Windows 8 modern UI business with SQL

[Eirik Lohne Bakken]

Hello!

Ok so i have bought a tablet with Windows 8 pro on, i have "promised" my boss that i can convert some of our logistics software into touch screen Windows 8 apps, so that the user can have a better experience and the added mobility of the tablet instead of computers.

Today, all our software is WPF 4.5 connected to several SQL Server. I want to make a touch app with modern UI to use only in our business, and have no interest of Windows Store for this app (later in other apps, maybe)

Soooo, here i sit, 100% motivated for using the tablet business mode, but not sure how to start. What are my options to make an business-app outside store, which are using SQL server? Are there any work-arounds to the system.data which works on SQL Server? I see a lot of SQL-Lite workarounds, but none with SQL Server.

Can i make a .DLL which handles the communications with SQL server, and serves back in Windows RT approved data?
Can i make a service which runs on the tablet talking to SQL sever and presenting back web services?
Is there 3-party tools available soon to handle SQL server?

I really really really really would like to just use dataset and tableadapters in the Modern-UI look, this app will never see the windows store.

 

[DougB541#CB]

To be 100% honest, you may have better luck in the Windows development forums. Very helpful folks over there.

 

[mparker]

Your best bet would be to write a WCF service as a front-end to your SQL database, and run it on a machine on the internet, then connect to this from your WinRT app. AFAIK you can't run this service on the same machine as the WinRT app is running - it won't pass validation for one thing, and secondly I believe there are checks in the system to prevent this - either WinRT stack prevents you from connecting to the local machine, or the Win8 firewall prevents a connection from WinRT. I believe the reason for this is that there's no good way to install both sides of this hybrid app, and secondly Windows RT machines can't run user apps on the desktop, so any app that depended on this behavior would fail mysteriously on Windows RT, and thirdly this violates the sandbox model for Windows Store apps.

It sucks I know. But now you know why WinRT developers that need SQL are all talking about SQL-Lite :-(

 

[paulschapman]

Start small

Visit one of the many articles on Windows 8 development e.g. Developing a Windows 8 Metro App Part 1: Why Would You Want to Develop a Metro Application for Windows 8? - Jennifer Marsman - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

try and see what you can do.

I have wondered if setting up an application which offers contracts so that client applications can access it - it is here I would put any data access code.

But like you I have yet to get started.

Note you will need VS2012 running on Windows 8 to develop Win8 applications - running VS2012 on Win7 does not work.

Note also that to run applications on WinRT you will either need to side load it from Windows enterprise or from the store.