Re: How to design an ASP.NET app

From: Kevin Spencer (kspencer_at_takempis.com)
Date: 06/02/04 

Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 10:17:50 -0400

Hi MattC,

The word "Cache" is a generic term for any memory storage device, including
RAM, HD, etc. So, there is no such thing as "the Cache" in any .Net
application. There are several caching mechanisms which you can leverage for
in-memory caching, including the Application Cache, which is global to the
entire application, and to all users. There is also Session State. Session
State is a cache which is user/Session-specific. In addition, you can use
Cookies, which are text files stored on the client machine, and require no
server memory, for user-specific data that can persist beyond the current
Session, and last for as long as you wish. Cookies cannot store a very large
amount of data, and pose some security risk (don't store sensitive data in
Cookies, which can be read by any text editor on the client machine). On a
per-page basis, you can persist data across PostBacks by using ViewState,
which literally writes serializable data into a hidden form field on the
HTML document sent to the client, and reads it when the page Posts Back.

If you use Session State for caching, be careful of how much data you store
there, as there is a separate Session memory space for every concurrent
user.

And, of course, there is the good old method of storing data in a database,
which is not as fast as memory, but can hold a heck of a lot of data for as
long as you like. 

-- 
HTH,
Kevin Spencer
.Net Developer
Microsoft MVP
Big things are made up
of lots of little things.
"MattC" <m@m.com> wrote in message
news:upZkz1ISEHA.556@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> I'm designing a simple time*** system,  I have done ASP sites before but
> the bulk of my work is in VC++ systems.
>
> I have have started with a list of classes that represent business objects
> within the application.  However, as persisiting these objects is
> performance expensive in the ASP.NET model.  What would be too large to
> place in the Cache, I was thinking of putting all of the current users
> details, username, department, etc.
>
> Am I right in assuming that the Cache is a per-user resource?
>
> Also previously I have created a standard class that control access to the
> database.  Then if any of my business logic classes require the DB they
> simply use this class.  Is this paradigm applicable in an ASP.NET app?
>
> Any advice would be welcome.
>
> MattC
>
>