Server Side vs. Client Side SQL

The fastest way to deploy internet ready client server applications is to use ASTA's client side SQL. This allows you to use ASTA servers unchanged and to write ASTA client applications much the same way you would code normal 2 tier fat client applicatons.

If your existing BDE applications have TQueries on data modules then you simply need do a Save As and create a new data module. Then replace all the TQueries with TAstaClientDataSets and the TDatabase with a TAstaClientSocket. If your application already has good client/server manners then you should be able to ASTA'cize your application very quickly.

N-tier programming purists believe that there should be NO SQL on the client and all the "business rules" should be defined on the server. ASTA supports this also with TAstaProviders, TAstaBusinessObjectsManagers and ASTA messaging. This allows you to deploy ASTA clients that use NO SQL but merely point to either a TAstaProvider on an ASTA server or a server side method.

To use ASTA server side components you must of course code an ASTA server, so development time may be greater than with client side SQL. However there are other benefits to deploying clients with NO SQL in that the client application need not change with modifications only made to the server.