dotNET Connections

Architect Tutorials and Design Previews 2008

2008-09-04T00:13:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year again, so you'll permit me some promotion of two events that allow us to sketch our architectural position and spend some time sharing and getting your input on our product road map. Two events to talk about here:

October 1st - Seattle, WA – Hyatt Regency Bellevue
October 21st - St. Louis, MO – Hilton St. Louis Frontenac
October 28th - Toronto, ON – The Westin Harbour Castle

First, our the DataDirect Architect Tutorials. Topics at these locations include: "DataServices Update with Industry Expert ZapThink", "Designing Data Access in a SOA Environment" and "The New Reality: Data Access for Virtual Environments" and you can hear these talks, meet the speakers.

October 2nd - Palo Alto, CA – Crowne Plaza Palo Alto

October 16th - Boston, MA – - Boston Marriott Burlington

Next, our Design Previews our long running annual series of talks where we "Frontiers in Data Access:The Coming Wave in DataServices", "Product Roadmaps: Connect and Shadow & XML", "SaaS: How Does it Effect Your Data Access Strategy", "How DataDirect Shadow Can Enable ISV’s Applications for Accessing Mainframe Data" and last, but certainly not least "XQuery And The DataDirect XML Data Integration Suite".

See you there!

Heterogeneous Data Access in .NET - Coding Directly to ADO.NET – Approach #1: Coding Directly to ADO.NET

2008-08-27T13:06:00.019-04:00

Guest blogging once again for Jonathan, this is Mike Frost with part 1 of my series on Heterogeneous Data Access in .NET - Coding Directly to ADO.NET

Before I begin though, I should make a comment about the reason for this series. After many conversations with .NET developers and with development organizations using .NET, we have heard a lot of confusion over the different approaches to accessing multiple databases in .NET. In some cases, what we have heard misinformation, in some cases it was a lack of information. In most cases, though, people just had different sets of needs and experiences and those differences often dictated a different set of requirements for everyone we spoke with. So what I'm offering isn't intended to be the "final" answer on this matter - merely a set of advice and guidelines based on our experience with this subject and with others who have wished to learn more about if for themselves.

With that said, the most obvious place to start when discussing how to develop an application that requires access to multiple relational data stores is to talk about ADO.NET. Historically (and even today given the many announcements concerning the ADO.NET Entity Framework), building code that accesses the ADO.NET interfaces directly is easily the most prevalent approach in use today in .NET applications. If you’ve ever built an ASP.NET application that connected to Oracle and used Visual Studio tooling to do it, then the database access code that was generated used ADO.NET under the covers.

The Pros – Coding directly to ADO.NET is perhaps the best option for those experienced developers that have a strong background in ADO.NET, want to maintain fully control of their data and require the power of the database to be at the immediate disposal. Coupled with this, writing to ADO.NET allows for very granular control of database access code which can be leveraged to ensure the most efficient database access for a particular application. Put simply, if you know what you’re doing with ADO.NET, you can probably do a very good job coding your application with this approach.

The Cons – All of that granular control means that a significant amount of application development time will likely be required. In addition, the developer will need to know which ADO.NET providers will be used ahead of time. Finally, unless the developer is a thorough planner and careful coder, he or she can fall into the trap of using provider-specific code. Unfortunately many developers are unaware of these factors during the initial development phase. As a result, it isn’t until after a significant investment of time and effort has been made that the impact of these factors becomes apparent.

The use of Visual Studio tooling during development isn’t inherently bad, nor are most developers coding without some foresight into what they are doing. Unfortunately, there is a natural tendency to take the path of least resistance. This tendency, combined with a certain level of code abstraction that Visual Studio tooling can create, often leads to applications that are mired down in huge masses of provider-specific code.

While this result might be acceptable for single data source data access (e.g. SQL Server only), it does lock the application to the provider it was originally written to work with. Consequently, adding support for additional database providers ultimately becomes a huge headache as application code and SQL statements must all be rewritten to account for differences in provider code, semantics, and SQL statement formatting. Ask anyone who has been faced with this situation and they will tell you that it’s a nightmare to deal with!

