Online Data Access Layer Code Engine
Blocks

The benefits

About Code-Engine

Code-Engine has been online from October 2005, but its engine has been used for numerous projects within the past 5 years. Now you also can enjoy the benefits of generated code!

What does it do?

Code-Engine builds on-the-fly Data Access Layers for your SQL Server databases online. No software installation is needed! All you have to do is provide connection information to your database so Code-Engine can import its structure. If your database is not accessible from the internet, or you don't want to provide your database's login details, you can use the client tool to import the database structure.

Why was it built?

Originally, Code-Engine's predecessor (GenerationX) used to generate VB6.0 COM+ Code. Code-Engine was built to replace this software package, provide a web interface, improve flexibility and performance, and to generate code for different output languages, such as VB.Net and C#.

Why online?

There are a numberof huge benefits of having your code generated online. Consider the following:

  • You don't have to install anything
  • Enjoy updates and new templates immediately
  • Generate code anytime, anywhere
  • Access your projects from any place, and any PC
  • Share your projects with collegues
Try all this with a client-side tool!

Why use CodeEngine instead of (typed) DataSets?

This is a question I hear a lot. Because there is the possibility to generate DALs right from the Visual Studio 2005 IDE (using typed DataSets and TableAdapters), people tend to think that external tools are no longer needed. In some ways, I guess this is true. The truth is however is that the functionality that CodeEngine builds for you out-of-the-box will take you a lot of time -if even possible- to build using the DataSet designer. Think about automatically populated relational data, superfast performance, predefined queries, easy data model changes etc etc. And besides all this, who likes having SQL statements in their presentation layer? Code-Engine enables a true n-tier setup by seperating the presentation layer from the data layer, enabling you to create better and -most importantly- reusable code. In less time. Easy.

Any suggestions?

If you have any suggestions or comments, please don't hesitate to mail me, you can find my contact details here.