Chapter 1 - The Distributed Application

·          What Are Distributed Data Applications?

·          Why Do We Need To Distribute?

·          Windows to Web.

·          Data is dead, long live Data.

·          How Can We Do "Distributed" on the Internet?

·          Internet Protocols. Internet Clients

·          Server Port and Firewall Configurations

·          The Elements of a Distributed Application

·          Data Stores, server side and client side

·          Client Devices and client Applications

·          Working with "Rich" Clients. Working with "Down-level" Clients

·          Processing and Presenting Information

·          A Simple 3-tier Design. A More Realistic 3-tier Design

·          Moving to n-tier Designs. A More Realistic n-tier Design

·          Framework Resources for the Middle Tier

·          Understanding ADO.NET

·          About "Relational" Data Access

·          Classic ADO via Interop. Classic ADO Techniques

·          The ADO.NET Data Access Classes.

·          The .NET Data Providers

·          Connected Data Access - the DataReader

·          Disconnected Data Access - the DataSet

·          The DataAdapter Object, Pushing Changes Back to the Data Store

·          Understanding System.Xml

·          Representing Data and Information

·          Schemas and DTDs, Unstructured Information

·          The W3C Interface Recommendations

·          An Overview of the System.Xml Namespace, the System.Xml Classes

·          The XML "Document" Objects

·          The XML "Navigator" Object

·          XML and Relational Data Synchronization

·          The XML "Writer" and "Reader" Objects

·          The XML "Validation" Objects

·          The XSL "Transformation" Object

·          Data Access and the n-tier Model.

·          What is The Data Being Used For?

·          Do We Need to Remote the Data?

·          Serialization and the System.Runtime.Remoting Classes

·          Are We Just Displaying the Data?

·          Some n-tier Data Access Scenarios

·          Displaying Data - Doing It All On The Server

·          Expanding the Middle Tier, Moving Processing to the Client

·          Getting Updates Back to the Server, HTML Forms and Query Strings

·          Client-side Components, Client Side Executables and Services

·          Summary

Chapter 2 - Data Access Components

·          Data Access Components

·          Different Types of "Component"

·          .NET Components

·          Building .NET Components

·          Using a .NET Component

·          COM and COM+ Components

·          User Controls

·          Using a User Control

·          Include Files

·          Server Controls

·          Accessing and Exposing Data

·          Delivering Data to Rich Clients

·          Managing Data for Down-level Clients

·          Displaying XML Data

·          The DataSet Object

·          The Structure of the DataSet Object

·          The DataTable Object

·          Filling a DataSet with a DataAdapter

·          Table and Column Mappings

·          When Should I Use a DataSet?