It is worth noting that that the use of connection factories (link) can reduce the amount of provider-specific code with this approach. While this does not account for and eliminate all provider-specific coding in this approach, it can help mitigate some of the hassle of trying to support multiple providers and data sources.

So, to summarize:

Coding Directly to ADO.NET

Pros:

Available today
Allows granular control of database access code
Best option for developers with a strong background in coding to ADO.NET spec

Cons:

Requires careful coding on the part of the developer to avoid provider-specific code where possible
Requires more development time as compared with other approaches
Requires prior knowledge of what providers will be used or recoding to add support for additional providers
Applications tend to get locked to a specific provider

My next post will cover an approach specifically designed to help architect .NET applications requiring heterogeneous data access – programming with the Microsoft Data Access Application Block.

Heterogeneous Data Access in .NET – The Introduction

2008-08-12T11:03:00.005-04:00

Things have been fairly quiet around here since Microsoft’s Tech Ed event, so I’ve invited Mike Frost, our Product Marketing Manager for ODBC and ADO.NET technologies, to add some of his thoughts that we’ve been discussing over the past while. This is the first of a series of guest postings – Mike will be sharing his thoughts on this venue over a series of postings. If you have a chance, check out his blog as well.

So, welcome Mike!

Thanks, JB. Comments and descriptions of the advantages and benefits of developing software using Microsoft’s .NET environment are easy to find – there are websites and blogs galore that go into these details ad nauseum. Unfortunately, finding a clear, concise comparison of the different approaches to developing or modifying a .NET application to access multiple data sources has been next to impossible…until now. ^_^

This is part one of a series of posts aimed at untangling the web of options and technologies available for heterogeneous data access in .NET. Each posting I will introduce an approach and explain its benefits and drawbacks as well as its options and limitations. By the time this series is concluded, we will have a nice summary of information all in one place that will allow anyone to make an informed assessment of the right approach for any project or organization no matter how great or small.

ADO.NET Entity Framework goes RTM

2008-08-11T22:23:00.001-04:00

RTM is a big mile stone for any product - especially a predict first release of final bits *and* you are available, by default in the platform. So I tip my hat to everyone in building 35 for what must be a very gratifying day.
It's been quite a journey since Microsoft flew us up to Seattle for a three day immersion in their road map.

We were delighted to be able to participate in today's announcements too. I'll leave it to John Goodson, to sum it up:

""DataDirect Technologies is delighted to see the ADO.NET Entity Framework RTM," said John Goodson, vice president and general manager of DataDirect Technologies. "We are firmly committed to the ADO.NET Entity Framework and look forward to offering Oracle connectivity in the near future."

I expect to able to talk alot more about the ADO.NET Entity Framework and Connect for ADO.NET on this blog, very soon.

.NET Framework and Mainframe Collide

2008-06-09T13:06:00.006-04:00

Collisions generally have negative connotations, however in this case it is actually a good thing.

The mainframe world, all too often associated with legacy systems that exist in some dark corner of buildings continues to this day to provide the essential back bone for many corporations essential and business-critical applications. While some companies seek to migrate data out of mainframe investments into data bases such as Oracle, or often SQL Server there are plenty who'd rather leave these resources well alone and bring on stream more up to date interfaces to these data asources.

That said, development platforms such as Java and the .NET platform however enjoy the majority of developer focus today and resources such as DB2 z/OS and non relational mainframer esources such as VSAM, IMS and Adabas get left behind.

Our solution? Shadow for ADO.NET. Available for use with the Shadow z/Direct product line, DataDirect's mainframe integration software stack. We are very proud of the work we've done here, so let me call out some of the major features:

Integration of mainframe DB2 and VSAM data
100% managed code provider
Support for the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 on 32-bit and 64-bit platforms
Support for ADO.NET 2.0 Common Programming Model
Runtime compatibility with Visual Studio
Support for a Metadata Collections based on the ANSI SQL Information Schema specification as well as collections specific to CICS and VSAM
Support for common methodologies used to manage auto-generated values

Hungry for more ? Check out the Shadow for ADO.NET for details.

