I have given this exact problem considerable thought and have decided that Flex Data Services (now called LCDS) is not the right solution when you simply want to couple a flex client with a back-end database.
Depending on the application, I have used the following solutions in my work: 1) HTTPService to a CGI script that queries the database and returns the result as an XML string. This is probably the easiest to get going. The primary downside with this solution is performance. 2) AMFPHP 1.9. Version 1.9 is screaming fast. There isn't much of a downside with this solution, except that it is slightly more complex than HTTPService. But there's a good tutorial out there that will get you up and running. 3) A custom server that maintains a socket connection with the Flex client. This allows me to push data to the clients, keep multiple clients synchronized (without forcing the clients to poll), etc. Obviously this solution requires the most expertise, but I've found it preferable to wrangling with FDS. --- In flexcoders@yahoogroups.com, "Scott Hoff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Ok. > > I'm clearly a beginner and I'm trying to get a grasp on the best > ways to develop applications in flex. > > The applications that I develop mostly interface with databases. I have > been really impressed with all of the information and examples of Flex > Data Services and its advantages. However, I understand that there are > licensing issues and limits on concurrent users. > > So far I can only think of three ways that you can add content to a > database from within a flex application: > > * Use HTTPService. I figure I can store the information that I > want to post and then submit it via querystring to an HTTP Service > that would then insert the record and then return an event after > the inserting was complete. If I knew it was complete, I would > then call for the datasource to be refreshed. > * Use Remote Object: In this scenario, I would use > Coldfusion/Java and Remote Objects in order to do the inserting. I > guess I would follow the same process. After a successful insert, I > would call for a new download of all of the data and the updated > dated would be populated throughout the datagrid. > * Use Flex Data Services: (I know the explanation is poor) I > would post via a proxy and upon the inserting of the information > the flex data services would then update the current applications > that a change had been made at the data would then be updated and > automatically reflected in the applications that would be using the > file. > > First of all, is this even close to a good description of the options > one has while inserting data from a flex application? > > If I don't forsee the company that I work with being able to pay > 20,000 dollars so that we can have 300+ users concurrently using flex > data services, should I automatically decide against using flex data > services? >
