SQL CE DB or .XML files

Hello everybody.

I'd like to know when it's best to store data in SQL CE database VS .XML
files. Why would it be best one VS the other ?


What would be easier to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?

What would be faster to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?

Thank you for all your help , comments and pointers.

Regards

Ginny
Tue Jan 20 10:41:00 CST 2004

Unless you have a VERY small amount of data, I would not recommend using XML
as it is slow to parse. That said, your only options for synchronization for
SqlCe in the current version are Merge/replication or RDA with SQL Server.
If these options won't work for you, you might consider using a text format
to transfer data to and from the device. XML could work, but CSV would be
faster and more compact..
--
Ginny Caughey
.Net Compact Framework MVP

"Lord Brett Sinclair" <lbrettsinclair@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uV1IxG33DHA.2648@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Hello everybody.
>
> I'd like to know when it's best to store data in SQL CE database VS .XML
> files. Why would it be best one VS the other ?
>
>
> What would be easier to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?
>
> What would be faster to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?
>
> Thank you for all your help , comments and pointers.
>
> Regards
>
>

Lord
Tue Jan 20 11:13:36 CST 2004

Thank you for your prompt answer.
What if I do not want to transfer to a SQL server DB ?


"Ginny Caughey [MVP]" <ginny.caughey.online@wasteworks.com> wrote in message
news:uTjyvQ33DHA.3944@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Unless you have a VERY small amount of data, I would not recommend using
XML
> as it is slow to parse. That said, your only options for synchronization
for
> SqlCe in the current version are Merge/replication or RDA with SQL Server.
> If these options won't work for you, you might consider using a text
format
> to transfer data to and from the device. XML could work, but CSV would be
> faster and more compact..
> --
> Ginny Caughey
> .Net Compact Framework MVP
>
> "Lord Brett Sinclair" <lbrettsinclair@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:uV1IxG33DHA.2648@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > Hello everybody.
> >
> > I'd like to know when it's best to store data in SQL CE database VS .XML
> > files. Why would it be best one VS the other ?
> >
> >
> > What would be easier to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?
> >
> > What would be faster to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?
> >
> > Thank you for all your help , comments and pointers.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> >
>
>

Lord
Tue Jan 20 12:46:44 CST 2004

I should have also specified, what about the case where I would transfer
data back to a DB other than SQL Server.

Thank you


"Lord Brett Sinclair" <lbrettsinclair@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uV1IxG33DHA.2648@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Hello everybody.
>
> I'd like to know when it's best to store data in SQL CE database VS .XML
> files. Why would it be best one VS the other ?
>
>
> What would be easier to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?
>
> What would be faster to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?
>
> Thank you for all your help , comments and pointers.
>
> Regards
>
>

Ginny
Tue Jan 20 13:17:45 CST 2004

You need some sort of text format as an intermediate form. For example, you
could export data from your desktop DB as XML or as a CSV text file and then
transfer the text file to the device. You'd need an app running on the
device that reads your text file and creates a SQLCE database from the data.
(At that point you might want to delete the text file on the device.) To
send data back to the desktop, you could either output CSV or XML from your
device app as data is collected, or you could create the text file when your
app is closed. Then you send the text file back to the desktop and read it
back into your database. I would recommend CSV as the faster and smaller
data format over XML.
--
Ginny Caughey
.Net Compact Framework MVP

"Lord Brett Sinclair" <lbrettsinclair@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:OlMX1W43DHA.632@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> I should have also specified, what about the case where I would transfer
> data back to a DB other than SQL Server.
>
> Thank you
>
>
> "Lord Brett Sinclair" <lbrettsinclair@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:uV1IxG33DHA.2648@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > Hello everybody.
> >
> > I'd like to know when it's best to store data in SQL CE database VS .XML
> > files. Why would it be best one VS the other ?
> >
> >
> > What would be easier to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?
> >
> > What would be faster to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?
> >
> > Thank you for all your help , comments and pointers.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> >
>
>

EMW
Tue Jan 20 14:21:57 CST 2004

in my experience it is best to store it in SQL CE when you have a lot of
data to store.
But to transfer the data between the device and a DB, XML is great.
The downside of XML is that the file size can grow substantionally, because
it is no more then a structured db file in text format.

An other way to transport your data, when stored in SQLce, is to convert it
to CSV and have you DB convert it back to what ever it needs.



"Lord Brett Sinclair" <lbrettsinclair@hotmail.com> schreef in bericht
news:uV1IxG33DHA.2648@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Hello everybody.
>
> I'd like to know when it's best to store data in SQL CE database VS .XML
> files. Why would it be best one VS the other ?
>
>
> What would be easier to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?
>
> What would be faster to transfer (sync) between the device and a DB ?
>
> Thank you for all your help , comments and pointers.
>
> Regards
>
>