Hi all,

I've started looking at RemObjects as a possible way to make client's DBISAM databases available outside of their networks, especially in cases where clients have multiple offices or where some staff work from home.  Has anyone here used RemObjects with DBISAM to do something similar?

Thanks,

Steve

Steve

We don't use Remobject but i'm curious still.

> I've started looking at RemObjects as a possible way to make client's DBISAM databases available outside of their networks, especially in cases where clients have multiple offices or where some staff work from home.  Has anyone here used RemObjects with DBISAM to do something similar?

Are you looking at achieving something specific here - basic multi-tier
(RO DataAbstract product) or maybe have the databases available as web
service or such (SOAP or REST based - i.e RO SDK)?

Reason i'm asking is that the DBSRVR works just fine for regular
client/server access over internet (this would assume end use is running
a delphi app).

We did look at Remobjects SDK for web services side and it looked great.
However for our needs we ended up writing our own back-end web service
which is now also EWB dataset JSON format compatible so we can access it
using any client that can do http queries.

Raul

Hi Raul,

<< Are you looking at achieving something specific here - basic multi-tier
(RO DataAbstract product) or maybe have the databases available as web
service or such (SOAP or REST based - i.e RO SDK)?

Reason i'm asking is that the DBSRVR works just fine for regular
client/server access over internet (this would assume end use is running
a delphi app).

We did look at Remobjects SDK for web services side and it looked great.
However for our needs we ended up writing our own back-end web service
which is now also EWB dataset JSON format compatible so we can access it
using any client that can do http queries. >>

Although some of my customers are using DBSRVR over the Internet, unfortunately setting it up to work over the Internet is beyond many of them (eg. configuring routers for port forwarding, opening ports, configuring firewalls, etc.).

So far I've only been looking at RO SDK. I like the idea of ZeroConf and push notifications.

Users install the application and database on their LAN or P2P network.  The intention is to enable them to access their data from outside their network via a Windows client and web-based app (probably EWB).  I'm exploring various scenarios, including cloud-based databases (as a last resort), replication, etc.

Steve

On 6/13/2013 12:05 AM, Steve Gill wrote:
> Although some of my customers are using DBSRVR over the Internet, unfortunately setting it up to work over the Internet is beyond many of them (eg. configuring routers for port forwarding, opening ports, configuring firewalls, etc.).

They still will be required to configure those things - only difference
is that instead of port 12005 (dbsrvr default) it's for port 80 (or 443
- http(s)) assuming you use the http channel.

>
> So far I've only been looking at RO SDK. I like the idea of ZeroConf and push notifications.

I'm no expert but i believe the Zeroconf is basically DNS-SD so not sure
it's that useable outside the internal LAN (unless you have some good IT
resources to do the DNS and client configuration).

Otherwise RO should definitely help with the rest of the requirements.

Raul

FWIW, I use the RO SDK for pretty much everything I do. I recently switched from
the custom binary channels to https, but I really like the flexibility it gives me.
The first thing I have any client do is pass a protocol number to the server, and
it passes one back too. This enables me to add new functions and know if it is
supported or not on the server. Likewise the server can tell the client it cannot
work and must upgrade.

But the big benefit of such things is the separation of function from database.
RemObjects have their DataAccess thing, but I prefer the simple interface
definition and they take care of everything. I now have both Delphi and Elevate Web
Builder apps accessing the same interface.

/Matthew Jones/

Steve,

<< I've started looking at RemObjects as a possible way to make client's
DBISAM databases available outside of their networks, especially in cases
where clients have multiple offices or where some staff work from home.  Has
anyone here used RemObjects with DBISAM to do something similar? >>

Do you just need one-way replication, or both ways ?

Thanks,

Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

<< FWIW, I use the RO SDK for pretty much everything I do. I recently switched from
the custom binary channels to https, but I really like the flexibility it gives me.
The first thing I have any client do is pass a protocol number to the server, and
it passes one back too. This enables me to add new functions and know if it is
supported or not on the server. Likewise the server can tell the client it cannot
work and must upgrade.

But the big benefit of such things is the separation of function from database.
RemObjects have their DataAccess thing, but I prefer the simple interface
definition and they take care of everything. I now have both Delphi and Elevate Web
Builder apps accessing the same interface. >>

Thanks Matthew.  Is it similar to Real Thin Client SDK?

- Steve

Hi Tim,

<< Do you just need one-way replication, or both ways ? >>

Unfortunately it's both ways.  It's something I've been thinking about doing for a while but it always seems too hard.

- Steve

> Is it similar to Real Thin Client SDK?

Not entirely sure. I think so, but RO SDK has a nice editor for the interface, and
Delphi integration so you can define an interface, then it will create the Data
Module that implements it. As well as a code generator for a load of interop
languages like javascript.

/Matthew Jones/

I've used RemObjects stuff for many years (it is brilliant), and DataAbstract has had DBISAM support for a long time, and I use it all the time (it has EDB support as well). The beauty of using it (apart from the day to day simplicity of creating a multi-tier system it brings), is if you do get a customer who wants to use a specific database rather than using a bespoke one (which is where we use DBISAM), because you simply create a connection to the other database (server-side), make any necessary additions (if one database has a different SQL requirement) and everything just works. Almost all of what we do just works, the only additions are if you hard coded some SQL so you have to change for example where Field=True to Field=1 for the new database.

Another nice twist for using the RemObjects stuff came when other client devices were required to connect to the same backend database, you use the same sort of data tables at the client side as you are used to using, and they all just connect to the same server, so the database type itself at that point doesn't matter.

Now they have Oxygene for Cocoa, creating an iOS app is even better. All the stuff I do now has a RO/DA server with it, and creating iOS applications is very straightforward (and IMHO way better than the FireMonkey option that Embarcadero are now pushing for reasons I won't go into now). We already have an iOS app gets its data from DBISAM.

Replication I haven't done with it at this level, that would be a manual feature although I have used it at the database level (for example MS SQL Server, and I think EDB does it too).