The File Server Model

For very small businesses (say - less than 20 users in the same location), it is frequently enough to run a data model based on a file server system, like Microsoft Access, or FoxPro. Accounting, order processing, marketing and the like can share small data files of less than 100 Megabytes, usually with good results.

With more users, and more data, and more ranks of authority, that process quickly becomes untidy. In the small business model, all of the processing of the data is done on the local desktop workstations(even though the data itself may well be stored on the server). That means that for every little piece of data for a report, or for a client account, the entire dataset must be sent from the server machine to the desktop requesting the information so that the desktop can filter it to get the desired result.

In an accounting system with a large order volume, this results in a lot of excess traffic. Add the complexities of say payroll or personnel data or P&L data where you need to restrict access in various ways to various classes of people

The Client Server Model

In the client server model, the functions of the database program are split between the back end, where the data is kept and processed, and the front end, which interfaces with the user. In some more complex systems, there is also a middle layer, which enforces the rules of the business.

In this model, the heavy-duty data processing is almost exclusively handled by the server back end. These industrial-strength database managers (DBMS), like SQL Server, Sybase, and Oracle, are specially built to process requests from the clients (the desktops) with lightening speed, and deliver a small, but extremely focused set of data to the user. In an accounting application, this might mean only the data relating to one client at a time, or it might mean a summary (and only the summary) of a region's sales and profitability over the last year.

Information is gathered from the user or presented to the user through the front end. This user interface may be designed in Visual Basic, Java, or other language, or, in the case of applications where data is delivered over the web (internet, intranet, or extranet) the browser may be used if the interface is not too complex. More recent developments in the C# and .NET platforms have considerably expanded interaction possibilities over the net.

While those just mentioned platforms refer to the user interface layer of the application, the programming instructions which drives the back end database manager are embodied in stored procedures on the server. These routines, which may at times be quite complex, are written in the language of the DBMS, and may be used to manipulate data, user security, to ensure data integrity, send emails, produce complex reports, and so on. The capabilities are quite sophisticated in order to allow virtually all of the processing to be accomplished before the results are transferred back to the user. This ensures the most efficient transfer of data in its most compact form over the network.

Metro NY / NJ SQL Server Consultants

If you feel our approach would be helpful to your business, call us for a free consultation (973) 635 0080 or email us at storedProcedure.com