Afterglow on tonight's BoF

2008-06-05T00:34:00.003-04:00

A quick word of thanks for everyone's excellent participation on our BoF tonight. While I was nervous that 60 minutes would be a long time to fill, especially considering I was not allowed any slides, given how the conversation flowed across all sides of the room, it was a very useful and enjoyable 60 minutes. Some of the key take aways included...

Entity Framework holds great promise, and but is not a catch all for everything....
SQL is not dead (far from it). For critical apps where you have to maintain absolute control as to how your application performs and behaves, there is no substitue for keeping your hands on the controls.
The Data Cloud hold great promise, but everyone is nervous as to the prospect of exposing any data source into an uncontrolled, unmanaged cloud. Lots of concerns as to the security and governence of this.

We'll do this all again next week for Tech Ed IT Pros.... and of course as I didn't bring enough t-shirts for everyone, so stop by our booth tomorrow where I will be handing out our very popular t's.

See you tonight @ N320 C

2008-06-04T14:13:00.000-04:00

Looking forward to see everyone at tonight's BOF session at 7.45. We'll have some very unique give-aways for the best questions!

Tech Ed Day 1: Coming out party for ADO.NET Entity Framework

2008-06-02T16:58:00.006-04:00

At this years Tech Ed - Developers, I think it is fair to say that this is the coming out part of the ADO.NET Entity Framework, and with good reason too. From the early days when I participated in numerous all day sessions in Building 35, Microsoft HQ, it is very gratifying to see so many of the concepts we were introduced to move from the white board notions to become tangible component of the .NET Framework. Bring on the GA release of this SP!

The insert to the left, courtesy of the Redmond Developer news does a nice job of breaking out the major features of the .NET Framework 3.5 Sp1, of the the ADO.NET Entity Framework is probably the leading feature. Described, I think accurately as the 'data-driven' release, I can already report than I have a number of good conversations with attendees who are looking to find out more about this technology.

Hungry for more ? If you are attending Tech Ed Devleopers, there are a few excellent venues that I'd recommend you make some time for. Thx to Elisa Flasko at Microsoft doing most of the hardwork for me:

June 4th 2:45pm-4:00pm TCD2B Using LINQ, the ADO.NET Entity Framework and ADO.NET Data Services with third party databases by David Sceppa

June 5th 10:15am-11:30am T7D80 Advanced Entity Framework: Take Charge of Object Services by Julie Lerman

June 5th Noon-12:45pm TAC34 ADO.NET Data Services Deep Dive by Mike Flasko

You can see more of Elisa's excellent recommendations here.

Of course, I've talked about my BoF before on Wednesday night which is already generated some great interest, but we are also exhibiting through out the week, where we have some very unique give-aways (you won't be disappointed!) and of course I'll be happy to talk about how DataDirect Technologies plans to support the ADO.NET Entity Framework. Come see us at booth 1232 in the exhibition hall.

Virtualization bottle neck or opportunity?

2008-06-02T11:21:00.000-04:00

My colleague, Mike Johnson exposes the underbelly of virtualization on tackles a topic that is become pervasive through the IT software stack. As with any new notion, virtualization is not a catch-all and while the benefits are quickly realizable, there are some important considerations especially when your virtualized stack has to interface will real world resource contentions. Full details in his article here.

TechEd Developers 2008

2008-06-01T17:30:00.002-04:00

Early reports from DotNet Connections experiences at TechEd 2008 indicates a bumpy start. Apparently I have no hotel for this evening and will be staying the in the glorious 'Quality Inn' as my original reservation at the Rosen Plaza does not kick in until Monday.

Otherwise, what looks like a very interesting week ahead. I'll post when time/battery power allows.

