Windows Azure Mobile Services

Chapter 2

Creating and Manipulating Data

IN THIS CHAPTER:

• Understand how the WAMS data model can be created using dynamic schema generation
• Learn the methods used to perform CRUD operations on a mobile service table
• Examine the sample application to see how the methods are put into action

WROX.COM CODE DOWNLOADS FOR THIS CHAPTER

The wrox.com code downloads for this chapter are found at http://www.wrox.com/go/windowsazuremobileservices on the Download Code tab. The code is in the Chapter 2 download, and individually named according to the names throughout the chapter.

Now you have a mobile service sitting out there and ready for you to use. Although a number of other features are covered as you go deeper into the book, the fundamental function of Windows Azure Mobile Services (WAMS) is to provide a mechanism for storing and retrieving data from a mobile platform. Yes, tools are available that allow push notifications to be sent out when data is modified. Yes, you can create server-side scripting to extend or validate incoming requests. Yes, it’s even possible to run tasks in Mobile Services on a scheduled basis. However, the starting point for any soup-to-nuts examination of WAMS needs to be how to create, update, and retrieve data.

The manipulation of data using WAMS is a two-step process. The first involves the creation of the data model. To be fair, this isn’t an absolute requirement. In Chapter 5 – Using REST to Access WAMS Data, you see how to retrieve data using only HTTP ...