·          Relational Data Access Component Examples

·          Setting Up the Examples

·          Accessing and Returning Relational Data

·          Returning a DataReader Reference

·          The SupplierList Data Access Component

·          The GetSuppliersDataReader Method

·          Displaying the Results

·          Returning a DataSet Object

·          The GetSuppliersDataSet Method

·          Returning a Custom Array Reference

·          Filling the Array

·          Displaying the Results

·          Returning an ArrayList Reference

·          Filling the ArrayList

·          Displaying the Results

·          Returning an XML String

·          Displaying the Results

·          The Resulting XML and the XSL Stylesheet

·          Returning an XmlDocument Object

·          Displaying the Results

·          Returning XML via SQLXML from SQL Server

·          The GetSuppliersSqlXml Method

·          Displaying the Results

·          Returning Related Tables in a DataSet Object

·          The Data Access Component and Stored Procedures

·          The GetOrdersByCustomerDataSet Method

·          Filling the Tables

·          Creating the Relationship Between the Tables

·          Displaying the Results in Tables

·          Using the Data Relationship Information

·          Searching for Customers By Name

·          Summary

Chapter 3 - Accessing XML Documents

·          Accessing XML Documents

·          XML Data Access Component Examples

·          Accessing and Returning Relational Data

·          The SupplierListXml Data Access Component

·          Returning an XmlTextReader Reference

·          Displaying the Results

·          The Page_Load Event Handler

·          Parsing an XML Document

·          Returning an XmlValidatingReader Reference

·          Creating and Initializing an XmlValidatingReader Object

·          Catching Validation Events

·          Displaying the Results of the GetSuppliersValidatingReader Method

·          Returning a DataSet Object

·          Displaying the Results

·          Returning a Custom Array Reference

·          Using the XPathNavigator and XPathNodeIterator Objects

·          Building the Array

·          Displaying the Results

·          Returning an ArrayList Reference

·          Displaying the Results

·          Returning an XML String

·          Displaying the Results

·          Returning an XmlDocument Object

·          Displaying the Results

·          Returning an XPathDocument Object

·          Displaying the Results

·          Summary

Chapter 4 - The Application Plumbing

·          The Application Plumbing

·          Overview of Client-side Techniques

·          Available Client-side Programming Techniques

·          Making a Choice on Client Support

·          Providing Alternative Client Support

·          Adapting Content for Individual Clients

·          Using Client "Categories"

·          Our Chosen Categories

·          Choosing Categories Based on Actual Client Requests

·          Remoting Data to the Client

·          Remoting Relational Data to the Client

·          Remote Data Services with Relational Data

·          The Text Data Control

·          Running the .NET Framework on the Client

·          Using a Web Service

·          Remoting XML Data to the Client

·          Client-side XML Parsers

·          The MSXML Parser

·          MSXML Parser Versions

·          Running the .NET Framework on the Client

·          The Basics of .NET Remoting

·          Aspects of .NET Remoting

·          Object Marshalling

·          Marshal By Value - Automatic

·          Marshal By Value - Custom

·          Invoking Serialization

·          Marshal By Reference

·          Marshal By Object or Marshal By Reference?

