First time Utilizing a database

22-degrees

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2012
Messages
156
Location
South East Ireland
Programming Experience
1-3
Hi all,

I am not too advanced with vb.net and up until now any programs I have created that needed a database were for personal use and due to the nature of why I needed the programs, I utilized excel in the code to store the data.

Recently, a good idea and plenty of inspiration sees me currently creating a game for users other than myself.

The game will include a built in "Auction" site. I would like to add the feature to sort said auctions in several ways, (i.e by price, by time ending soonest etc etc).

I was using a simple text file to manage the Auction data which was working fine until I decided to add the above sorting feature. Now it is just becoming inconvenient and I am wasting time and computer resources managing the database.

I am not sure how things work on the other end of the program. i.e I assume that unless end-user has excel or access, they cannot use a program where excel and access are a part of the program's function, therefor the reason I used a text file as the database is because I know most end-users have .txt function.

Firstly, am I right in this assumption?

And if yes, what is the most convenient way for me to add a localized database to my program so that any user with a windows system can play my game without the need for an internet connection or any other third party software?

Some trivia if it helps:

The Auction Database is small. It will have 17 fields/columns with 250 entries/rows per field.

As Auctions end every 90 seconds or so, and due to the dynamic nature of an Auto-Bid feature as well as End-Users bidding, my concern is with updating/saving the database after every auction-related event to prevent loss of data should a program be terminated incorrectly.

I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

Thanks
 
SQL database, LINQ, and a datagridview. Or replace the SQL DB with an XML file if security or data integrity is no great concern.

The DataGridView won't be necessary. The auctions have an image thumbnail displayed alongside them and a more visually interesting design than a simple grid.

For someone who has zero experience with both SQL and XML, which might be the easier option to approach given my needs (i.e muti-column sorting & regular updating/saving etc)?
 
Also, Can I get an answer on my assumption please?

If I use excel or access in my program, does the end user need to have excel and access installed on their machine to be able to use the program too?
 
Back
Top