When using an ORM one of the first questions users have is: But how is my data accessed? OpenAccess uses a technique called Enhancement to augment the compiler generated code. It works like as if the compiler had weaved in some additional code - much like the AOP people are doing it. The added code allows to provide the application with the needed management, lazy loading and change tracking capabilities. Because the code is compiled, there is no need to use reflection and therefore guarantees you a speedy access to your data. Your database data just comes into the objects as...

This is a refresh of an older blog that demonstrates Telerik OpenAccess ORM working together with Ado.net Data Services and SilverLight. This time we updated the client-side a bit, using our RadControls for SilverLight. Since some of the steps are basically the same as in the previous example don’t be surprised if you find something familiar.   We are continuously investing into better LINQ support for our product, and this is just we need to plug into the Ado.net Data Services framework.   Now let’s get to the application! Firstly we have to build our data model. To do so add a library project to the...

Hello, by means of introduction, my name is Alexander Filipov and I am working as a developer for the Telerik OpenAccess team. In my first post I would like to share some thoughts about using Telerik OpenAccess ORM in advanced n-tier web applications. Undoubtedly, the main goal in such architectures is to lose-couple the tiers from each other, so the code is modular and easier to maintain. Here comes the question how Telerik OpenAccess ORM fits into this scenario and which are the layers that it should be used in. The optimal approach is to have not...

RadFormDecorator might be one of the lesser-known controls in the RadControls for ASP.NET AJAX suite, yet it is a control that can eliminate much of the hassle and greatly reduce the time needed for completing the look and feel of a Web solution. What the control does is decorate elements that are usually rendered by the browser, such as buttons, checkboxes, radiobuttons, fieldsets, etc. It just so happens that this product can be used for free - as it is one of the goodies that Telerik provides for the whole ASP.NET community out there! As of Q2 2009, the RadFormDecorator will feature a new - faster and more flexible- rendering, as...

Telerik OpenAccess ORM uses a set of templates to generate classes from a database schema. These templates are nothing special but class definitions with a lot of placeholders that are being replaced with real values to produce buildable source code. Using templates gives us the ability to fully customize our reverse mapped classes. I am going to demonstrate how we can edit the templates so the generated classes will implement the INotifyPropertyChanging and INotifyPropertyChanged interfaces. All class-generating templates take place in the “C:\Program Files\Telerik\OpenAccess ORM\sdk\IDEIntegrations\templates\PCClassGeneration” directory. Navigate to it and open the “default.vm” file under the “\cs\templates\classgen\class” subfolder. This...