Home/ Questions/Q 7643623
In Process

The Archive Base Latest Questions

Editorial Team
  • 0
Asked: 2026-05-31T09:29:40+00:00

I’ve got a question regarding the pros and cons of using a database vs.

  • 0

I’ve got a question regarding the pros and cons of using a database vs. a flat file in a windows mobile application.

We’re developing a mobile application running on Windows Mobile 6.5 and using C#/.NET Compact Framework 3.5.

The mobile component is used in an inventory system to do receiving of deliveries. These data are then sent to the application server using a web service via Wi-Fi.

Now, we need to implement a backup plan. What we agreed so far is when then the mobile is unable to send the data to the server, it has to persist it locally and then send it at a later time. It can either be sent using the mobile or the mobile can be docked/connected to a PC via usb which will pull the data out and the PC can send it to the server.

My question: which is better to use in this scenario? Deploying an SQL Server Compact or writing the data to a flat file (xml, binary etc)

I’d like to get opinions on the pros and cons of each method keeping in mind not only the technical aspects but also the development work involved.

Thanks!

Share

Leave an answer

You must login to add an answer.

Need An Account,

1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    My personal experience with this scenario is to use SQL CE to do Merge Replication instead of a web
    service for some very good reasons:

    1. Your application becomes easier to develop because you read/write directly to a database and let the CE engine do the merging. (Linq to Sql etc)
    2. You can manually control merge conflicts at the server or client. And this is already built, you don’t have to build it yourself.
    3. There is no backup necessary because your data on the CE device is already in a database.
    4. Data can be cached locally as needed and filtered by device or user (meaning only the data needed by the device/user can be the replicated to the device.)

    Although this does require more SQL knowledge, it is solid technology that works, and doesn’t have to be re-written, tested and debugged continously.

    If you are locked into using a web-service, then using SQL CE seems like overkill to me. I would simply duplicate what a database does and write transactions to a file (xml/json/binary) and then use those as needed (running them against the web-service when in wi-fi range or having a service running on a machine that pulls the files off the mobile device and onto the local PC or server and running those transactions).

    • 0