What are the benefits and drawbacks of web form and windows form at the layer of Data Access?

Hamed

Hello

I have employed as a developer in a software company that its team uses
FoxPro / VB 6.0 / VC++ 6.0 as the developing tools and newly is going to
migrate to VS.NET. There is a project modified that is to upgrade a big,
more than 100,000 lines DOS based program developed by FoxPro 2.x to .NET
platform. The design is as previous and the implementation will be
reprogrammed. As a duty in my job I should find an answer about the
following question:

There seems to be two options in .NET to develop the program: Win Form and
Web Form. The question is if we want to redesign the application as a multi
tire program which front-end is best to choose so that we have less problems
in developing the Data Access tire. Is it better to choose Web Form and use
wrapper classes exist in ASP.NET environment or we can choose to use Win
Form?

There are some facts:

1 - Windows forms have more flexibility in view and effects and users prefer
to have a Windows based interface but it is not a "must to be done" rule.

2 - Our programming team has developed VB and VFP applications and they are
more familiar with VB 6.0 than IIS, ASP and VBScript. The company can hire
some web programmers but prefer not to do it if possible

3 - They are not familiar with XML at all and I am the only person that
knows this technology. It seems I myself should develop the Data Access tire
and I am new in .NET technology but have developed several ADO based ASP
applications

4 - The new application should be able to use different data engines such as
Access, VFP, MS SQL Server and Oracle.

It seems developing a multi tire application using windows forms is highly
dependent on web services and xml communications. Using web forms as a front
end have a little flexibility but at least all data access layer will be in
the server using ADO.NET wrapper classes those are the same as ADO. But it
seems using windows forms means that we should use "Dataset" and ".NET
Framework Data Provider" that is a topic I am new in. Microsoft says either
using web forms or windows forms, there is no difference in data access
layer but I don't feel so. Am I right? What are the benefits and drawbacks
of web form and windows form at the layer of Data Access?

Thanks in advance

Hamed…

Jul 21 '05 #1

Paul Edwards

The use of ADO.net is the same for both cases as .net
disconnects the database and only uses quick hits to get
data and update the data.

As I see it the advantages of web forms are:

Workstation platform independednt. ie easy to install on a
Mac/Win 95/XP workstation.

There is no updating of workstations as all the work is
done on the server and just uses ie/navigator/other to
access the program

The advantages of Windows forms:

Easier to set up events on the forms.

Full control over presentation layer (not all browsers
show controls etc the same)

Nobody needs to learn Java Script to do clever things on
browsers that are not VB script compliant.

Only need one server to set up, ie database server.

Nobody needs to learn IIS/Apache or whatever web server
you use.

Hope this helps
Paul

-----Original Message-----
Hello

I have employed as a developer in a software company that its team usesFoxPro / VB 6.0 / VC++ 6.0 as the developing tools and newly is going tomigrate to VS.NET. There is a project modified that is to upgrade a big,more than 100,000 lines DOS based program developed by FoxPro 2.x to .NETplatform. The design is as previous and the implementation will bereprogrammed. As a duty in my job I should find an answer about thefollowing question:

There seems to be two options in .NET to develop the program: Win Form andWeb Form. The question is if we want to redesign the application as a multitire program which front-end is best to choose so that we have less problemsin developing the Data Access tire. Is it better to choose Web Form and usewrapper classes exist in ASP.NET environment or we can choose to use WinForm?

There are some facts:

1 - Windows forms have more flexibility in view and effects and users preferto have a Windows based interface but it is not a "must to be done" rule.
2 - Our programming team has developed VB and VFP applications and they aremore familiar with VB 6.0 than IIS, ASP and VBScript. The company can hiresome web programmers but prefer not to do it if possible

3 - They are not familiar with XML at all and I am the only person thatknows this technology. It seems I myself should develop the Data Access tireand I am new in .NET technology but have developed several ADO based ASPapplications

4 - The new application should be able to use different data engines such asAccess, VFP, MS SQL Server and Oracle.

It seems developing a multi tire application using windows forms is highlydependent on web services and xml communications. Using web forms as a frontend have a little flexibility but at least all data access layer will be inthe server using ADO.NET wrapper classes those are the same as ADO. But itseems using windows forms means that we should use "Dataset" and ".NETFramework Data Provider" that is a topic I am new in. Microsoft says eitherusing web forms or windows forms, there is no difference in data accesslayer but I don't feel so. Am I right? What are the benefits and drawbacksof web form and windows form at the layer of Data Access?

Thanks in advance

Hamed.
.

Jul 21 '05 #2

Hamed

Do you mean that accessing data is exactly the same in web and windows
forms?

"Paul Edwards" <pa**@nospam.go-dcl.co.uk> wrote in message
news:0d****************************@phx.gbl...

The use of ADO.net is the same for both cases as .net
disconnects the database and only uses quick hits to get

Jul 21 '05 #3

paul

Yes mainly.

To use ADO.net you have to copy the data into a datatable
before you change it. Obviously things work slightly
different because the client is disconnected from the web
server but the basis is the same. It is impossible in
ADO.net to open a cursor and change the data directly. You
have to use a select statement to get the data and an
update statement to change it or insert statement to add
new data. Often in a web form you will use a data reader
for memory/speed efficiency that can loop throught the
data only once rather than keep it open in the server.

Paul

-----Original Message-----
Do you mean that accessing data is exactly the same in web and windowsforms?

"Paul Edwards" <pa**@nospam.go-dcl.co.uk> wrote in message
news:0d****************************@phx.gbl...

The use of ADO.net is the same for both cases as .net
disconnects the database and only uses quick hits to get

.

Jul 21 '05 #4

Steve Drake

Databinding is 'better' in winforms, but... will be greatly improved in the
next release of .NET.

