Software required to develop for SQL Server CE

  • Thread starter Thread starter Malcolm McGrath
  • Start date Start date
M

Malcolm McGrath

Hi,

This is probably a very silly question for some, but I am finding
resources somewhat confusing at present regarding what is and what is
not available.

From what I gather MS-JET Databases are NOT something that one should
develop a new program to use as they will lose support in future
versions etal and that SQL-CE should be the targetted database, which
leads me to the following question:

1) What is required to develop an SQL-CE database do I need to
download an SDK or purchase SQL-Server 2000 Developer Edition?

2) What extra requirements on the clients side do I need to
include/program for? I was originally intending on the following:
MS Jet Database which is updated by an Activesync
provider/module/conduit which talks to the MySQL database which stores
the data for this specific application. (Currently a web based
frontend for the database, where we wish to give roving people limited
access to update, and add certain information via a PPC)

Now if I end up going with the SQL CE database - do I just treat it as
a MS Jet database or do I need to have something else (SQL
Server)installed on the client PC to talk to and update the PCC?

Any advice or pointers in this regard would be most helpful.

The projects' requirements do NOT allow for the current database to be
changed and will remain as MySQL for at least the next two years so
having SQL CE talking to a "real" SQL Server DB is not an available
option.

Malcolm McGrath
 
Malcolm,

From my experience, if you're using MS VS .NET 2003 or better, then all
you have to do is add references to System.Data.SqlServerCe (I think in
System.Data.dll).

If you use the CAB builder from the IDE, it should automatically include
the SQL CE CABs it needs. If you build your own, just include the same
DLLs that it does.

Although I use MS SQL Server as back end, from what I've read, you can
use RDA to communicate back to any ODBC-compliant database via IIS.

Good luck,
David
Soft360.com
 
I would greatly recommend that you use SQL CE as data storage on the device
if you are using the compact framework. If you have a SQL 2000 license then
you have no additional cost for running SQL CE (this may be true for the
Enterprise edition only, you may want to double check). One of the greatest
arguments for using SQL CE is its seamless integration with SQL Server 2000
when it comes time to do some synchronization with backend database servers,
which most apps do.

As far as what is needed to develop for SQL Server CE, just install Visual
Studio .NET with the .Net framework 1.1 (or later) and you are ready to go.
You will notice that the IDE has a project template for Smart Device
applications, adding a reference in your project to the
System.Data.SQLServerCE will automatically set your development environment
up for developing for SQL CE. Also, upon building and deploying your project
from the IDE, SQL CE will be installed on you device or the emulator.
Microsoft provides a cab file for independently installing SQL Serve CE on
devices as well.

If you plan do leverage SQL merge replication there are a few more things
you need on the server, read information provided on this link for all the
details
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...m/_lce_repl_impl_implementing_replication.asp


Thanks.
 
Yves,

Cheers for the response. While this will be talking to an Database at
the back end, it will not be talking to a SQL Server, looks like I'll
have to write an interesting ActiveSync module to handle the
syncronisation between the SQLCE database and the main database :/.

M
 
You may not even need to leverage acticesynch for syncronisation, I found out
that beside using SQL Merge Replication or using RDA, web services are a
great alternative. The .Net Compact Framework can consume web services very
easily, as long as you have a reliable connection to your network. All you
have left is to do is to design and develop these services on the back end
and expose them for your mobile comsumers, another inherent advantage of
using this approach is that the web services can also be consumed by other
clients in your environment other than your mobile users.

Thanks,

Yves.
 
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