Making Sense of it All: Heterogeneous Data Access on the .NET Framework 3.5

2008-04-14T20:23:00.005-04:00

dotNetConnections is delighted to announce that we have not one, but two BoF's at this years TechEd, North America conferences TechEd Developers & TechEd IT Professionals. Our topic this year, 'Making Sence of it All: Heterogeneous Data Access on the .NET Framework 3.5' should provide an broad basis so we can deal with many perspectives on how best to deal with data access on the .NET Framework. For one thing, the plethora data access options and data models that now exist should sound as warning shot for all: each data access option cannot possibly suit every need, so if you've questions and opinions on what option suits your development needs, it will be the place to be. BoF co-ordinates as follows:

Wednesday, June 4th @ 19h45 to 20h45
Wednesday, June 11th @18h30 to 19h30

Send email here or comment below if you're planning on attending, or have topics you'd like to cover...

LINQ links for 4/7/2008

2008-04-07T16:59:00.002-04:00

Julia Lerman, of the Data Farm has posted a series of excellent tutorials that are well worth a look all in her on-going series of '101 Tutorials'. Check them out here.

LINQ links for 3/25/2008

2008-03-25T22:11:00.005-04:00

By Tech Ed 2008, it will be almost two years since this posting appeared on LINQ in Action blog, so it wins today's LINQ links. It's interesting to take another look at some of the projected values to developers and architects back in mid 2006...

http://linqinaction.net/blogs/main/archive/2006/07/28/why-linq-will-succeed.aspx

LINQ syntax beats SQL syntax. SQL is flawed in that queries become exponentially difficult to write as their complexity grows. LINQ scales much better in this regard. Once you get used to it, it's hard to go back.
Database queries are easily composable. You can conditionally add an ORDER BY or WHERE predicate without discovering at run-time that a certain string combination generates a syntax error.
More bugs are picked up at compile-time.
Parameterization is automatic and type-safe.
LINQ queries can directly populate an object hierarchy.
LINQ to SQL provides a model for provider independence that might really work.
LINQ significantly cuts plumbing code and clutter. Without sweeping stuff under the carpet, like Workflow or Datasets. This is a credit to the design team.
C# hasn't suffered in the process (in fact, it's gained).

Out of 8 projections, dotNET Connections would give this forecast a 5/8. Not bad considering how inaccurate these predictions tend to be. Before dotNETConnections publishes what we value-adds we think won out, lets hear your thoughts. Comment below!

Vote for our BoFs @ TechEd 2008!

2008-03-24T15:11:00.001-04:00

Vote for our BoF at Microsoft Tech Ed Developers and IT Professionals. We'll be attending both conferences and with your votes, we will be able to run a BoF at both events...

Vote here for Tech Ed Developers and here for Tech Ed IT Professionals ...

Check out our BoF submission below...

Making Sense of All: Heterogeneous Data Access on the .NET Framework 3.5

In this BoF, we’ll peal back the layers on data access from the .NET platform. We’ll look at the common problems facing today’s applications with a particular emphasis on applications who in a multi-faceted, heterogeneous application environment. With all the options now available, available including the Data Access Application Blocks, LINQ, Entity Framework and vanilla ADO.NET which is the one for you? Come armed with your questions, ideas and burning issues and we can promise a lively discussion!

DataDirect acquires Xcalia

2008-03-19T16:57:00.005-04:00

dotNet Connections is delighted to announce that Xcalia has joined DataDirect Technologies family, significantly broadening our already broad data access offerings. More details here...

DAAB Links for 3/17/2008

2008-03-17T13:18:00.005-04:00

Scott Densmore posted on how to get Enterprise Libraries installed and functional with Visual Studio 2008. For those you already using the DataDirect Data Access Application Blocks this gives you all the tools, plus the continued benefits that I've blogged about before in the latest Visual Studio IDE.

http://blogs.msdn.com/scottdensmore/archive/2008/03/13/how-to-get-enterprise-library-3-1-working-in-vs-2008.aspx

LINQ posing challenges for Java futures?

2008-01-30T15:06:00.000-05:00

dotNETConnections was quoted today's SD Times on the challenges ahead for Java as LINQ and the new programming paradigms gathers pace and momentum in the .NET space. Some interesting reactions from JavaLobby offers a very representative perspective that is generating an important discussion in the Java space.

Check back here for more references and a collection of key comments in this posting...

Predictions for 2008?