I have just completed a very large project using WIN FORMS, the data binding
worked VERY WELL, I am now starting an even bigger ( the old version of the
APP is over 250,000 lines of code ) this is all going to be WEBBASED and I
have not gone near the databinding. All the presentation logic is held in
server controls.

Both this app were true n-teir designs.

Steve
"Hamed" <ha***@e-sols.com> wrote in message
news:O5***************@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...

Do you mean that accessing data is exactly the same in web and windows
forms?

"Paul Edwards" <pa**@nospam.go-dcl.co.uk> wrote in message
news:0d****************************@phx.gbl...

The use of ADO.net is the same for both cases as .net
disconnects the database and only uses quick hits to get

Jul 21 '05 #5

Norman Yuan

You are talking about Data Access Tier. It should not be tied to particular
User Interface, web form or win form. That is the whole point of n-tier
approach. Your data access objects query database to get DataSet, or put
data into business object and then hands them out to web/win form to display
(or business layer to be dealt with there). The presentation layer/business
layer passes DataSet/object with changed data in it to your data access
objects to get the changes updated to database. A good data access tier
design does not need to have knowledge of presentation tier, whether it is
web form or win form or mobile accessories...

"Hamed" <ha***@e-sols.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Hello

I have employed as a developer in a software company that its team uses
FoxPro / VB 6.0 / VC++ 6.0 as the developing tools and newly is going to
migrate to VS.NET. There is a project modified that is to upgrade a big,
more than 100,000 lines DOS based program developed by FoxPro 2.x to .NET
platform. The design is as previous and the implementation will be
reprogrammed. As a duty in my job I should find an answer about the
following question:

There seems to be two options in .NET to develop the program: Win Form and
Web Form. The question is if we want to redesign the application as a multi tire program which front-end is best to choose so that we have less problems in developing the Data Access tire. Is it better to choose Web Form and use wrapper classes exist in ASP.NET environment or we can choose to use Win
Form?

There are some facts:

1 - Windows forms have more flexibility in view and effects and users prefer to have a Windows based interface but it is not a "must to be done" rule.

2 - Our programming team has developed VB and VFP applications and they are more familiar with VB 6.0 than IIS, ASP and VBScript. The company can hire
some web programmers but prefer not to do it if possible

3 - They are not familiar with XML at all and I am the only person that
knows this technology. It seems I myself should develop the Data Access tire and I am new in .NET technology but have developed several ADO based ASP
applications

4 - The new application should be able to use different data engines such as Access, VFP, MS SQL Server and Oracle.

It seems developing a multi tire application using windows forms is highly
dependent on web services and xml communications. Using web forms as a front end have a little flexibility but at least all data access layer will be in the server using ADO.NET wrapper classes those are the same as ADO. But it
seems using windows forms means that we should use "Dataset" and ".NET
Framework Data Provider" that is a topic I am new in. Microsoft says either using web forms or windows forms, there is no difference in data access
layer but I don't feel so. Am I right? What are the benefits and drawbacks
of web form and windows form at the layer of Data Access?

Thanks in advance

Hamed.

Jul 21 '05 #6

Hamed

I meant the following model:

Interface <--> Business Rules (= Business Logic <--> DATA ACCESS) <-->
ADO.NET <--> Data Engine.
"Norman Yuan" <no********@RemoveThis.shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:tIvub.426365$6C4.249658@pd7tw1no...

You are talking about Data Access Tier. It should not be tied to particular User Interface, web form or win form. That is the whole point of n-tier
approach. Your data access objects query database to get DataSet, or put
data into business object and then hands them out to web/win form to display (or business layer to be dealt with there). The presentation layer/business layer passes DataSet/object with changed data in it to your data access
objects to get the changes updated to database. A good data access tier
design does not need to have knowledge of presentation tier, whether it is
web form or win form or mobile accessories...

"Hamed" <ha***@e-sols.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Hello

I have employed as a developer in a software company that its team uses
FoxPro / VB 6.0 / VC++ 6.0 as the developing tools and newly is going to
migrate to VS.NET. There is a project modified that is to upgrade a big,
more than 100,000 lines DOS based program developed by FoxPro 2.x to ..NET platform. The design is as previous and the implementation will be
reprogrammed. As a duty in my job I should find an answer about the
following question:

There seems to be two options in .NET to develop the program: Win Form and Web Form. The question is if we want to redesign the application as a multi

tire program which front-end is best to choose so that we have less

problems

in developing the Data Access tire. Is it better to choose Web Form and

use

wrapper classes exist in ASP.NET environment or we can choose to use Win
Form?

There are some facts:

1 - Windows forms have more flexibility in view and effects and users

prefer

to have a Windows based interface but it is not a "must to be done" rule.
2 - Our programming team has developed VB and VFP applications and they

are

more familiar with VB 6.0 than IIS, ASP and VBScript. The company can hire some web programmers but prefer not to do it if possible

3 - They are not familiar with XML at all and I am the only person that
knows this technology. It seems I myself should develop the Data Access

tire

and I am new in .NET technology but have developed several ADO based ASP
applications

4 - The new application should be able to use different data engines such as

Access, VFP, MS SQL Server and Oracle.

It seems developing a multi tire application using windows forms is

highly dependent on web services and xml communications. Using web forms as a

front

end have a little flexibility but at least all data access layer will be

in

the server using ADO.NET wrapper classes those are the same as ADO. But it seems using windows forms means that we should use "Dataset" and ".NET
Framework Data Provider" that is a topic I am new in. Microsoft says

either

using web forms or windows forms, there is no difference in data access
layer but I don't feel so. Am I right? What are the benefits and drawbacks of web form and windows form at the layer of Data Access?

Thanks in advance

Hamed.

Jul 21 '05 #7