Database Technologies

Here you'll learn about specific database technologies – SQL Server (versions 2005 and 2008), the new Entity Framework, and ADO.NET Services – as well as more general tips, tricks and techniques related to databases. You'll find sessions on stored procedures, functions and SQL data types, how to create CLR executables, use SQL 2008 semi-structured and un-structured data, and Table Valued Parameters. Plus we've sessions on the Entity Framework and how to implement the Entity Data Model for your applications.

DT1So Many Choices, So Little Time: Understanding Your .NET Data Access Options
Leonard Lobel
Tuesday, December 9 – 9:45 a.m.
We all know that Microsoft loves to drop new data access APIs in our laps, but with the release of Visual Studio 2008/.NET 3.5 in 2007 and SP1 in 2008, the variety of new capabilities and options available in the .NET data access world is unprecedented, even for Microsoft. In addition to conventional ADO.NET, we now have Language-Integrated Query (LINQ), a variety of LINQ providers, the ADO.NET Entity Framework (EF), ADO.NET Data Services, and SQL Server Data Services.

How to you sort out this chaos? What are the real advantages and disadvantages across this set of technologies, and where is there overlap? Is conventional ADO.NET dead? (Spoiler: no it isn't.) Is some shakeout from all this churn inevitable? In this session, Lenni will give you a guided tour on each of these technologies to help demystify today's Microsoft data access juggernaut. We'll highlight the similarities and differences between these various technologies, and discuss the trade-offs between each. Attend this session and develop a clear perspective of .NET data access in today's world.

DT5Entity Framework 101
John Papa
Tuesday, December 9 – 11:15 a.m.
The Entity Framework can be used to architect applications against a conceptual model that is mapped to the logic model. The Entity Framework has many components including EntityClient, Entity SQL, Object Services, the Entity Data Model and LINQ to Entities. This session will discuss the architecture of the Entity Framework and explain the roles of each of its different components. I will also demonstrate how to write queries using the different options as well as how to evaluate which options within Object Services to use or if to use the EntityClient provider directly.

DT11VS Tools and Techniques for Distributed Data Access in VS 2008
Jackie Goldstein
Tuesday, December 9 – 1:45 p.m.
This session will discuss several challenges facing developers developing distributed data access applications. These issues include hierarchical updates, use of VS tools to generate truly N-tier applications, separation of data entity and data access objects, and local data caching with Synchronization Services for ADO.NET. We will demonstrate the tools and techniques provided in Visual Studio 2008 and discuss the benefits that they bring.

DW11Building Effective Models with the Entity Framework
John Papa
Wednesday, December 10 – 1:45 p.m.
Designing the Entity Data Model with the Entity Framework is a critical aspect in developing an architecture. Once the model has been created it is beneficial to know how to customize the model to adapt to the business problems. This session will explore the different XML files that map the objects to the database schema and show how to modify them when needed. I will explain how you can design an object model with the Entity Framework using both the Entity Data Model Wizard as well as the by manually editing the XML files. I will demonstrate how to implement inheritance, how to merge multiple entities within in a conceptual model, how to take advantage of features such as conditions in the mapping layer, how to implement complex types, and how to hook into stored procedures. This session will demonstrate how to interact with the conceptual model using EntityClient, Entity SQL, and LINQ to Entities to perform queries and make updates to a database.

DW20ADO.NET 3.5 SP1 for Visual Studio and SQL Server Developers
William Vaughn
Wednesday, December 10 – 4:45 p.m.
This session brings Visual Studio developers up to speed on the latest ADO.NET 3.5 technology as exposed by Visual Studio SP1 (or SP2) -- especially in regard to new SQL Server 2008 features. We'll focus on best practice architectures and implementation of the new Synchronization Services technology as well as the new Filestream and other useful TSQL operators that can make applications faster, more secure and easier to code.

DTH7Visual Studio Reporting Technology and SQL Server 2008
William Vaughn
Thursday, December 11 – 9:45 a.m.
This session brings Visual Studio developers up to speed on the latest SQL Server Reporting Services changes and how they impact existing applications and Reporting Services implementations. We also discuss the enhanced Microsoft ReportViewer control and how it can leverage both Reporting Services reports but those hosted on the client without having to access the RS service. We'll see examples drawn from my latest book to show how to capture report parameters and use them to drive both local and server-hosted reports.

DTH12Sync Services for ADO.NET - Optimizing Online, Enabling Offline
Jackie Goldstein
Thursday, December 11 – 1:45 p.m.
With Microsoft Sync Services for ADO.NET and SQL Server Compact, developers can now easily cache data on the client in a compact, yet capable, inprocess database engine. Sync Services enables developers to easily cache, manage, and synchronize the data directly or over services using Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). Visual Studio 2008 delivers new developeroriented sync designers to easily increase user productivity, decrease the server workload, and simplify data access. In addition to caching, you can use Sync Services for ADO.NET to enable full offline ("Occasionally Connected") scenarios as well, with greater developer flexibility than that offered by Merge Replication or RDA.

DTH19Leveraging the CLR in SQL Server Executables
William Vaughn
Thursday, December 11 – 4:45 p.m.
Using a series of demos drawn from his latest book, this session walks developers through the process of creating each of the SQL Server CLR executables including Stored Procedures, Functions, User Defined Types, Aggregates and Triggers. We'll talk about the CLR executables that make sense and those that don't. We'll show examples that are not in the documentation and techniques that really push CLR executable technology to the limits. This session is designed for Visual Studio developers unfamilar with SQL Server and for DBAs that are not familar with Visual Studio.