2008-01-29T11:44:00.000-05:00

Statutory requirements for frequent bloggers clearly spells out that a list of predictions are listed for the upcoming year. The intent obviously is that at least 50% of predictions will turn out to be true this leading to the inevitable close of year postings that allows the blogger to bask in the glory in the accuracy of the earlier predictions.

For this year, dotNetConnections is instead going to first highlight his top 3 favorite predictions from around the web.

1. David Linthicum, Real World SOA: SOA Predictions for 2008 , in particular I like "Resources on the new Web will drive many enterprises towards SOA."

2. Craig Newmark, Founder of Craigslist: 2008 Predictions, Some insightful thoughts on how people are going to leverage the internet, participation to effect positive change. I admit this is not exclusively a technical prediction, but without technology back these movements, it would be next to impossible to marshal these growing communities

3. Redmond Developer News, peddler of .NET news: Peering into the Future. Highlights include, Multi-Core Revolution, Parallel Programming Gets a Rough Start, and Virtual Machines everywhere.

As for dotNETConnections predictions, they shake out as follows:

1. Data Services changes becomes universal programming model.

2. IBM files and draws together a set of established JDBC experts to establish LINQ for Java, Java Specification Request (JSR)

3. Dynamic LINQ bridges gap between compile-time type checking available in more static LINQ constructs.

4. LINQ to SQL will be forced to open up their lighter weight model to third-party provider-writers.

Bill Gates' last day

2008-01-10T15:30:00.000-05:00

A worthy send off I think...

DLR - The tipping point for the .NET Platform?

2007-12-26T22:25:00.000-05:00

Some interesting thoughts on what the future of the .NET platform might hold. I agree Dynamic Language Runtime(s) will see lots of attention over 2008, and we've been here already with much of the activity on the Java platform over the past few years - Groovy and JRuby to name but a few. Outside of these, there are some obvious candidates that could find themselves under the spot light of DLR spot light, but these technologies that have the weight of support of Redmond should be watched closely.

Perhaps this will even help us get to the point where by developers, architects alike to compare managed run times across what should be regarded as key assets: cross-platform availability, runtime performance and ease of development.

Highlights & Low-lights in Data Access for 2007

2007-12-21T09:36:00.000-05:00

Generally speaking most prominent bloggers exercise their inalienable right to post their predictions for 2007. Instead, this year I think its useful to look back on the past 12 months to review the technology and software highlights and lowlights from the perspective data access, and XML ...

First the highlights (in no particular order) ...

LINQ
Entity Framework
JPA 2.0
Astoria (Now LINQ to Data Services)
OpenJDK
XQuery reaches recommendation at the W3C !
Google Guice
JSR-310 Date and Time API

And inevitable low-lights

LINQ to SQL
Connectors 1.6
Closures in Java reaching analysis paralysis
JLINQ misbranding

Join us with the SSWUG founder, Stephen Wynkoop ...

2007-11-12T17:22:00.000-05:00

Join us tomorrow at a on-line webinar discussing how to Improve .NET Application Performance & Reliability. Stephen and I will be giving a break down on our perspectives on how to build in performance, reliability and security for all of your .NET applications. Check out the promo below....

Join Stephen Wynkoop, SSWUG Co-founder and Microsoft MVP, to learn how you can improve the performance, reliability and security of your .NET applications. Whether your .NET applications are built using C# or VB.NET, it is highly likely that they rely on a relational database such as SQL Server, Oracle, DB2 or Sybase.

Learn about the benefits of using ADO.NET providers that are 100% managed; the only option if you want to leverage the full power of the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR). The CLR provides numerous capabilities that help ensure that 100% managed code performs well, scales effectively and is highly reliable and secure.

This webinar will discuss how the DataDirect Connect for ADO.NET providers allow full leverage of the .NET Framework for applications that rely on SQL Server, Oracle, DB2 and Sybase. This is critical since the ADO.NET providers that Oracle, IBM and Sybase are not 100% managed.

Webcast Details...

