The Developers Group presents
Delphi and Databases Masterclass
DATE: LOCATION: SPEAKER: COST: Tuesday November 30th 2004 POSK, 238-246 King Street, Hammersmith, London W6 0RF (Ravenscourt Park and Hammersmith stations). Bob Swart (aka Dr.Bob - www.drbob42.com) DG members £165 + VAT for the masterclass or £300 + VAT for combined entry to The Best of Delphi 2005 plus Delphi and Databases masterclass. (Members subscribing at Premier, Dual or Corporate rate get this included in their package). Non-members may join and book simultaneously. Please email bug@richplum.co.uk or phone +44 (0)1980 630032
TO BOOK:
Dr Bob on Delphi and Databases
During this masterclass, Bob uses Delphi 2005 - both the Win32 and the .NET personalities. However, large parts of the masterclass are also applicable to Delphi 6-7 (dbExpress, dbGO for ADO, DataSnap), and Delphi 8 for .NET (ADO.NET, BDP, ASP.NET Web Services). 9:30 Registration 10:00 Delphi and Database - Theory (normal forms) We start with the definition and normalisation of the data model that we’ll use for the remainder of the day. In this section, we cover the normal forms, their theoretical use and practical importance. 10:30 Delphi and Database - BDE vs. dbExpress vs. ClientDataSets First we implement the data model using the BDE for local tables, and also examine what it takes to migrate a local BDE application to one using dbExpress for data access. The use of ClientDataSets as another quick and easy replacement for local BDE tables is also discussed. 11:30 Tea/coffee and biscuits 11:50 Multi-tier with DataSnap and ClientDataSets Just before lunch we see ClientDataSets in action as part of DataSnap - turning the application into a multi-tier application, with a server side connecting to the database, and a thin-client side that needs no database driver-specific code at all. 13:00 Lunch – main course and dessert: please make your selections from the menu at registration time. 14:00 Databases in VCL for .NET After lunch, we examine the availability of VCL for .NET compatible data access technologies that are available in .NET, including the local BDE, dbExpress, DataSnap (only clients), dbGO for ADO (not in Delphi 8). 14:30 ADO.NET and Borland Data Provider An introduction to ADO.NET - the native .NET way for data access - is followed by a demonstration of the Borland Data Provider components. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of the BDP compared to ADO.NET. Bob also demonstrates the (almost undocumented) TADOConnection component, to connect .NET DataSets to VCL DataSources - a very useful way to create hybrid .NET applications. 15:15 Tea/coffee and biscuits 15:30 Multi-tier with ASP.NET Web Services We begin with an exploration of the first of two techniques to produce multi-tier database applications on the .NET Framework, beginning with ASP.NET Web Services as wrapper around the .NET DataSet. We then build an ASP.NET Web Service engine, exposing .NET DataSets, as well as a .NET client (consuming the ASP.NET web service) that can browse, edit and update the .NET DataSet. 16:30 Tea/coffee and biscuits 16:45 Multi-tier with DataHub, DataSync, RemoteServer, RemoteConnection (new) Apart from ASP.NET Web Services, .NET Remoting is another technique available for building multi-tier applications on the .NET Framework. Delphi 2005 contains new components that support .NET Remoting - namely the RemoteConnection and RemoteServer, which can be combined with two other new powerful BDP components to work with heterogeneous databases: DataHub and DataSync. This last part of the masterclass explains and demonstrates these four components in action. 18:00 Q&A
The masterclass follows The Best of Delphi 2005 mini-conference of November 29th.