SQL Server CE is a version of SQL Server that is designed to run on a PDA
and to sync it's data with a central SQL Server database on demand or when
connected. Upside is that it makes programming a lot easier. Downside is
(at least in a prior version), the handheld had to be a peer on the network
with the SQL Server, and not connected to a PC through ActiveSync.
If you want to sync through ActiveSync, there are bits in Access that allow
a database to sync up. You could then run another app on the desktop to
sync the data to the server. Depending on your application, you may want
one of these technologies. Try not to pick both... at least not at first.
The complexity can become overwhelming fast. (I designed an app just like
the one you are describing).
One other thing you can do is, if you can lose the disconnected scenario,
you can run the entire app from a web site and just provide a different
presentation for the PDA browser than for the desktop browser. This is far
simpler.
If the disconnected device can be a tablet instead of a PDA, then you should
look into using Infopath, which is one of the Office applications. It has
native connectivity with SOAP web services, presents forms in a disconnected
environment, and is excellent for syncing data when you connect, one form at
a time. It's a pretty cool tool when you dig in, but not everyone's cup of
tea. The new version (in Office 2007) if friggin cool, but the current
version has a few oddities, especially in the usability department, so if
your public release date is not tomorrow, you may want to develop to the
Office beta instead of current bits.
Hope this helps,
--
--- Nick Malik [Microsoft]
MCSD, CFPS, Certified Scrummaster
http://blogs.msdn.com/nickmalik
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this forum are my own, and not
representative of my employer.
I do not answer questions on behalf of my employer. I'm just a
programmer helping programmers.
--
<mm*****@minniebyte.comwrote in message
news:11**********************@p79g2000cwp.googlegr oups.com...
After years of working with legacy systems, I am not starting to
discover the .NET world. Wow. I am trying to figure out how Visual
Basic, Windows Forms, Smart Clients, and all of the other .NET
technologies work together. Here is what I want:
I want a powerful desktop application with a rich user interface to
read and write data on a local or remote server (probably using SOAP).
I also want a client application that can work online or offline in the
field on a PDA device. This PDA client application should give the
user the ability to view and edit the database information on the
remote server. If the PDA is not connected to the remote data server
via the internet or other means, a synchronization of the data would
need to be performed when it finally does get a connection to the
remote server data. I want my customers to be able to view and edit
some of the same database information from a web page. I want to share
the business logic between the desktop, PDA, and web application. I
want to be able to reuse much of the code between the three
applications.
What .NET and Visual Studio technologies fit this description?