Delphi/Kylix Database Development

The aim of this book is to teach cross-platform database programming to Delphi 6 or Kylix programmers. The book will assume the reader has a basic understanding of databases, such as what tables, rows, columns, fields, indexes, etc. are. It will also assume the reader has a working knowledge of Delphi and/or Kylix.

A thorough investigation of cross-platform database development using dbExpress will follow the introduction. Eric will cover topics ranging from setting up a database connection to single- and multi-tiered database applications. Along the way, he will present code snippets and small sample applications to illustrate the points being made. Also, a complete database application will be presented which will compile and run under either Delphi or Kylix, and will contain such discussed features as disconnected datasets.

Eric Harmon is Director of Software Development at Advanced Estimating Systems, Inc., located in Delray Beach, Florida. Advanced Estimating Systems is the developer of The EDGE, the industry standard in construction-estimating software. Eric is also a member of TPX (TurboPower experts), a volunteer group of programmers that assists the TurboPower Software company in providing support for its newsgroups. TurboPower is one of the premier providers of tools coded in Delphi for Delphi programmers. Eric was recruited by TurboPower as the original member of TPX in 1997. He has contributed Delphi- and COM-related articles to Visual Developer Magazine and is the author of the highly regarded book Delphi COM Programming (MTP/New Riders, 2000). Eric can be reached at Eric.Harmon@tpx.turbopower.com.

Dan Miser is a research and Development Project Manager for the DSP group at Borland, where he spends most of his time researching emerging technologies. Dan also worked on the Delphi R&D team where his responsibilities included DataSnap development. Dan's major focus is finding ways to allow information to be shared across boundaries, and this has allowed him to work with a variety of distributed computing technologies, including MIDAS, SOAP, DCOM, RMI, J2EE, EJB, Struts, and RDS. He has also been involved with promoting Delphi by contributing to the "Delphi x Developer's Guide," acting as a technical editor, writing magazine articles, participating on the Borland newsgroups as a member of TeamB, and speaking at BorCon on topics such as COM and MIDAS.

Ramesh Theivendran has been a member of the SQL Links research and development team since October 1995. Prior to joining Borland, Ramesh was employed as a Programmer at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB) and as a Systems Analyst in Ramco Systems, Madras, INDIA. He has over 10 years of experience in client/server tools development. Currently, he leads the database connectivity efforts at Borland in its RAD products group and serves as an architect for dbExpress. Ramesh lives in Santa Cruz, California with his wife, Aruna, and their little one, Vineha.

Philippe Bruno is the Director of Research and Development at Scanpak Inc., a firm headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, specializing in radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. Scanpak is the creator of GETS (Galley Equipment Tracking System), an asset tracking system specifically targeted to the airline industry. He is also a part-time teacher for computer-related courses in various universities and colleges in the Montreal area. Philippe has programmed in several computer languages since 1987, but Pascal and Delphi have always been his favorites. He is also a member of TPX (TurboPower experts), where he volunteers his expertise in serial communications, networks, and protocols to the service of fellow programmers in the TurboPower newsgroups.