Date:
Tuesday, November 13
1:00pm ET

Speakers:
Stephen Wynkoop, Microsoft SQL Server MVP

Jonathan Bruce, DataDirect Program Manager

Make the most of the Data Access Application Blocks

2007-10-24T18:48:00.000-04:00

Shameless plug here today: I've talked about the Data Access Application Blocks here before, but today Connect for ADO.NET released support for the for the DAAB code blocks supplied in the Enterprise Libraries. You can now configure the DAAB with Connect for ADO.NET by following some quick and easy steps - scroll down for details...

The DAAB code blocks do an excellent job at abstracting away ADO.NET coding specifics, if you the architect is looking to shield your developers away from data source variances, particularly in a heterogeneous database environment Add the Connect for ADO.NET providers into the mix you can architect true code data blocks that offer SQL Leveling, best-in class performance and host of other features that bullet proof your blocks for many years to come.

Curious as to how to do this ? Use these instructions sourced from here, this is a quick guide to get your started. Great job from Betsy to get this together in such short space of time:

Configuring the Data Access Application Block consists of two parts:

Adding a New DAAB Entry
Adding the Data Access Application Block to Your Application

Adding a New DAAB Entry

Now, use the Enterprise Library Configuration Tool to add a new DAAB entry:

Right-click Enterprise Library Configuration, and select New Application.
Right-click Application Configuration, then select New / Data Access Application Block. The Enterprise Library Configuration window appears.
In the Name field, enter a name for the DAAB, for example, MyOracle.
In the ConnectionString field, enter a connection string.
In the ProviderName field, identify the DataDirect data provider:
1. For DB2, enter DDTek.DB2
2. For Oracle, enter DDTek.Oracle
3. For SQL Server, enter DDTek.SQLServer
4. For Sybase, enter DDTek.Sybase
Right-click Customer Provider Mappings and select New / Provider Mappings.
In the Name field, type the DAAB name entered in Step 3 (MyOracle).
In the TypeName field, choose the browse (...) button and navigate to the Debug output directory of the DataDirect DAAB that you want to build.
Select the file name, for example, DDTek.EnterpriseLibrary.Data.Oracle.dll, and then click Open.
Leave the Enterprise Library Configuration window open for now. Do not save this configuration until you complete the following section.

Adding the Data Access Application Block to Your Application

To add the DAAB to a new or existing application, perform these steps:

Right-click the project and select Add Reference.
In the Add Reference dialog, select Enterprise Library Shared Library, and click OK.
Right-click the project and select Add Reference.
In the Add Reference dialog, select Enterprise Library Data Access Application Block, and click OK.

Add the following directive to your C# source code:

using Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Data;
using System.Data;

Rebuild the solution to ensure that the new dependencies are functional.
Determine the output Debug or Release path location of your current solution, and switch back to the Enterprise Library Configuration window (see "Adding a New DAAB Entry" on page 3).
Right-click the connection string under the Application Configuration node and select Save Application.
Navigate to the Debug or Release output directory of your current solution, and locate the .exe file of the current solution, for example, MyApp.exe.
Click the file name once, and add .config to the name, for example, MyApp.exe.config.
Ensure Save as type 'All Files' is selected and select Save.
Using File Explorer, copy the DDTek.EnterpriseLibrary.Data.XXX.dll from the DataDirect DAAB directories (where XXX indicates the data source).
Place a copy of this DLL into either the Debug or Release output directory of your current solution.

The .NET Framework catches a case of openness

2007-10-09T16:14:00.000-04:00

The .NET Framework has developed with uncharacteristic malaise; likely diagnosis: it has come down with a surprising and puzzling case of openness.

Scot Guthrie, provides some of the fine print:

“We’ll begin by offering the source code (with source file comments included) for the .NET Base Class Libraries (System, System.IO, System.Collections, System.Configuration, System.Threading, System.Net, System.Security, System.Runtime, System.Text, etc), ASP.NET (System.Web), Windows Forms (System.Windows.Forms), ADO.NET (System.Data), XML (System.Xml), and WPF (System.Windows). We’ll then be adding more libraries in the months ahead (including WCF, Workflow, and LINQ). The source code will be released under the Microsoft Reference License (MS-RL).”