·          Activation and Lifetime

·          Channels

·          Configuration

·          Hosting the server in IIS

·          Security

·          Using ASP.NET Sessions

·          Sessions Configuration in ASP.NET

·          Disabling Session Support

·          Sessions and Web Farms

·          Checking for Session Support

·          Munging URLs for Session Support

·          Client Detection Example

·          Overview of the Process

·          Detecting the Client Type

·          Detecting Non-HTML Client Devices

·          Using the Mobile Internet Toolkit

·          The Client Type Detection Code

·          Determining the Type for HTML Clients

·          The default.aspx Page

·          Detection Errors and Unsupported Clients

·          Checking for Client-side Scripting Support

·          Redirecting The Client If Scripting Is Enabled

·          The Device-Specific "Home" Pages

·          Displaying the Results

·          The WML-specific "Home" Page

·          Getting the Capabilities Information

·          Viewing the Results

·          Internet Explorer 6.0

·          WML Devices - the Nokia Phone Simulator

·          Summary

Chapter 5 - Working with Down-level Clients

·          Working with Down-level Clients

·          A Multiple-Client Order List Application

·          The User Interface

·          Detecting the Client Type

·          Checking for Client-Side Scripting Support

·          Session Support

·          The Data Access Tier

·          Maximizing Efficiency through Caching

·          The Order List Application - HTML Version

·          The Outline Process

·          Searching for Customers

·          The HTML Form Controls

·          Displaying a List of Customers

·          Showing the Help Text

·          Calling the Data Access Component

·          Performing the Customer Search

·          Fetching and Displaying the Results

·          The DataGrid to Display the Customer List

·          Defining the Columns in the DataGrid

·          Handling Paging in the DataGrid

·          Displaying a List of Orders

·          The Order List Frameset Page

·          Getting the Data from the Session or Server

·          The GetDataSetFromSessionOrServer Function

·          The DataGrid to Display the Order List

·          Using a "Template" Column

·          The Page_Load Event Handler

·          Displaying the Order List

·          Displaying the Order Details

·          The Declaration of the DataGrid and Labels

·          The ASP.NET Code for the Page

·          Getting the DataSet from the Server or Session

·          The ShowOrderLines Routine

·          Calculating the Order Total and Displaying the Details

·          The Order List Application - "Mobile" Version

·          The Outline Process

·          Fetching Data from the Server

·          Fetching the Customer List

·          Fetching the Orders Data

·          Massaging the DataSet

·          The Mobile Page Content

·          Adding Style to the Output

·          The Mobile Stylesheet for our Application

·          Setting the Search Type

·          Specifying the Search String

·          The Code in the SetSearchType Event Handler

·          Showing the Customer List

·          The Code in the GetCustomers Event Handler

·          Listing the Orders for the Selected Customer

·          The Code in the GetOrders Event Handler

·          Displaying the Order Details

·          The Code in the ShowOrderDetail Event Handler

·          Summary

Chapter 6 - Working with Rich Clients

·          Working with Rich Clients

·          Working with XML

·          Why XSL and XSLT?

·          Exposing and Delivering XML

·          Using XML in IE5 and Above

·          Building the Middle Tier

·          Fetching the Customer List

·          The Page_Load Event Handler

·          Fetching the Order List

·          The Page_Load Event Handler

·          Nested XML Output from a DataSet

·          Selecting a Customer

·          The HTML Page Content

·          Access Keys and Button Captions

·          The Help Text and Results Display Area

·          Loading the XML Customers List

·          Checking the ReadyState

·          Displaying the Help Text

·          Finding and Displaying Customer Details

·          Using an XSLT Stylesheet

·          Creating the XPath Statements

·          The XSLT Stylesheet

·          Performing the Transformation

·          The Client-side doSearch Function

·          Sorting and Paging the Customer List

·          Selecting an Order

·          The HTML Page Content

·          Loading the XML Orders List

·          Finding and Displaying the Order Details

·          Processing the XSLT Stylesheet

·          The XSLT Stylesheet for the Order List

·          Viewing Order Details

·          Extracting the Order Details

·          Using Web Services in IE5 and Above

·          Looking at the Customer-Data Web Service

·          Testing a Web Service

·          Building the Middle Tier

·          Storing Application Settings in web.config

·          The GetCustomers Method

·          The GetOrders Method

·          The IE5 WebService Behavior

·          Opening and Using a Web Service

·          Accessing the Response from the Web Service

·          Using the XML Data in our Application.

·          A Hypertext Application Example

·          Running the Example Hypertext Application

·          Loading the XML Data

·          Building the Middle Tier

·          The HTA Page Content

·          Downloading the Data

·          The loadXMLDocument Function

·          The saveLocalXML Function

·          The refreshData Function

·          Implementing Hyperlinks in HTA Pages

·          Selecting an Order

·          Working with Delimited Text Data

·          Remember the TDC?

·          Building the Middle Tier

·          The Middle-Tier Component

·          Creating the Customer List Delimited String

·          Creating the Order List Delimited String

·          Creating the Customer List Delimited String

·          Iterate or Transform?

·          Selecting a Customer

·          Declaring the Tabular Data Control

·          Using the ReadyStateChange Event

·          The Data-Bound Table

·          Paging the Table Rows

·          The DoSearch Subroutine

·          Filtering the Data

·          Displaying the Results

·          Selecting and Viewing an Order

·          Fetching the Data from the Server

·          Setting the Customer ID Client-side

·          The Data-Bound Tables

·          The ShowOrderDetail Subroutine

·          Specifying Currency and Percentage Formats.

·          Client-side Data Binding with XML Anyone?

