What is the "best" client app development tool for MSSQL?

  • This is a very tricky question.

    What is the "best" client app MSSQL development tool for you? And why?

    For me the "best" is such a tool which:

    • fast development (RAD, maybe even sometimes without writing any single line of code)
    • fast runtime (no overhead to the database server, network etc...)
    • no runtime fee
    • uses as few as possible client PC ressources (RAM, processor...)
    • easy and powerful report generator
    • easy distribution to the enduser
    • easy to find free and/or commercial native add ons or components on the internet. Or allows teamwork by creating part of software components by separate team members
    • others...



    Bye
    Gabor

  • Are you asking which type of tool or which type of client language? Your questions point to both. The tool wouldn't have a runtime. Unless you are looking for something like Access.

    I've used Visual Studio and like that. For client apps, I tend to prefer web based apps.

    Report Generator - Active reports is pretty nice, but that was a couple years ago. There are probably better ones now.

  • Hey Gabor,

    looking for the all inclusive worry-free package?

    I doubt you won't find a tool that is best in all of your categories

    • fast development (RAD, maybe even sometimes without writing any single line of code)

    Access or VB

    • fast runtime (no overhead to the database server, network etc...)

    C++

    • no runtime fee

    Any serious programming language

    • uses as few as possible client PC ressources (RAM, processor...)

    C++

    • easy and powerful report generator

    Access

    • easy distribution to the enduser

    web based app

    • easy to find free and/or commercial native add ons or components on the internet. Or allows teamwork by creating part of software components by separate team members

    I guess of any programming language you will find a third-party tool, add-ons market. But I don't like being dependent on some (maybe one man business) third party company. Too much risk as for continuation, support

    • others...

     

    As Steve already mentioned Visual Studio covers most points, although not in one language.

     

    --
    Frank Kalis
    Microsoft SQL Server MVP
    Webmaster: http://www.insidesql.org/blogs
    My blog: http://www.insidesql.org/blogs/frankkalis/[/url]

  • Yop Frank,

    I'm looking for a kind of all-in-all tool or language how ever you call it.

    Or better said I'm not looking for that tool but I'm just curious what you guys are using and why.

    My problem is that actually I'm using several languages for specific tasks.

    • Delphi/Kylix for client/server a good but very expensive product
    • C/C++ for extended stored procs, customised BCP, fast calculations but very long GUI development time
    • PHP for Web (but there is no RAD or at least I didn't find any therefore quit long WEBGUI development time)

    As I have to do all of those tasks it's normal to think about simplifíing our life



    Bye
    Gabor

  • I don't know any Delphi, but I don't liked Pascal

    You're right on C++, although I've never tried those Borland Products like the builder. I have my doubt, that the myth on faster calculations in C++ is still valid, but that's just me. GUI development in C++ is still poor and painful.

    PHP lacks a usable GUI (but hardcorde programmers don't use GUI anyway, right ). Our web developers use jsp and from what I've seen it's quite impressive, but just another scripting language and as this is no Microsoft technology, I doubt that you will get top performance when connecting to SQL Server.

    I for myself moved everything to asp pages. My main reason for this was the easy of distribution (haha, putting it on the webserver, and that's all). As *IDE* I use my self-made editor. That way I'm in control of everything and don't leave this to some *intelligent* IDE.

    Just for completeness:

    I once was involved in a project where we used Visual Age for Smalltalk from IBM. Expensive product a non-intuitive IDE but a powerful product (and Smalltalk is a powerful language).

     

    --
    Frank Kalis
    Microsoft SQL Server MVP
    Webmaster: http://www.insidesql.org/blogs
    My blog: http://www.insidesql.org/blogs/frankkalis/[/url]

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply