How many DNN installs use a database other than SQL Server?  I already have a data access methodology that I use for .net applications, and I would rather not use the DNN DAL or DAL+ methodology for creating modules that I may sell.  It seems to me that most module developers only support SQL server anyway.  Why go through the trouble for the .01% of the people who may use your module on something other than SQL Server?

Am I off base?

Thanks,
Mike

Mike,
Ultimately the choice is yours as a module developer whether to support other databases or not. However I will point out that the model that DNN has chosen for the DAL allows for the flexibility of other databases to be able to work with your module. In general, although you may not see modules for say Oracle (which DNN does work on btw), there are a lot of customers out there who are happy with the SQL Server version of the module but want to use it with say Oracle. In these types of scenarios, it is crucial that the module was developed using the DAL method proposed by the core, otherwise it is very hard to convert these modules to work with other databases.
You wouldn't know today how important your module might be to a potential Oracle user, but once you've developed it, it would be as easy to create the oracle version of the module and this might lead to another potential customer for you who may have not even considered your module.

I have received and converted several modules now to work against Oracle which were originally written for only SQL Server. Due to the fact that the module developers kept to the DAL Provider model, it was relatively painless in creating the oracle version of the module.

Sanjay

 

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Unless you need your module to support multiple database, then I agree with everyone else (why go throug all the trouble using DAL).  The choice is yours, but if only supporting SQL Server will not hurt your bottome line due to lost of customers that is what matters.