·          Summary

Chapter 7 - .NET Remoting to Clients

·          All about .NET remoting and Serialization

·          Remoting Data

·          Remoting Forms

·          Remoting Executables/DLLs

·          Example from Customer Orders application

·          Using Windows Forms application to display data

Chapter 8 - Updating Data in Down-level Clients

·          Updating Data in Down-level Clients

·          Updating Data Stores - An Overview

·          Making the Process As Efficient As Possible

·          Caching Data Updates

·          Maintaining a Separate Cached Copy of the Data

·          Measuring the Results and Providing Feedback

·          Controlling Access to Protect the Data

·          Controlling Concurrent Data Updates

·          Why Concurrency Errors Arise

·          Concurrency Issues in a Disconnected Application

·          Are we Connected, Disconnected or Fully Disconnected?

·          Data Update Techniques in .NET

·          Executing Updates with a Command Object

·          The ExecuteNonQuery Method

·          Returning Single Values from a Stored Procedure

·          The DataSet Update Feature

·          Using a CommandBuilder to Create Command Objects

·          Using Custom Stored Procedures to Update Data

·          Using Transactions While Updating Data

·          Database Transactions in Stored Procedures

·          Connection-Based Transactions

·          Connection-Based Transactions with a DataSet Update

·          Managing Concurrency While Updating

·          Minimizing Concurrency Errors

·          Detecting Concurrency Errors

·          Checking the Number of Rows Affected

·          Concurrency Management in a DataSet Object

·          Data Update Example for HTML 3.2 Clients

·          An Overview of the Application

·          Displaying the Order Details

·          Editing the Order Details

·          Displaying and Editing Orders

·          The Data Access Tier

·          The GetOrderDetails Function

·          The HTML Page Declaration

·          The ItemTemplate for the DataList

·          The EditItemTemplate for the DataList

·          Storing the Original Values for the Columns

·          The FooterTemplate for the DataList

·          Displaying a List of Orders

·          The ShowOrders Routine

·          The OnItemDataBound Event Handler

·          Showing and Hiding Controls

·          Filling and Selecting Items in a DropDownList Control

·          Switching To and From Edit Mode

·          Handling ItemCommand Events

·          Handling the "New Order" Button

·          Setting the Freight Cost

·          Inserting a New Order

·          The Data Access Tier InsertNewOrder Method

·          The ASP.NET Page InsertNewOrder Method

·          Updating the Order Details

·          The Data Access Tier SingleRowOrderUpdate Method

·          The ASP.NET Page DoItemUpdate Method

·          Parsing the User's Values

·          Calling the Data Access Tier Method

·          Deleting an Order

·          The Data Access Tier SingleRowOrderDelete Method

·          The ASP.NET Page DoItemDelete Method

·          Displaying and Editing the Order Contents

·          The HTML Page Declaration

·          The Columns for the DataGrid Control

·          Using Bound Columns

·          Using Command Columns

·          Displaying a List of Order Lines

·          The ShowOrderLines Routine

·          Displaying the "Add Product" Controls

·          Displaying the DataGrid and Order Total

·          Editing the Order Lines

·          Adding a New Order Line

·          Selecting the New Order Line Row in the DataGrid

·          Updating and Deleting Existing Order Lines

·          Data Update Example for Mobile Devices

·          The Application Design

·          Viewing the Application

·          Viewing the Application in a Cellular 'Phone

·          Summary

Chapter 9 - Updating Remote Cached Data

·          Updating Remote Cached Data

·          Reviewing the Architecture

·          Caching Updates on the Client

·          Getting Updates Back to the Server

·          Loading a DataSet

·          Reading an XML Document into a DataSet

·          An Example of Reading an XML Document and Schema

·          Displaying Current and Original Column Values

·          Displaying the DataSet Contents

·          Populating the Original Values

·          Validating XML While Reading into a DataSet

·          Reading an XML DiffGram into a DataSet

·          An Example of Reading an XML Diffgram

·          Filling a DataSet Using Code

·          An Example of Building a DataSet using Code

·          Reading Non-standard Data Formats

·          Filling a DataSet Using the Fill Method

·          Executing the Update Process

·          Providing Feedback from the Update Process

·          What Do We Want From The Process?

