SPA Conference session: Experiences from Implementing an Enterprise ASP.Net Application

One-line description:Describes the presenter’s experiences of using ASP.Net, C# and Oracle to deliver Unilever’s SHE (Safety, Health and Environment) web-based global Intranet system (1100 sites in 120 countries)
 
Session format: Case study (75 mins) [read about the different session types]
 
Abstract:ASP.Net, C# and Oracle are well established as reliable technologies on which to build web-based systems and, although widely adopted, detailed case studies on their usage on major projects are not well publicised. So what is it like to take real business requirements for a world-wide Intranet application (1100 Unilever sites in 120 countries) and deliver a suitable system in these technologies? Did these environments assist or ‘hinder’ development?

This session will summarise the presenter’s experiences of using ASP.Net and Oracle to deliver such a system. In particular it will cover:

• Brief summary of the project, timescales (12 months for version 1), business requirements, design approaches and tools adopted. Measurements of success.
• Key problems and technical challenges
• Data modelling using ERWIN and mapping to Oracle (120 tables).
• Architecture chosen (both logically and physically)
• ASP.Net/C# code examples
• ‘Tips and tricks’ adopted in the project, in particular:
- Data caching in the middle tier for performance
- Handling ‘data entry heavy’ web forms, viewstate and ‘bulk’ database updates. Related usability issues.
- Avoiding database ‘chit-chat’ – adopting ‘chunky’ calls via ODP.Net
- Catering for low-bandwidth Countries - offline data entry alternatives and reuse of business and data layer classes
- Keeping the ‘3-tiers’ loosely coupled
- Mapping C# classes to Oracle stored procedures
- Workflow management and ownership
- Exception handling, logging and monitoring, including regional information, browser platforms and window sizing. Stats obtained.
- Reporting and denormalising of the data for performance
- Standardising libraries for code reuse in other teams
- Automated stress testing of the application using Application Centre Test (ACT).
• Was it a success or did it all fail miserably?

Throughout the session, the presenter will highlight the pros and cons of ASP.Net and Oracle for solving the problem, along with various lessons learned.

Participants will have the opportunity to gain from the presenter’s real life experience when building such a system. Questions and active discussion will be encouraged.

 
Audience background:- Some familiarity with web-based system development, including ASP.Net, coding and relational databases, will be beneficial
- Relevant in particular to software developers, but has some to offer project managers, systems analysts and architects.
 
Benefits of participating:- Gain practical insight into the implementation of Enterprise level web-based systems, and the pros and cons of the toolset adopted
- Gain hints and tips on building ASP.Net systems
 
Materials provided:A set of slides summarising the key points, with examples. Demonstrations and/or screenshots will also form part of the presentation.
 
Process:Will be presentation lead, with screenshots and code examples. Audience involvement, via Q&A, will be encouraged.
 
Detailed timetable:
 
Outputs:- Pertinent points raised and recorded during Q&A
- Suggestions and feedback from participants on approaches adopted by the presenter, and other solutions put forward.
- Slides from the presentation.
 
History:New
 
Presenters
1. Dave Clarke
Visualize Systems Ltd
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