So, today was a bit of a landmark in the evolution of our Anglia DataMaker technology.    For those not familiar with the project.   DataMaker is a tool that lets you automatically generate either .Net Framework or Compact Framework based code by simply pointing the tool at a SQL Table, View or Stored Procedure.     See -

http://www.binaryrefinery.com/main/PermaLink,guid,c3b341dc-02ed-4531-a61e-50fa39f1cef9.aspx

The landmark event was due to DataMaker now being able to not only look at tables and views in a SQL Server table, but can connect directly to a SQL Compact publication.   So picture the scene -

I'm sitting at a customers site (customer A),   I am behind their firewall and my only means of connecting to the Internet is through a proxy server.

Customer B, is also behind a firewall and they have a SQL Mobile application that publishes tables out to a mobile sales rep. application onto the Internet.

I have been requested to make a change to Customer B's mobile application.       So with DataMaker   I can traverse securely customer A's firewall,  connect securely to customer B's publication.    Pull down the SQL Compact publication.    Using the schema information in the SQL Compact database (see pervious post),  I can then build .Net code from the table definitions.    I   can then upload my revised Cab containing all changes using an application manager web-page see -

http://www.binaryrefinery.com/main/PermaLink,guid,0bf1ef05-1d62-4018-8335-d65209c2291e.aspx

Finally I can auto deploy the application, (once tested)  using an auto update tool, that compares a version number held in a published table against the version number of the users application.   This pulls down the latest Cab file when each sales rep. syncrhonises back with the publication.

I can do all of this, securely behind someone other than our customer's firewall. This all saves me having to have copies of customers databases for such eventualities.    Happy customers,   happy me....