.Net simple database - what to use?

[jacekm23]

I would like to mention Firebird SQL yet. I use it from many years in VO projects and now I plan use it in .Net projects. Firebird SQL is free and have everything what a database server should have: stored procedures, triggers, generators etc. It can be use as standalone server on Windows and Linux or as embedded in the application. You can find more information on www.firebirdsql.org.

Jacek Madej

[JKW]

Hello Nick,

I had the same problem, and put the data in an XML file.
The table is an ordinary read table with 2 fields.
I was pleasantly surprised how quickly the search function works in the XML.

Maybe it can help you.

regards,

Johan Kwaspen

[Phil Hepburn]

Hi guys - one and all,

Yes, this has been my quest for a number of years, since I started SQL in place of DBFs (10 years plus).

I have to say that using Microsoft's SQL engine has got much easier since those early days. Also they have made it much easier for standard "one-seat developer guys" to legally get and use free versions of their SQL Server.

If we can get a suitable Microsoft solution then we do have MANY extra benefits from their software tool integration - that is 'Management Studio' and now the built-in extra panes for SQL in Visual Studio. I have just attached to a SQL database in the clouds after many months absence and it was easy from VS.

I will keep things short for now by reminding all that even the full SQL Server approach is done using data files which can be attached, detached and moved around. (Hence the above with Azure.) Look at this image of some I have for general use :- Sorry attachments does not seem to be working (again) today ;-0((

When I get the attachments facility back for me here, I will send a couple of information images of what is possible even with MS technology - 'localDB runtime' is its name I believe.

And since I can post a link even with my attachment hands tied, here is something to checkout :-

https://www.infoq.com/news/2011/07/LocalDB

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/da ... ss-localdb

You may be interested to know that for the last three Cologne conferences I had to tackle this problem, and make solutions which would run on other guy's PC's / laptops, without me even seeing them. And provide these as conference session material.

Meanwhile, I will look up the way to set-up a 'silent' install of SQL express. Only a command line needs to be embedded in the app install, and bingo ! Now to find it !? I got it going following some good advice from Willie (M).

Best wishes,
Phil.
Wales, UK.

[wriedmann]

Hi Phil,

sometimes there are other problems too... like customers that have Linux servers (ok, should be no problem anymore).
And if you need more than 5 concurrent users, you have to pay not indifferent amounts (and it is really difficult to find a price for such an license).

Personally, I prefer to not need to use any SQLStudio or special tool to maintain databases - this should be done by my application itself (I have such code already for SQLite, Firebird and PostgreSQL).
The database managment tool I use (Navicat Premium Essentials) can manage all databases I need: Oracle, MS SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite.

Wolfgang

[Phil Hepburn]

Okay - have jumped over to Vivaldi and the attachments seems to work OK.

Here is how the database files used to look in MS (management studio) :-

SQLsimple_02.jpg (63.68 KiB) Viewed 398 times

And here is how the Server Explorer pane looks in my VS 2015 :-

SQLsimple_03.jpg (100.46 KiB) Viewed 398 times

And now to see what localdb looks like in VS :-

SQLsimple_04.jpg (87.18 KiB) Viewed 398 times

And with little effort (other than finding a password) here is my Olympics database in Azure :-

SQLsimple_05.jpg (116.76 KiB) Viewed 398 times

And here is some retrieved data - yes, its still in the Azure cloud after all this time ;-0)

SQLsimple_06.jpg (46.6 KiB) Viewed 398 times

PLEASE realise that I am not brow beating you guys about Microsoft etc., etc. - BUT - saying that if we can find a MS solution then we would be well advised to take and use it.

If you have not yet had the chance to use Entity Framework then you are missing out on a treat. EF6 and beyond make SQL life much easier - AND - we can do all our work as X# code and move away from T-SQL. Its a dream.

So I will look at trying to find a MS solution which is easy to install and use. We would also be well advised to try and make this solution multi user as well.

Hope this interests a few - AND - I have spent a HUGE effort tackling this problem over the years.

This does not make me an expert - BUT - very sympathetic to the cause !

Cheers,
Phil.

[rjpajaron]

Hi,

PostgreSQL 10 rocks.

Support for streaming replication - awesome.
Support for logical replication - great.
Support for partitioning (big words but I have little use at this moment) - salivating.

FREE, LIBRE, NO COST.

Regards,

PS: Anyone have RDD replacement for PostgreSQL? We are now in the middle of re-writing our apps to PostgreSQL (MVC, cloud, browser-based) with X# and C# (and Xamarin for mobile devices) may take years but our VO apps on ADS still kicking like rock star.

[wriedmann]

Hi Phil,

saying that if we can find a MS solution then we would be well advised to take and use it.

unfortunately I see it the way around. We depend on Microsoft for our client operating systems, we depend on Microsoft for our Office software.
Now we depend on Microsoft also for our development tool. That is more than enough, I think.
Therefore I try to take other solutions from other suppliers.
My wife has an iPhone, I use an Android device (Google Nexus), and for our cloud storage we use Amazon S3.

Wolfgang

P.S. I don't think Microsoft is bad or they should not earn money - IMHO they have done a very good job with Windows 10, and I continue to recommend Windows 10 and MS Office, so you cannot consider me a "Microsoft hater"

[FFF]

Rene,
all valid points - but dont forget to take a look at the ForeignDataWrapper (short FDW) concept. It allows you to "bind" almost any type of data "in" your PG instance - another PG server next door or anywhere on the world, MySQL, you name it, even CSV <g> (find a list at https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Foreign_data_wrappers )and treat it as if it where all the same.
Plus the JSON(B)implementation, which let you add your unstructured data into the db, as if it where a NoSQL DB...
Sometimes is regret that being a smallish one man show, at max coding for own use, i don't have real incentive to dive into the possibilities this cool thing handles.

[rjpajaron]

Hi Karl,

Been using PostgreSQL for awhile and still lots to learn and explore. Thanks for the tip, I will take a dive on this one. For now, I am really interested on anyone who have paid libs that mimic RDD for PostgreSQL to ease transition of our VO RDD apps to X# with Ado.NET. Still looking ways but re-write maybe an options and already doing in the periphery, but the core which is VO still growing is hard to decouple from ADS

Regards,

Rene

PS: I do love streaming replication, our clients in-premises PostgreSQL replicating to its cloud counterpart. But it requires a static IP, hence I am writing X# replication routines moving ADS data from in-prem to cloud, same way as in-prem ADS and PostgreSQL for client that do not have static IP. Simple, powerful. and FREE. Yes, json data types, unstructured making our CMS dev smooth.

Rene,
all valid points - but dont forget to take a look at the ForeignDataWrapper (short FDW) concept. It allows you to "bind" almost any type of data "in" your PG instance - another PG server next door or anywhere on the world, MySQL, you name it, even CSV <g> (find a list at https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Foreign_data_wrappers )and treat it as if it where all the same.
Plus the JSON(B)implementation, which let you add your unstructured data into the db, as if it where a NoSQL DB...
Sometimes is regret that being a smallish one man show, at max coding for own use, i don't have real incentive to dive into the possibilities this cool thing handles.

[wriedmann]

Hi Rene,

there was a guy from Australia, I think that some time ago wrote he had a RDD for PostgreSQL. I had asked more than one time, and of course I would have paid for such a tool, but haven't received any answer.

I know other people here in Italy is working on a VO RDD to MySQL.

Wolfgang