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 Send dataset to clients via web

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beyonder422
Posting Yak Master

124 Posts

Posted - 2008-05-01 : 12:00:14
I am investigating a methodology in which I can send datasets to users via a web link, and maybe later integrate insert\update\delete functionality.

Specifically my users have an Access db's or excel and I want to allow them to import data to slice and dice as they see fit.

I'm not quite sure how I want to do it yet, but I esentially want to get out of the web ui development biz and simply provide generic mechanisms along with minimal edification for users to read data, and maybe eventually open up insert\update\delete functionality later.

Web services, xml, soap, odbc technologies, etc. seem to be the direction I have noticed the most.

Will any of these techs allow me to simply provide an avenue for them to import data into whatever tool (excel\access) and not have to create any kind of client side component?


Has anyone got a simple - clean approach?

www.beyonder422.com

jsmith8858
Dr. Cross Join

7423 Posts

Posted - 2008-05-01 : 13:33:41
You can use web services, which can return XML. Or even a regular web page can return XML.

ASP.NET has lots of ways to handle things like that:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms972326.aspx
http://aspnet.4guysfromrolla.com/articles/100803-1.aspx
http://www.deez.info/sengelha/2006/02/06/how-return-xml-from-aspx-in-aspnet-11/


- Jeff
http://weblogs.sqlteam.com/JeffS
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beyonder422
Posting Yak Master

124 Posts

Posted - 2008-05-01 : 14:55:39
What I was thinking, seeing, and hoping to hear.

There seem to be ALOT of different avenues, techs, and ways to address. Curious if there is a method that seems to stand out from the rest.

I will check out the links you provided.


Thanx,

www.beyonder422.com
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beyonder422
Posting Yak Master

124 Posts

Posted - 2008-05-02 : 11:16:52
Web services will present the data via web screen\get.

But it looks like you have to invoke an XML file creation action that Access or excel can then consume.

I also looked for a client side vba script to implement in Access\Excel that would consume the web service directly.

Has anyone ever done this? If so, I'm trying to figure out a standard web service presentation format and client side consumption format. (ie. something I can send any interested user to allow them to consume web srvc info via Access\Excel).

Ultimately I'm still looking for a robust way to provide data snapshots to users via the web, and this way seems to be the most straight forward, but I was hoping to avoid the client side piece...

And we currently have web sites that provide data in a CSV format, which seems to be fairly user friendly, but I was hoping to eliminate one more step (ie. direct consumption of data - is that too ambitious?)

Any other suggestions?




Always state the obviuos, because it is always overlooked...
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