“Developing Database Business
Applications using VB.NET”
Curriculum class designed and written by
Ernest Bonat, Ph.D., President
Visual WWW, Inc.
Overview
Microsoft .NET Framework technology is a radical new strategy and computer-programming platform developed for today’s world of Database Desktop and Internet Applications Development. Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET) is an integral part of .NET framework, which was built from the ground up. VB.NET is a totally new compiler with a complete OOP support. This feature will simplify programming code, decrease development time and significantly increase code reusability and application maintainability. The introduction of XML Web Services opens a new era of Internet web application development and software distribution. The development of Windows applications using VB.NET is inevitable. This intensive VB.NET course will provide you with a solid foundation for building critical business applications.
Why VB.NET?
As Microsoft posted at the VB web site, here are 10 reasons why you should upgrade and start using VB.NET. (http://msdn.microsoft.com/vbasic/productinfo/topten/upgrade.asp)
1 Seamless Deployment
Visual Basic .NET solves the most pressing issues around Windows-based application deployment and makes "DLL Hell" and component versioning issues a thing of the past. New XCOPY deployment enables developers to install a Windows-based application simply by copying files to a directory. With Visual Basic .NET and new auto-download deployment, Windows-based applications can be installed and executed simply by pointing a Web browser to a URL.
2 More Robust Code
Visual Basic .NET delivers the feature most requested by existing Visual Basic developers—fewer bugs in the code they write. Features in the new Visual Studio .NET IDE, such as the real-time background compiler and the task list, keep Visual Basic developers up-to-date on any coding errors as they occur, enabling quick and effective error resolution. Enhancements to the Visual Basic language, such as strict type checking and structured exception handling, enable developers to write code that is more robust, maintainable, and less prone to run-time errors.
3 Powerful Windows-based Applications
Visual Basic .NET is the most productive tool for constructing powerful Microsoft Windows®-based applications. The new Windows Forms Designer enables developers to get their desktop applications to market in less time. New features include control anchoring and docking to eliminate the need for complex resize code, the in-place menu editor to deliver WYSIWYG menu creation, and the tab order editor to provide rapid application development (RAD) organization of controls.
4 Powerful, Flexible Data Access
Visual Basic .NET provides developers with both the ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) data access programming model that they know and love, plus the new XML-based Microsoft ADO.NET. With ADO.NET, developers gain access to more powerful components, such as the DataSet control and a new, strongly typed programming model that provides Microsoft IntelliSense® statement completion within data access code.
5 Simplified Component Creation
Visual Basic .NET brings RAD to component development. Developers can use non-visual toolbox and server explorer components to easily incorporate resources such as message queues, event logs, and performance counters into their applications without writing a single line of code.
6 Enhanced Control Creation
Visual Basic .NET provides unprecedented flexibility in building customized user controls. Developers can easily extend preexisting user controls and Windows Forms controls as well as design their own controls that generate custom user interfaces. 7 Complete, Direct Access to the Platform
Visual Basic .NET provides complete, direct access to the Microsoft .NET Framework, enabling Visual Basic developers to quickly access the registry, event log,
performance counters, and file system. Visual Basic .NET also eliminates the need for declares statements for access to the operating system. In addition, the new Windows service project template enables rapid application development of real Microsoft Windows NT® Services.
8 Integrated Reporting with Crystal Reports
Upgrading to Visual Studio .NET Professional Edition (or later) provides Visual Basic developers with the power of Crystal Reports directly within the IDE. Crystal Reports delivers the most productive, integrated, and RAD experience for creating highly graphical and interactive relational data reports. These reports can be generated for the entire array of Visual Basic .NET application types, including Windows, Web and mobile applications.
9 Easy Web-based Application Development
Visual Basic .NET delivers "Visual Basic for the Web." Using new Web Forms, you can easily build true thin-client Web-based applications that intelligently render on any browser and on any platform. Web Forms deliver the RAD programming experience of Microsoft Visual Basic® 6.0 forms with the full power of Visual Basic .NET rather than limited scripting capacity. The new HTML designer delivers IntelliSense statement completion for HTML tags and the separation of user interface (UI) and
code enable more efficient team-based development. 10 Existing Investments Carry Forward
Visual Basic .NET enables developers to leverage their existing investments in code and skills. Windows Forms provides a robust container for Microsoft ActiveX® controls. Component Object Model (COM) Interoperability provides bi-directional communication between existing Visual Basic applications and those written with Visual Basic .NET. The upgrade wizard enables developers to seamlessly migrate up to 95 percent of existing code to Visual Basic .NET.
Prerequisites
This course (two classes) was created for windows experienced developers who have worked with a previous version of Microsoft Visual Basic (2.0, 3.0, 4.0.5.0 and 6.0) in building Database Desktop and Internet Web Business Applications. Developers should have a good background with the following programming topics:
• Microsoft Windows Development • GUI Design and Implementation
• Database Design and Implementation (MS Access and MS SQL Server) • Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
• COM/DCOM/COM+ Component Technology (ActiveX Components – EXE, OCX, and DLL Development)
• N-tier Application Design and Development • ADO Data Access
• Internet Web Development • ASP Design and Development
• XML Technology (Design, Processing and Transforming XML Documents)
Instructor: Ernest Bonat, Ph.D.
