Legacy Support for Pocket Access

[AlexMandel]

So I think I found a way that will allow us to continue to retrieve data from our existing Pocket Access databases.

The basic idea I had was to build a simple application in .Net CF 1.0 (2.0 has installation issues on older devices) that would read the Pocket access tables and copy them to a different format that's easy to sync with the desktop even if you have a newer device/Activesync.
The algorithm would be as simple as:
 1. Connect to database(cdb)
 2. for each table in database select all records(Select * from table)
 3. Append the whole selection to the new format database

Here's an example
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms837914.aspx 

It uses the ADOCE 3.1 library from
http://inthehand.com/files/folders/legacy/default.aspx 

It looks fairly simple, I was thinking of including it as another component of my data backup tool that I've been developing. I'll post my .Net code when I get a chance. The big question of course is what format should we convert the data to. I still have no idea of what it takes to connect SQL server CE to the desktop and if that relies on any Activesync magic which I would like to avoid. Briefly looking around it doesn't seem that easy to use SQL Server CE with anything other than SQL Server, for which I did find SQL Server compact edition, but that requires the development of a front-end, can't use Access.

Preferably the format would lend itself to being sync or file copied and synced/imported from the desktop machine at a later time.

What a pain,
Alex

[Douglas Burch]

Alex,

Have you looked into the Access Database Synchronizer (ADS)? Seems this is the replacement to Pocket Access Synchronization, only now it's SQLServerCE to *.mdb. The SQLServerCE format can sync mobile-ly with SQL Server, too.

Long-range, I think ADS is probaly the direction to go for CE apps sync'ing with .mdb's and SQL Server; however, your below method sounds like a good work-a-round for now; I'm curious about the file formats that can be used when the data is received by the desktop PC app. Unless it's a .mdb file that will likely be another pain to work around.

Doug

>>> "Alex Mandel" <amandel@...> 12/6/2007 4:23 PM >>>

So I think I found a way that will allow us to continue to retrieve data from our existing Pocket Access databases.

The basic idea I had was to build a simple application in .Net CF 1.0 (2.0 has installation issues on older devices) that would read the Pocket access tables and copy them to a different format that's easy to sync with the desktop even if you have a newer device/Activesync.
The algorithm would be as simple as:
1. Connect to database(cdb)
2. for each table in database select all records(Select * from table)
3. Append the whole selection to the new format database

Here's an example
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms837914.aspx 

It uses the ADOCE 3.1 library from
http://inthehand.com/files/folders/legacy/default.aspx 

It looks fairly simple, I was thinking of including it as another component of my data backup tool that I've been developing. I'll post my .Net code when I get a chance. The big question of course is what format should we convert the data to. I still have no idea of what it takes to connect SQL server CE to the desktop and if that relies on any Activesync magic which I would like to avoid. Briefly looking around it doesn't seem that easy to use SQL Server CE with anything other than SQL Server, for which I did find SQL Server compact edition, but that requires the development of a front-end, can't use Access.

Preferably the format would lend itself to being sync or file copied and synced/imported from the desktop machine at a later time.

What a pain,
Alex


 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[AlexMandel]

Doug,

Do you have a link demonstrating SQL Server CE <-> Access .mdb the only things I can find are intended for SQL Server Compact or Server, not Access. If you have some way to do sdf to mdb that would solve my dilemna and we can try to build the cdb to sdf converter which I think will be easy.

Thanks,
Alex

>>> On 12/6/2007 at 17:00, "Doug Burch" <dburch@...> wrote:
> Alex,
>
> Have you looked into the Access Database Synchronizer (ADS)? Seems this is
> the replacement to Pocket Access Synchronization, only now it's SQLServerCE
> to *.mdb. The SQLServerCE format can sync mobile-ly with SQL Server, too.
>
> Long-range, I think ADS is probaly the direction to go for CE apps sync'ing
> with .mdb's and SQL Server; however, your below method sounds like a good
> work-a-round for now; I'm curious about the file formats that can be used when
> the data is received by the desktop PC app. Unless it's a .mdb file that will
> likely be another pain to work around.
>
> Doug
>
>>>> "Alex Mandel" <amandel@...> 12/6/2007 4:23 PM >>>
>
> So I think I found a way that will allow us to continue to retrieve data
> from our existing Pocket Access databases.
>
> The basic idea I had was to build a simple application in .Net CF 1.0 (2.0
> has installation issues on older devices) that would read the Pocket access
> tables and copy them to a different format that's easy to sync with the
> desktop even if you have a newer device/Activesync.
> The algorithm would be as simple as:
> 1. Connect to database(cdb)
> 2. for each table in database select all records(Select * from table)
> 3. Append the whole selection to the new format database
>
> Here's an example
> http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms837914.aspx 
>
> It uses the ADOCE 3.1 library from
> http://inthehand.com/files/folders/legacy/default.aspx 
>
> It looks fairly simple, I was thinking of including it as another component
> of my data backup tool that I've been developing. I'll post my .Net code when
> I get a chance. The big question of course is what format should we convert
> the data to. I still have no idea of what it takes to connect SQL server CE
> to the desktop and if that relies on any Activesync magic which I would like
> to avoid. Briefly looking around it doesn't seem that easy to use SQL Server
> CE with anything other than SQL Server, for which I did find SQL Server
> compact edition, but that requires the development of a front-end, can't use
> Access.
>
> Preferably the format would lend itself to being sync or file copied and
> synced/imported from the desktop machine at a later time.
>
> What a pain,
> Alex
>
>
>  
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Douglas Burch]

