Best and most efficient way to program a client application

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Hello

I am trying to find the most effective way to program an application I have to make.

Here is the scenario:

I have a server running ASP.NET C# Web forms application.

You can view it live: http://fragems.mrincapps.co.za - please note it may take a little while for initial load.

That is a fully fledged event management system and is working fine now.

I need to add an access control system onto it.

Now the way the access control works is that you don't tell the system where you are, The system tells you where you are.
What I mean by that is that the system stores your current location,
eg: 0 = outside event
1 = Inside area 1

I need to make a c# desktop application that connects to the access control and scanning devices via a serial port.

When the client scans their access disk the disk number and access device number is sent through to the c# app: eg: [1][fggdfG4]
Device ID [^] [^] User access code - is unique

Unfortunately doing a web request every time would be way to slow so I need to find a way to store the users name, surname, current area and access code locally and update every so often.

Does anyone have a good idea ?

Thanks!

Regards
Mitchell

Posted 18-Jul-13 4:20am

M.R. Inc

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Comments

Shibashish_Choudhury 18-Jul-13 10:49am

use file system and create files for your purpose..say a text file to store all your required data, whenever the user gets online, the file gets updated...

M.R. Inc 18-Jul-13 10:57am

Hello,

Thanks for the comment.

I don't want to use text files as they are slow and inefficient.
Also, it might cause issues as it cant be read simultaneously.
So when it is updating, which could be anywhere up to 4000 people, the system cant use the access control because the file is in use.

Also, to read through all the data to find one code is bad programming ethics for such a large quantity of people.

I can use a database on the client side, but which database system do I use?
MSSQL, MySQL, ACCESS - 2003 / 2007

etc...
The question is, how can I efficiently transfer updates to the client with the least amount of bandwidth and in the most effective manor.

Thanks

Jean A Brandelero 18-Jul-13 16:12pm

Go to MSSQL, if you are using Asp.net, imo.
What about just saving a Guid? Save guids on the server and just send that guid on the request.

M.R. Inc 18-Jul-13 16:28pm

Hello
Thanks for the response.

But if you read above in my last message I do not want to do on request stuff.

By having to do a request every time the access token is scanned will slow the system down.

I am already using mssql

And have previously done something similar if I understand correctly what you said.

Thanks

Jean A Brandelero 19-Jul-13 7:17am

All you need is to get data synched every time the client machine start the application?
What about sql replication?

Jean A Brandelero 19-Jul-13 7:21am

This article may help:
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/20104/Merge-Replication-between-SQL-2000-or-SQL-2005-usi

M.R. Inc 19-Jul-13 7:58am

Hello

No, every time a record is updated on the server or other clients. They must all re-sync.

I am trying not to have to install sql server on each client as well as that would require licensing them.

Thanks

Jean A Brandelero 19-Jul-13 8:12am

Replication will do this sync. You dont need to licence mssqlce, i think.

M.R. Inc 19-Jul-13 8:20am

MSSQL is a microsoft product and requires being licensed.
As soon as you require mssql, you start having issues on the client.

The other issue I have is having to install MSSQL on each client.

Thanks

johannesnestler 19-Jul-13 4:32am

Have you heard of SyncFramework? http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sync/bb840038 maybe this can help you... I'm not shure if I understood your requirement right, but in the end you just want to solve the (in our mobile world) quite common problem of "smart caching of remote data). I had similar problem with an application which needed login-function but was not always connected (even for long times) to the (database-) Server. Just used a local database and synced it when connection was available (and applicatio idle), so I could pull the user-information out of the local database. Maybe something similar can solve your problem?

M.R. Inc 19-Jul-13 7:58am

Hello

I have started to look into this, it seems like the answer, but as I have never worked with ms sync framework I have to see if I can do it first :P

Thanks

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