Web or windows service to import data

[Jenbo]

Hi all, I have a task at the minute which involves getting data from
csv files into a database and doing some nice auditing on the records
in there on a web front end. The csv files are going to be stored on a
file server and the web and database server will communicate no problem
with this. My question is this, what is the best way for the csv data
to be imported in database? Is it have a windows service, like a
listener that runs every say 30 mins or something and then will get the
data from the csv and update, insert as required based on keys, this
would be on the file server. Or should I use a web service on the web
server that checks the file on the file server and then does the
working of the csv data? What is the best way to do this, does either
method have a really big advantage. I have done plenty of .net work in
the last few years but have not really looked into windows services,
just web services, but maybe for the infrastructure of clients it might
be better to have the windows service? Any ideas appreciated?

Cheers

J

[Claus Konrad [MCSD]]

Without shadow of doubt, you should use Windows Services.
Windows Services are active players, whereas a webservice is just sitting
around "servicing" clients connecting to it when appropriate.

You can not make a webservice take an initiating part in a system setup (or
at least that is not the intention). This is however the job of a windows
Service.

So in short: Create a windows service performting your import (CSV) job.
Indeed if you are talking about import into a sqlserver, consider DTS as well
(part of Sql server).
--
rgds.
/Claus Konrad
MCSD.NET (C#)
"Jenbo" wrote:

Hi all, I have a task at the minute which involves getting data from
csv files into a database and doing some nice auditing on the records
in there on a web front end. The csv files are going to be stored on a
file server and the web and database server will communicate no problem
with this. My question is this, what is the best way for the csv data
to be imported in database? Is it have a windows service, like a
listener that runs every say 30 mins or something and then will get the
data from the csv and update, insert as required based on keys, this
would be on the file server. Or should I use a web service on the web
server that checks the file on the file server and then does the
working of the csv data? What is the best way to do this, does either
method have a really big advantage. I have done plenty of .net work in
the last few years but have not really looked into windows services,
just web services, but maybe for the infrastructure of clients it might
be better to have the windows service? Any ideas appreciated?

Cheers

J

[Jenbo]

Cheers for the info, never thought of using a DTS to do this, would
take a away one level of complexity without the service and would be
nice and neat.

Thanks

J
Claus wrote:

Without shadow of doubt, you should use Windows Services.
Windows Services are active players, whereas a webservice is just sitting
around "servicing" clients connecting to it when appropriate.

You can not make a webservice take an initiating part in a system setup (or
at least that is not the intention). This is however the job of a windows
Service.

So in short: Create a windows service performting your import (CSV) job.
Indeed if you are talking about import into a sqlserver, consider DTS as well
(part of Sql server).
--
rgds.
/Claus Konrad
MCSD.NET (C#)
"Jenbo" wrote:

Hi all, I have a task at the minute which involves getting data from
csv files into a database and doing some nice auditing on the records
in there on a web front end. The csv files are going to be stored on a
file server and the web and database server will communicate no problem
with this. My question is this, what is the best way for the csv data
to be imported in database? Is it have a windows service, like a
listener that runs every say 30 mins or something and then will get the
data from the csv and update, insert as required based on keys, this
would be on the file server. Or should I use a web service on the web
server that checks the file on the file server and then does the
working of the csv data? What is the best way to do this, does either
method have a really big advantage. I have done plenty of .net work in
the last few years but have not really looked into windows services,
just web services, but maybe for the infrastructure of clients it might
be better to have the windows service? Any ideas appreciated?

Cheers

J