Question

I have a design question and looking for an efficient design.

I want user of my app to be able to send messages to each other.

I have the following table schema in my mind:

Messages
  + id
  + FromUser :id
  + ToUser : id
  + SendDateTime : Datetime
  + ReadDateTime : Datetime
  + IsRead : bit
  + IsDeleted : bit
  + MessageBody : text

Moreover, I want to implement a notification system, such that, when someone sends me a message, I want a notification to show up on my profile, like SO or facebook style.

I am worried about scalability of this design. One option i was thinking is to store the MessageBody in a separate table and make it lazy.

I m looking for alternative designs or ideas? I have done some research but no extensive info out there.

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

If you want the notifications to update in real time (because it would be cool), have a look at SignalR.

http://signalr.net

http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Web+Camps+TV/Damian-Edwards-and-David-Fowler-Demonstrate-SignalR

http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/404662/SignalR-Group-Notifications