Alex,

I have not had time to do any SQLServerCE development yet, but these are the links that I have for future use...

Information and free downloads at:

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/editions/compact/default.mspx

Below, are some mobile development sites Steve Hemenez sent. He quickly created a .Net PDA app using information from the "Hands on Lab page," however he wasn't able to find that page again so it's not included below. He asked that we let him know if we find any good sites on this subject. -Doug

Main Developer Site
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/developers/default.mspx

Windows Mobile 5 Developer Kit
http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/resourcekit/default.aspx

Windows Mobile 6 Developer Kit
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=06111a3a-a651-4745-88ef-3d48091a390b&DisplayLang=en 

Good Resource
http://channel9.msdn.com/wiki/default.aspx/MobileDeveloper.HomePage 

Some Starter Apps
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsmobile/bb264330.aspx 

Here is one of the locations I found useful these are Hands on Labs
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsmobile/bb264328.aspx 


>>> "Alex Mandel" <amandel@...> 12/6/2007 5:22 PM >>>

Doug,

Do you have a link demonstrating SQL Server CE <-> Access .mdb the only things I can find are intended for SQL Server Compact or Server, not Access. If you have some way to do sdf to mdb that would solve my dilemna and we can try to build the cdb to sdf converter which I think will be easy.

Thanks,
Alex

>>> On 12/6/2007 at 17:00, "Doug Burch" <dburch@...> wrote:
> Alex,
>
> Have you looked into the Access Database Synchronizer (ADS)? Seems this is
> the replacement to Pocket Access Synchronization, only now it's SQLServerCE
> to *.mdb. The SQLServerCE format can sync mobile-ly with SQL Server, too.
>
> Long-range, I think ADS is probaly the direction to go for CE apps sync'ing
> with .mdb's and SQL Server; however, your below method sounds like a good
> work-a-round for now; I'm curious about the file formats that can be used when
> the data is received by the desktop PC app. Unless it's a .mdb file that will
> likely be another pain to work around.
>
> Doug
>
>>>> "Alex Mandel" <amandel@...> 12/6/2007 4:23 PM >>>
>
> So I think I found a way that will allow us to continue to retrieve data
> from our existing Pocket Access databases.
>
> The basic idea I had was to build a simple application in .Net CF 1.0 (2.0
> has installation issues on older devices) that would read the Pocket access
> tables and copy them to a different format that's easy to sync with the
> desktop even if you have a newer device/Activesync.
> The algorithm would be as simple as:
> 1. Connect to database(cdb)
> 2. for each table in database select all records(Select * from table)
> 3. Append the whole selection to the new format database
>
> Here's an example
> http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms837914.aspx 
>
> It uses the ADOCE 3.1 library from
> http://inthehand.com/files/folders/legacy/default.aspx 
>
> It looks fairly simple, I was thinking of including it as another component
> of my data backup tool that I've been developing. I'll post my .Net code when
> I get a chance. The big question of course is what format should we convert
> the data to. I still have no idea of what it takes to connect SQL server CE
> to the desktop and if that relies on any Activesync magic which I would like
> to avoid. Briefly looking around it doesn't seem that easy to use SQL Server
> CE with anything other than SQL Server, for which I did find SQL Server
> compact edition, but that requires the development of a front-end, can't use
> Access.
>
> Preferably the format would lend itself to being sync or file copied and
> synced/imported from the desktop machine at a later time.
>
> What a pain,
> Alex
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]