With Perst, Silverlight gains embedded database

ISSAQUAH, USA: McObject announced it has successfully ported Perst, its open source, object-oriented embedded database system, to Microsoft’s Silverlight technology for building rich Web applications.

With Perst for .NET, developers using Silverlight can now include true database management system (DBMS) features in their rich Web client applications, including adding persistence to this data by storing it on local file systems said a press release.

Having an embedded database solution such as Perst can help increase the overall Silverlight user experience, by ensuring work continuity regardless of connection state. Data stored in Perst can exceed the storage size limit initially imposed on Silverlight applications, although for security reasons, permission from the Web application user is required for this.

Permitting substantial amounts of locally stored data makes Perst a logical choice for Silverlight-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) and other hosted applications that need a database to support users’ work on ongoing projects.

Microsoft has also positioned Silverlight as a platform for rich Internet applications on smartphones and other mobile devices. “Perst’s strengths, including its small footprint, rich data management features, successful track record in a variety of mobile applications, and freely available source code, give it an edge to become the de facto embedded database system for Silverlight client software targeting mobile devices,” said Steve Graves,  CEO, McObject.

"Now that Silverlight 3 supports installation of applications locally on the desktop, we can add the option of caching some data locally, in addition to being a locally installed visualization and interaction layer to cloud-based services, or a rich disconnected gadget. And McObject’s Perst embedded database presents a really compelling solution to help with managing the data," said David Chou, an architect at Microsoft.

"This is especially important for out-of-browser and locally installed applications, as one of their primary benefits is to support off-line usage. Having a database management solution such as Perst can help increase the overall robustness of the user experience, by ensuring work continuity regardless of connection state," Chou said.

“The Perst embedded database meshes perfectly with Silverlight 3’s out-of-the-browser capability, which is a real plus in many applications. I think that anyone who needs offline data access in their Silverlight applications should be using this product!” said Tim McCarthy, a software architect and engineer, published author and expert on Microsoft .NET technologies.

Released in 2007, Silverlight has rapidly gained a developer following for its ability to provide high quality graphics and multimedia, animation and audio-video playback. The technology centers on the free Silverlight Web browser plug-in. Programmers access this plug-in and create interactive Web applications using tools that are part of, or are compliant with, the Microsoft .NET Framework.