page that takes parameters and writes them to your online database, that way you can set up a relay on your machine that pushes the changes from your local machine to the web.
This is definitely not easy, but it can be done. You would need to run a SQL Server database on the web server, and then push the data from Access to SQL Server, or pull it from SQL Server.
We've got a couple of links talking about it at SQLServerPedia:
How can I synchronize data between MS Access and SQL Server databases?
How can I link a SQL Server database to MS Access using link tables in MS Access?
Again, it's not easy - judging by the way you worded the question, you're not going to like the answers that you'll read about. You may want to bring in someone who's experienced with web-based databases and replication in order to bring you up to speed and set your expectations about how challenging this will be.

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