As yet, not one opinion appears to be dominating as to what this might mean. Some of my favorite examples include Fake Steve is already scoffing at the move, while assuring us all that Apple will never stoop to this. Robert Scoble is characteristically derisive in his analysis. Others believe this move is a tacit acknowledgment of Microsoft’s failure to capture the imagination of a broader developer community. Others don’t see it affecting them much, while at the extreme, the howls of delight from competing development platforms and paradigms is almost deafening…

What this means for the likes of Novell’s effort towards delivering Mono, nor has anyone commented on how this might affect newly invigorated Novell/Microsoft marriage of convenience.

Before I offer an interpretation of what this means first let me re-iterate my context:

This blog serves a number of perspectives, base on my experiences from the open source, Java community and now the .NET work development platforms – great care is taken to avoid spouting or worse still regurgitating cool aid and of bile from other sources.

Exposing the internals of the .NET Framework is I believe the tip of the ice berg. Think back to early attempts by the Java platform to adopt a more open stance and move away from the ivory tower and provide more inclusive processes for the Java community at large. I think it is safe to say that we can and should expect to see additional baby steps from Microsoft on this score. Moves such as this often have halo-affect, which spurs innovation, discussion and ingenuity that is difficult to predict but is over-all beneficial to the adoption of any platform.

An important distinction here is that Microsoft is make strides toward an more open and inclusive process. I think it’s unlikely we will ever see the equivalent of the JCP for .NET, but my hope it we will see the emergence of a community framework that will facilitate contributions and motivate people to bleed back their ideas into the platform. It is actually an implicit good develop for Java too: a move such as this may be dismissed, but I am sure there are those in the Java community who will give in to their curiosity and peal back the covers on the .NET internals …

DataDirect Design Previews & Architect Tutorials 2007

2007-09-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

It is that time of year when we put in some serious airmiles to bring you all our vision on Data Connectivity and Mainframe integration futures. We are presenting both Boston, MA and Palo Alto CA over the next few weeks so don't miss your chance to hear our plans and of give your feedback...

Learn more about DataDirect's current product offerings and upcoming product enhancements at Design Previews. Designed to educate you about the future direction for DataDirect products, Design Previews are delivered via an open forum format so that your feedback can be factored into DataDirect's product plan.

DATES AND LOCATIONS

Tuesday, October 9th | Boston, MA - Westin Waltham
Wednesday, October 17th | Palo Alto, CA - Four Seasons - Silicon Valley

brought to you by

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

John Goodson — VP, Product Operations, DataDirect
Jonathan Bruce — Program Manager, DataDirect
Carlo Innocenti — Architect, XML Technologies, DataDirect
Gregg Willhoit — Chief Software Architect, DataDirect
Mike Johnson — Software Development Manager, DataDirect
Jesse Davis — Program Manager, DataDirect

Don't miss out - register today for this free educational seminar!

---

Here is the letter for the Architect Tutorials:

New development platforms and emerging architectural standards are changing the way we view data - causing us to challenge long held views on data access technologies and demanding the use of new XML and service-oriented capabilities. Things are not as they used to be, and the landscape continues to evolve. Making informed choices facilitates rapid development and deployment and enhances application capability, scalability, and performance.

In this half day seminar, software architects will learn the state of the art in data access, mainframe integration, and XML query technology. We will provide the insight to navigate the complexities of data access technologies and the practical know-how to enhance application performance, flexibility and capability right away.

DATES AND LOCATIONS

Thursday, October 4th | St. Louis, MO - Hilton Frontenac
Thursday, October 11th | Toronto, ON - Westin Harbour Castle
Tuesday, October 16th | Irvine, CA - Hyatt Regency

brought to you by

co-sponsored by

Learn more about LZA Boot Camp

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Robert Evelyn — VP, Strategy and General Manager, DataDirect
Rob Steward — VP, Research and Development, DataDirect
Jonathan Bruce — Program Manager, DataDirect
David Linthicum — Managing Partner, ZapThink

Register today for this free educational seminar!