·          Can the ADO.NET DataSet Do What We Want?

·          What Are the Original Values?

·          The Update Process In Detail

·          The Result

·          A Data Update Process Example

·          How it Works

·          The Page_Load Event Handler

·          Specifying the Primary Key for the Table

·          Editing Some of the Row Values

·          Simulating a Concurrent Edit

·          Marshaling the Changes into a new DataSet

·          The GetChanges Method

·          Updating the Data Store

·          Handling the RowUpdated Event

·          Fetching the Underlying Values from the Database

·          Are We Refreshing or Filling?

·          Merging the Two DataSets

·          Extracting Just the Error Rows

·          Using the HasErrors property

·          Summarizing the Process

·          The AcceptChangesDuringFill Property

·          Summary

Chapter 10 - Components for Updating Data

·          The UpdateDataSet Component

·          Enabling Tracing from Within a Component

·          Writing to the Trace Object

·          The Common Methods in our Component

·          Managing IDENTITY Columns for Inserted Rows

·          Using GUIDs Or Random Values for the Primary Key

·          Inserting IDENTITY Values

·          Reading the IDENTITY Value and Updating the Columns

·          Interacting with the Update Method

·          The Class-Level Variables

·          Handling the RowUpdating Event

·          Accessing the IDENTITY Column Value

·          The OrdersInsert Stored Procedure

·          Handling the RowUpdated Event

·          Using the Status Property

·          Remote Row Inserts Summary

·          The UpdateAllOrderDetails Method

·          The GetChanges Stage

·          The Update Stage

·          Setting the Update Event Handlers and Updating the Orders Table

·          Updating the Order Details Rows

·          The Refresh Stage

·          The Merge Stage

·          Checking for Errors

·          Creating the Parameterized Command Objects

·          The Stored Procedures for the Orders Table

·          The OrdersDelete Stored Procedure

·          The OrdersInsert Stored Procedure

·          The GetOrdersCommand Function

·          The Stored Procedures for the Order Details Table

·          The OrderLinesInsert Stored Procedure

·          The OrderLinesDelete Stored Procedure

·          The GetOrderLinesCommand Function

·          Using the UpdateDataSet Component

·          The update-orders-demo.aspx Page

·          Filling the DataSet

·          Editing Some Row Values

·          Changing the Underlying Database Values Concurrently

·          Performing the Update

·          Displaying The Update Errors

·          Deleting The New Rows We Added

·          Viewing The Trace Information

·          Returning Only The Error Rows

·          Summary

Chapter 11 - Rich Client Update Applications

·          Rich Client Update Applications

·          An Overview of the Application

·          The Process in Outline

·          Checking for Concurrency Errors

·          The Middle-Tier ASP.NET Page

·          Getting the Data from the Data Access Tier

·          Exposing the Data to the Client

·          Loading the Diffgrams on the Client

·          Loading the Orders Data

·          Loading the Shippers Data

·          Loading the Products Data

·          Editing a .NET DataSet Diffgram

·          Viewing the Updated Diffgram

·          Displaying the Contents of the DataSet

·          Displaying the Diffgram Contents

·          The Updated Diffgram Format

·          The Update Rules for a DataSet Diffgram

·          Custom Functions for Manipulating the Diffgram

·          Copying Nodes to the <diffgr:before> Section

·          Using the appendChild and cloneNode Methods

·          The edit-orders.aspx Page Code and HTML

·          Creating the List of Orders

·          The List of Orders

·          Posting the Updated Diffgram to the Server

·          The Button to Save Changes to the Server

·          Sending the Diffgram via XMLHTTP

·          Marshaling Changes Rows

·          Displaying Details of the Selected Order

·          The HTML Controls to Display the Order Details

·          Specifying the Tab Index and Shortcut Keys

·          The Code to Display the Order Details

·          Detecting NULL ShippedDate Values

·          Populating the Controls on the Page

·          Getting and Displaying a List of Order Lines

·          Calculating and Displaying the Order Total

