Read data from Azure database with C#-application, without installing a lot of applications?
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I am writing a C# application in Visual Studio 2005 and I need to read, but NOT write, data inside an Azure database and I would like to install as few applications on my computer as possible. It would also be nice if I could simply spend a couple of minutes copying the whole database file to my computer upon startup and from then on access the data completely locally. There is no requirement that I should access the data I want through SQL-queries, if it's feasible to iterate through the database file with while-loops, if-statements, etc that would be perfectly fine with me. Is this feasible or what's the minimum I can get away with?
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I am writing a C# application in Visual Studio 2005 and I need to read, but NOT write, data inside an Azure database and I would like to install as few applications on my computer as possible. It would also be nice if I could simply spend a couple of minutes copying the whole database file to my computer upon startup and from then on access the data completely locally. There is no requirement that I should access the data I want through SQL-queries, if it's feasible to iterate through the database file with while-loops, if-statements, etc that would be perfectly fine with me. Is this feasible or what's the minimum I can get away with?
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At the very least you will need to install a Database client to read the database. Which client you need will depend on what database it is that you wish to access.
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What you are asking for makes no sense, relational databases are not simplistic text files and are generally made up of multiple tables with defined relationships which you will need to understand. You cannot scroll through the records without a client (this may be something like Excel/Access/MSSQL) but it is still a client application. If there is a specific VIEW that has been created for you then you need to query the database to get all the records, these can be queried into a text file which you could scroll through. You still need something to query the database. Do check the size of the download before progressing along this path :omg:
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
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What you are asking for makes no sense, relational databases are not simplistic text files and are generally made up of multiple tables with defined relationships which you will need to understand. You cannot scroll through the records without a client (this may be something like Excel/Access/MSSQL) but it is still a client application. If there is a specific VIEW that has been created for you then you need to query the database to get all the records, these can be queried into a text file which you could scroll through. You still need something to query the database. Do check the size of the download before progressing along this path :omg:
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
There is only one table in the database. If it's not feasible to get the data by using a home-made function (or method), what is the minimum database client I need to install? Are there any lightweight (perhaps even open source?) clients available or do I need to install several Gbytes of SQL Server/Oracle/something else?
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There is only one table in the database. If it's not feasible to get the data by using a home-made function (or method), what is the minimum database client I need to install? Are there any lightweight (perhaps even open source?) clients available or do I need to install several Gbytes of SQL Server/Oracle/something else?
What do you expect to "browse" the data with? You could write a simple windows service or client which would connect and download the table. It would be very small.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
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What do you expect to "browse" the data with? You could write a simple windows service or client which would connect and download the table. It would be very small.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
Mycroft Holmes wrote:
What do you expect to "browse" the data with?
That's a good question, see below.
Mycroft Holmes wrote:
You could write a simple windows service or client which would connect and download the table. It would be very small.
So, you're basically saying I don't need a database client to get the table? What format will the table then be in when I get it locally on my computer? Will the format be something simple like tab/comma separated or XML or something so complicated (perhaps even encrypted) that I practically would need a database client to make sense out of the table?
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Mycroft Holmes wrote:
What do you expect to "browse" the data with?
That's a good question, see below.
Mycroft Holmes wrote:
You could write a simple windows service or client which would connect and download the table. It would be very small.
So, you're basically saying I don't need a database client to get the table? What format will the table then be in when I get it locally on my computer? Will the format be something simple like tab/comma separated or XML or something so complicated (perhaps even encrypted) that I practically would need a database client to make sense out of the table?
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I am writing a C# application in Visual Studio 2005 and I need to read, but NOT write, data inside an Azure database and I would like to install as few applications on my computer as possible. It would also be nice if I could simply spend a couple of minutes copying the whole database file to my computer upon startup and from then on access the data completely locally. There is no requirement that I should access the data I want through SQL-queries, if it's feasible to iterate through the database file with while-loops, if-statements, etc that would be perfectly fine with me. Is this feasible or what's the minimum I can get away with?
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The majority of databases are relational types. What you need to find out is what software product is used to create it: Oracle, SQLServer, MySQL, SQLite etc.
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This has nothing to do with Azure. If you want to access a database then, as I already suggested, you need to know what type of database (i.e. which product is used to manage it). And the quickest way to find that answer is to talk to the people who own it.
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I am writing a C# application in Visual Studio 2005 and I need to read, but NOT write, data inside an Azure database and I would like to install as few applications on my computer as possible. It would also be nice if I could simply spend a couple of minutes copying the whole database file to my computer upon startup and from then on access the data completely locally. There is no requirement that I should access the data I want through SQL-queries, if it's feasible to iterate through the database file with while-loops, if-statements, etc that would be perfectly fine with me. Is this feasible or what's the minimum I can get away with?
arnold_w wrote:
I am writing a C# application in Visual Studio 2005 and I
2005 is rather old and I suspect that might be a problem. But maybe you meant 2015. For a database application you need 1. Access permission to the database. This includes a connection path and user permissions. This is information not code. 2. A connection library for the database. This a library. 3. Probably a framework that will use the connection library. 4. Then you use 3 to get data from the database where you have provided 1 to 2.
arnold_w wrote:
There is no requirement that I should access the data I want through SQL-queri
That is unlikely unless the database is a No-SQL database.
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This has nothing to do with Azure. If you want to access a database then, as I already suggested, you need to know what type of database (i.e. which product is used to manage it). And the quickest way to find that answer is to talk to the people who own it.
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OK, so you need to install SQL client on your system, and get the details of the database structure from the people who own it.
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I'd recommend you to install SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio) instead.
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No, I have access. Since this software will be run on other computers than my own, I'd like to keep 3rd party software installations/dependencies to a minimum. Ideally, all you'd have to do to run my application is to double-click an .exe-file (ideally, you should also be able to run it from a USB-stick), I don't want anybody to have to do anything more. That's why I don't use installers and instead embed all my dll:s and icons/pictures into my .exe-file, I don't like to give installation support, especially not on something I didn't write myself.
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No, I have access. Since this software will be run on other computers than my own, I'd like to keep 3rd party software installations/dependencies to a minimum. Ideally, all you'd have to do to run my application is to double-click an .exe-file (ideally, you should also be able to run it from a USB-stick), I don't want anybody to have to do anything more. That's why I don't use installers and instead embed all my dll:s and icons/pictures into my .exe-file, I don't like to give installation support, especially not on something I didn't write myself.