Ernest started his computer career as a programmer in 1980 using FORTRAN IV language. From 1981 to 1990 Ernest has used different variations of BASIC for mathematical simulation of technological processes applied to microelectronic and electronic industrial applications. As a pioneer of Microsoft Visual Basic (VB) technology Ernest has been developing applications since the earliest versions of VB 1.0 for DOS in 1991 and continues to develop custom Database Business Applications with version 6.0. As a Senior Software Engineer, Ernest’s skills cover the entire spectrum of the software development lifecycle including: analysis, business rule gathering, functional design, and database design (SQL Server 7.0 and 2000, Oracle 8i, IBM DB2 MVS 5.0 and Access 2000 and 2002, windows GUI design and coding implementation, testing and debugging, applying fixes, online help and user-developer documentation. Ernest has developed corporate usability and GUI guidelines for various companies and VB N-tier architecture design and implementation using DCOM/COM, COM+ and XML technology for Windows 2000 and XP. He had developed various custom ActiveX OCX components in VB 6.0 to be used in Desktop and Internet Web Applications. Ernest had been used VB.NET from
Beta 1 and continue to use it today. He is co-author of 14 VB programming articles in “Inside Microsoft Visual Basic” magazine. These articles describe innovative ways to optimize VB techniques for developing robust critical production Database Desktop and Internet Applications. Three of these papers have been published online at Microsoft Corporation VB web site as examples of good development techniques for VB developers. He provides VB mentoring, and frequently receives VB requests by e-mail from developers in North America and Latin American countries such as Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, etc. requesting his advice and expertise. He has a Ph.D. degree in Computer System Design from Kiev Polytechnical Institute, Ukraine. He also has a Ph.D. Equivalent Degree from USA, Canada and Cuba. Ernest has taught various programming courses in Cuba and Ukraine. Ernest is Faculty Member of University of Phoenix and teaches database design and implementation, Internet web programming and VB 6.0 classes for more than 2 years.
Onsite Availability and Pricing
Depending on the client requirements (location, number of students, etc) and Visual WWW, Inc. availability this will be defined in the first contact meeting.
Course Requirements
A PC or Laptop with the following software is required for this course: • Windows 2000 (SP3) or XP (SP1) Professional
• Office 2000 (SR2) or 2002 (SR2)
• VB 6.0 Enterprise or Professional Edition (SP5) • Visual Studio .NET Developer Edition 2002 and 2003 • Visio Professional Edition (SR1)
• Internet E-mail Account
• .NET Framework SP2 (free download) • WinZip 8.1 (free download)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 (free download) • SQL Server 2000 (SP3)
• SQL XML 3.0 SP1 (free download) • SOAP Toolkit 2.0 SP2 (free download)
Course Description
The course will provide hands-on documents for each class, slides presentation, examples, demonstrations and a completion certificate from Visual WWW, Inc.
Class No.1 “Developing Database Desktop Business Applications”
Duration: 5 days (8 hours per day)∗
Table Syllabus
Day Topic
1
Microsoft .NET Framework Introduction Introduction to Visual Studio .NET Getting Started with Visual Basic .NET
VB.NET Programming Language Enhancements 2
Object-Oriented Programming in VB.NET
Windows Forms Applications Design and Development 3
Building Custom Windows Controls
Automating Microsoft Office Applications in .NET Framework
4
DLL Component Development in .NET Framework
N-tier Application Design and Development in Windows Forms Applications
Windows Forms Application and Components Deployment
5
ADO.NET Object Model
Database Programming with ADO.NET
XML and ADO.NET in Windows Form Applications XML Web Services in Windows Form Applications
Windows Application Example: “Personal Contact System”
Class No.2 “Developing Database Internet Web Business Applications”
Duration: 5 days (8-hour days) ∗
Table Syllabus
Day Topic
1
Microsoft .NET Framework Introduction (if required) Introduction to Visual Studio .NET (if required) Getting Started with Visual Basic .NET
VB.NET Programming Language Upgrades
Getting Started with ASP.NET Forms (Web Forms) 2 Object-Oriented Programming in VB.NET Getting Stated with ASP.NET Object Model
Control Structures and Procedural Programming
3
ASP Server Controls
.NET Assemblies and Custom Controls
ASP.NET Web Forms Design and Development
4
DLL Component Development in .NET Framework
N-tier Application Design and Development in ASP.NET Forms Applications
ASP.NET Forms Application Deployment
5
ADO.NET Object Model (if required)
Accessing Data on the Web with ADO.NET
XML and ADO.NET in ASP.NET Forms Applications XML Web Services in ASP.NET
Internet Web Application Example: “Personal Contact System”
