Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 and Databases

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Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 and Databases

Microsoft has completely overhauled the databasemanipulation techniques with the introduction of ASP.NET 2.0. Real-worldapplications require access to databases in order to store records. You can notonly use a database simply for storing data, but also for updating, deleting,and searching records. Prior to ASP.NET 1.1, you needed to write lengthy codelistings to access a database. But with the evolution of ASP.NET 2.0, you canperform all sorts of database programming using a bunch of new controls andwizards with minimum effort.

To explore the techniques involved with the manipulationof databases, you need a good resource material in hand, preferably a book forready reference. Beginning ASP.NET 2.0and Databases by John Kauffman and Bradley Millington thoroughly examinesall the aspects associated with database programming in a crisp format.Published by Wrox, the book consists of 19 chapters and two appendices, withthe authors devoting one complete chapter for a sample case study.

The book kicks off with a discussion about the evolutionof the .NET Framework, ASP.NET, and ADO.NET. The authors list the basicrequirements for running ASP.NET 2.0 applications, including a reference aboutdifferent editors such as Visual Studio 2005, Visual Studio 2005 Express, andNotepad. The authors also provide a step-by-step demonstration about the usageof GridView and DataList controls using a Microsoft Access database. This willbe useful for those readers who don t have SQL Server 2005.

Chapters 2 and 3 explore the steps required for connectingto Access, SQL Server 2005, and SQL Server 2005 Express databases with specialreference to the connection strings and security-related aspects. Chapter 4provides a detailed outline about the various steps required for connecting toother relational databases, such as Oracle, MySQL, and Excel. I wonder why theauthors discussed connecting to an Access database in this chapter when thereis another chapter for discussing this (it should have been covered in Chapter2).

Chapter 5 examines the different methods of displayingdata using the GridView and DetailsView controls. The next chapter explores allthe aspects involved with customization, including the use of CSS, implementationof Themes and Skins, and the use of AutoFormat in Visual Web Developer. Chapter7 provides a brief outline about the theory behind sorting and paging data.While Chapter 8 examines the different methods of displaying data in selectionlists using DropDownList and other data binding list controls, the next twochapters explore all the aspects involved with searching records and displayingdata in controls by applying templates with a special note about some of theadvanced ideas about data binding.

While Chapter 11 provides detailed coverage about updatingand deleting records, Chapter 12 demonstrates insertion of new records to thedatabase using various controls included with ASP.NET 2.0 (although I felt thischapter should be covered first before discussing the topics covered in Chapter11). In Chapter 13, the authors provide comprehensive coverage about validationcontrols and their use while working with databases.

The remaining chapters examine the relevance of businessobjects, XML caching data, and Event handling. The penultimate chapter providestips for improving the functioning of ASP.NET 2.0 applications. It specificallyand comprehensively covers the conversion of ASP.NET 1.1 applications to 2.0,switching from Access to SQL Server, and the concept of precompilation.

The book wraps up with a case study by creating a simple,but powerful FAQ system. The authors provide detailed coverage about each fileused in the study in a step-by-step manner, and also with the help of relevantand complete source code. The authors deserve praise as they have attempted tocover in an elaborate manner all the related aspects involved with databaseprogramming using ASP.NET 2.0.

I am impressed by the way in which each chapter ispresented, with the help of relevant source code in both C# and Visual Basic.From my point of view, the authors should provide screenshots of final outputalong with each example so that readers will know what happens behind the scenewithout executing the source code. In addition, each chapter includes a sectiontitled Common Mistakes (which lists some of the mistakes you ll likelyencounter), Summary, and Exercises. The authors provide as an appendix theanswers to all the exercise questions. This helps the reader verify their knowledge.

Anand Narayanaswamy

Rating:

Title: Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 and Databases

Authors: JohnKauffman, Bradley Millington

Publisher: Wrox

ISBN: 0-471-78134-7

Web Site: http://www.wrox.com/WileyCDA/WroxTitle/productCd-0471781347.html

Price: US$39.99

Page Count: 535