Choosing a DataWindow technology

Since DataWindow technology can be used in different environments, it might not be obvious what approach you should take to implement your data-enabled application. This section describes the DataWindow technologies available for the basic application architectures and the requirements for each DataWindow solution.

The basic architectures are:

  • Client/server

    A program running on a client workstation accesses a database running on a server. The user interface and business logic reside together on the client computer.

  • Distributed application

    The user interface on the client computer calls components on a middle-tier server, which execute business logic and access the database server.

  • Web application

    A client Web browser sends requests for HTML or JSP documents to a Web server. The Web server passes control to a page or application server, where server-side scripts can access components on a transaction server that can connect to databases on a database server.

Solutions for client/server and distributed applications

The PowerBuilder DataWindow was initially developed for use in client/server applications.

You can implement the PowerBuilder DataWindow as a control that displays a DataWindow object or as a DataStore that supports data retrieval and update without displaying the data. A complete set of events and methods programmed in PowerScript provides control over all aspects of the DataWindow, including data retrieval, display, validation, and update.

You can also deploy the PowerBuilder DataWindow as a component for use in distributed applications.

For more information, see PowerBuilder DataWindow control.