Question Win Forms Database App Question

[ReportsNerd]

Hello, I’m building a Windows Forms application with VS 2010 Professional for a small office with 3 users. I will be using a SQL compact database in my VS solution. Ideally, we would like to deploy the exe on the server and have the users launch the application from the server network share. Moreover, I’m hoping the users don’t need to pull a copy of the application from the server and install it on their local machines. Don’t want multiple versions of the SQL database floating around that is imbedded with the app. Is this possible?

Since the application I will be deploying to the server has a database, I was hoping each of the 3 users could just share that application. I would like to do this during the test phase and I also need to update the data from another system from time to time using the Schema Compare option.

Help/suggestions appreciated.

Thanks

 

[jmcilhinney]

If you want to be able to run applications remotely then you need to use technologies like Windows Terminal Services or Citrix tools. It's not something that just happens by itself. If you wanted a centralised application without that then you should have created a web application. You can still do something in between by putting the database on a server and expose it via a web service, then have your Windows client connect to the web service for all its data access.

 

[ReportsNerd]

No, we don't want to run the application remotely. This application will be on a LAN with 3 workstations all in the same office. A Web application and/or Web service are additional layers we don't want.

Thanks

 

[jmcilhinney]

Yes you do want to run the application remotely. You said that you want the user on the workstation to be able to run the application on the server. That's remotely. Running the application on the workstation the user is logged into is running it locally and running it anywhere else is running it remotely. There are just as many, if not more, web applications run on intranets these as are run on the internet. If you want it to be simpler than that then you need to install the Windows app on each workstation.

Maybe you should just use a single central database instead of having it as part of the application. If you used SQL Server Express then you could install that on the server and create the database as permanently attached and simply have each client connect to that one database. That would require no change to the structure of your code and would only require changing the namespace of all your ADO.NET objects, e.g. replace SqlCeConnection with SqlConnection. You could even use ClickOnce to deploy so you could put the application up on the server and have users run it from a URL. That would make installation and updates automatic.

 

[ReportsNerd]

Ah, sorry, I see what you mean on the remote stuff. Yes, a web app would be better, as this is where most of my experience comes from with intranet business apps. My client likes the look and feel of the Windows forms control set, but perhaps we can convert it to a web app later.

You have given me some great ideas here with where to put the database. I appreciate your help.

Thank you!