A fast-paced course aimed at Visual FoxPro programmers who want to use SQL Server as a back-end database.

This course provides a rapid introduction to SQL Server programming for VFP developers. It covers the practical aspects of designing and building efficient SQL Server databases and integrating them with VFP applications.

What you will achieve

At the end of the course, delegates who meet the pre-requisites will be able to plan, design and create robust VFP applications that fully exploit the power of a SQL Server back end.

Pre-Requisites

To benefit from the course, you should have experience of developing applications in Visual FoxPro and be fully familiar with VFP's data-handling and querying features. You do not need any previous knowledge of SQL Server.

Course Contents

Introduction to SQL Server

How SQL Server and VFP fit together.
SQL Server tools: Enterprise Manager, Query Analyzer.
Introducing the T-SQL language.

Designing and building a database

Principles of efficient database design and deployment.
Creating databases and tables.
SQL Server data types.
Indexes and constraints.

Migrating Visual FoxPro data to SQL Server

The VFP Upsizing Wizard.
Data Transformation Services.

Using VFP as a front-end to SQL Server

Configuring data sources and connections.
Using remote views to access back-end data.
Modifying server data from within VFP.
Using SQL Pass-Through to control the server.
Error-handling.
Designing an efficient client-server application.

Programming for SQL Server

T-SQL as a procedural language.
Batches, transactions and triggers.
Using T-SQL to write stored procedures.
Executing stored procedures from within VFP; parameter passing; returned values.
Understanding system procedures.