Accessing Data on your H/PC

When Handheld PC Magazine asked me to write a review of the new Pocket Access application that comes with the Professional Edition Handheld PC, I thought it would be a good opportunity to design a simple database I've been wanting for my company. I planned to discuss how the pocket version of Microsoft's Access compares to the desktop version. However, as I started to use the program, I quickly discovered that Pocket Access had more limitations than I expected. It's not that Pocket Access doesn't add value to the H/PC, it's that understanding the value is a bit more complex than I expected. In discussing the article with our Managing Editor, we agreed that this subject deserved more coverage than a single article could provide. Therefore, this is the first of a three-part series on databases for Windows CE.

In this first part, we will provide an overview of both the original Windows CE database as well as Pocket Access. We will also introduce some of the alternatives available from various third-party vendors.

In the second part, we will take a closer look at the third-party database programs which allow the end user to design their own databases, as well as a few custom database programs designed for specific applications (such as recording credit card numbers.)

Finally, in the third part, we will discuss the options available to programmers for designing custom database applications. Companies such as Oracle and Sybase have created Windows CE versions of their more powerful database engines. There is even a version of the Basic programming language that can be run on the Handheld PC (or even a P/PC.) The NS Basic program supports both the standard Windows CE database and the more powerful Pocket Access database.

The original Windows CE "database engine"

From the beginning, Windows CE had a "database engine" as an integral part of the operating system. The database engine is the core of the built-in programs that let you organize and access data; programs like Contact, Calendar and Tasks. This built-in database engine can also be used by applications developed by third-parties. Unfortunately, Microsoft did not structure things so the actual users of the H/PCs could create their own databases using this engine. I had been a long-time user of Hewlett-Packard's 200LX, a DOS-based handheld with a user-definable database program, before moving to Windows CE. The 200LX's database program was one of my most-used applications and I missed its features when I "moved up" to Windows CE.

A few companies have created programs that allow the user to design new Windows CE databases. In my opinion, the best of these is Visual CE (www.syware.com). Screen 1 shows a database of my favorite restaurants, created on the HP 200LX and ported over to my H/PC using Visual CE.