·          Creating the List of Order Lines

·          The Stylesheet for the Order Lines List

·          Creating the Update Line and Delete Line Buttons

·          It's Time to Talk Dirty

·          Handling the Document Object OnUnload Event

·          Updating the Orders Diffgram

·          Adding a New Order

·          Setting Default Values for New Order Rows

·          Validating the Values for New Order Rows

·          Creating a New Orders Node

·          Adding the Child Nodes

·          The Name and Address Details

·          Adding the New Node to the Diffgram

·          Deleting an Existing Order

·          Modifying an Existing Order

·          Setting the Updated RequiredDate Value

·          Setting the Updated ShippedDate Value

·          Setting the Rest of the Node Values

·          Updating an Order Details Node

·          Validating the User's Input

·          Calculating the Line Total

·          The updateOrder Function

·          Adding a New Order Line

·          Setting the Child Node Values

·          The addOrderLine Function

·          Creating the New Order Details Node

·          Deleting an Existing Order Line

·          Modifying an Existing Order Line

·          Summary

Chapter 12 - Reconciling Update Errors

·          Reconciling Update Errors

·          Reconciling Update Errors in Overview

·          A Summary of the Process

·          The Error Reporting and Reconciliation Process

·          Editing the DataSet After Update Errors Have Occured

·          Displaying the Update Errors for Reconciliation

·          Following a Successful Update

·          Displaying Trace Information

·          The Reconciliation Process in Detail

·          The reconcile-changes.aspx Page

·          The HTML Form and Hyperlinks

·          Collecting the Posted Values

·          Loading the Edited Diffgram

·          Working Round the "Empty Diffgram" Issue

·          Loading the DataSet

·          Removing the Extra Calculated Column

·          Working Round the "Extra Rows" Issue

·          Editing the DataSet Contents for a PostBack

·          Checking for Error Rows Before Attempting the Update

·          Updating the Database from the DataSet

·          Checking Errors After the Update Process

·          Getting a Diffgram as a String from a DataSet

·          Displaying the Errors and Reconciliation Options

·          The Display for Modified Rows

·          The Display for Added Rows

·          The Display for Deleted Rows

·          The Code for the GetDisplayString Function

·          Building the HTML Table

·          Displaying the Proposed and Existing Values

·          Displaying the HTML Checkbox Controls

·          Editing the Values in the DataSet Tables

·          The Process in Outline

·          The Code for the EditTable Routine

·          Removing Added and Deleted Rows

·          Editing Modified Rows

·          And Round We Go Again

·          Rich Client Updates Via a Web Service

·          The Issues and Workarounds

·          The Middle-Tier Web Service Component

·          Loading the Diffgram into a DataSet

·          Updating the Database

·          The Web Service Client Application

·          Loading the Data Via the Web Service

·          Handling the Web Service Behavior's DataLoaded Event

·          Handling the MSXML onreadystatechange Event

·          Filling the Shippers and Products Drop-down Lists

·          Extracting the Diffgram

·          Sending Data Back to the Server Via the Web Service

·          Modifying the Diffgram

·          HTML-Encoding the String

·          Calling the Web Service UpdateAllOrders Method

·          Handling the Returned "Errors" DataSet

·          A Diffgram with Row Errors

·          Counting and Displaying the Row Errors

·          If There Are No Errors

·          Showing the Original Row Values

·          A Few Other Differences

·          Other Rich Client Update Techniques

·          Rich Client Updates Using Delimited Data

·          Some Possible Solutions

·          Setting the Current and Original Row Values

·          Marshalling the Changed Rows

·          Caching the Original Rows on the Server

·          Hypertext Application Updates

·          Some Possible Solutions

·          Marshalling the Changed Rows

·          Install the .NET Frameworks Instead

·          Summary

Chapter 13 - Updating Data via .NET Remoting

·          Examples from Customer Orders application

·          Using a Windows Forms application to update source data