VistaDB 3 is the world's first fully managed and typesafe embedded SQL database engine designed specifically for Microsoft .NET Framework, Compact Framework and Mono. VistaDB 3 lets you build fully managed and typesafe ASP.NET and WinForms database applications using any CLR compliant language, such as C# or VB.NET. Applications developed with VistaDB can run on desktops, mobile devices and web servers. VistaDB is a lightweight alternative to SQL Server for databases that do not need the Enterprise features of SQL Server 2005.
Developers building small to midsize database applications for the Microsoft .NET Framework, Compact Framework or Novell's Mono Framework should take a serious look at VistaDB 3.4. VistaDB was designed specifically for these next generation, managed and typesafe development platforms. If you need the following features in a database engine, then VistaDB is the solution for you.
SQL Server 2005 compatible data types and T-SQL syntax support lets you get up and running quickly with VistaDB by re-using existing source code and SQL statements designed for SQL Server 2005. And when it comes time to ship your software. VistaDB may be fully embedded into your EXEs and DLLs for the ultimate in hassle-free deployment using ILMerge. VistaDB's embedded architecture makes it very easy-to-use and eliminates administration hassles found in other database solutions.
Full integration into the Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio 2008 IDEs allows you to become highly productive with VistaDB very quickly. VistaDB 3 integrates directly with the Server Explorer under Visual Studio 2005 and 2008 (on both 32 and 64 bit platforms). This level of integration with Visual Studio is achieved because VistaDB is fully ADO.NET 2 compliant.
Since VistaDB is veryfiably typesafe, applications developed with VistaDB fully PEVerify and run on any CLR-compliant framework such as .NET, Compact Framework and Mono. This means that VistaDB applications run unchanged on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Sun Solaris and BSD operating systems
Build fully managed and typesafe ASP.NET and WinForms database applications that run on all .NET platforms. The small 1 MB footprint of VistaDB's single-file assembly makes it very easy to build and deploy .NET applications for desktops and web servers. VistaDB's support for ADO.NET and high degree of compatibility with SQL Server 2005 T-SQL syntax and data types make it easy for developers to reuse code designed for SQL Server. And support for Allow Partially Trusted Callers (APTC attribute) lets ASP.NET developers run applications on both shared hosting and dedicated servers. No registry or GAC access is required for deployment of the runtime assembly. Xcopy deployment for both the engine and your databases is only possible with VistaDB.
Mobile is the future, and VistaDB 3 lets developers build mobile database applications that run natively on devices with Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone and Pocket PC Editions today. The Compact Framework 2.0 (CF) is part of Windows Mobile 5.0 and VistaDB 3 includes a fully managed assembly for CF 2.0 that is less than 1 MB in size and that runs on both the PocketPC and Smartphone editions of Windows Mobile 5 and Mobile 6 Pro. The exact same VistaDB applications can run unchanged on both the Motorola Q Smartphone and Palm Treo 700w Smartphone, which run Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone Edition and Pocket PC Edition respectively.
VistaDB's support for Mono lets developers build cross-platform database
applications that run on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Sun Solaris and BSD
operating systems. In fact, the same VistaDB assembly runs on both .NET and
Mono unchanged! For example, this means that the same ASP.NET
application developed with VistaDB can run on both a Windows hosted IIS web
server and a Linux hosted Apache Web Server without changing your code to
detect the environments. VistaDB and Mono give developers endless
possibilities in building cross-platform database applications.
VistaDB 3 was not ported from our previous unmanaged VistaDB 2.x code base. Instead, VistaDB 3 was completely redesigned and redeveloped using fully managed and typesafe C# to maximize integration with the .NET Framework, Compact Framework and Mono. The core VistaDB database engine, the built-in T-SQL compatible query processor, ADO.NET Data Provider, Direct Data Access™ objects and the VistaDB data management tools are all developed in C#. The result of VistaDB's purely managed and typesafe architecture is that applications developed using VistaDB 3 fully PEVerify and can run on any CLR compliant platform. Because we are a fully managed database we fully support 64 bit Windows platforms in native 64 bit mode.
Furthermore, VB.NET developers and people using other CLR-compliant languages such as Delphi.NET and J# can use VistaDB just as easily as C# developers. There is no technical difference between using VB.NET, Delphi.NET, J#. and C# applications since all languages are equal under .NET. The only difference is language specific syntax. The compiled binary IL code produced by each language is the same. The VistaDB .NET assemblies have been tested thoroughly with C# and VB.NET and samples are included for both of these popular .NET languages.
VistaDB supports both SQL and DDA technologies with in memory databases for C# or VB.net. The database is created using only virtual memory backed filestreams in dot net. Closing the database automatically releases it from committed RAM. All features all fully supported, even multi threaded access. Please note this is not the same as a memory stream based database. Space is used in the VM swap file to allow for a file handle to be used internally. Swap space is committed using this method.