Building Web Services with .NET 2.0: Hands-On

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Web services? Web services are one of the most exciting developments of the Internet age and the keystone of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). This technology allows computer applications to communicate with each other, regardless of platform, location, or device. Examples of Web services currently available include the Google API, Amazon and MapPoint services. What is this course about? In this course, you learn how to build distributed applications using Web services with Visual Studio 2005. You rapidly create scalable and secure applications for use in a corporate environment. You also examine standard protocols, including SOAP and WSDL, used by Web services. Other topics covered include security and the processing of XML data. Who will benefit from this course? Application developers and programmers who need to develop distributed multitier applications using Web services Consultants and software engineers planning enterprise applications using the Microsoft .NET platform Analysts and system architects who need to learn the architecture and capabilities of scalable components Administrators and managers who need to understand the tools and technologies behind Web services What background do I need? This is a programming course, so familiarity with Visual Basic 2005, C#, Java or another modern programming language is assumed. For example, you should know how to: Write and call a function in code Pass parameters Evaluate conditions and execute loops How much XML does this course cover? This course covers the essentials of XML needed to process a standard XML document, as well as the use of XML namespaces for Web services. You learn how to use the .NET System.Xml class libraries to create and process XML data. No prior knowledge of XML is required. How do Web services in .NET differ from other Web services? Web services are standards-based, so they will not differ. There are alternative tools and languages available for building Web services other than Microsoft's .NET development platform. I use Visual Studio .NET 2003. Will this course be valuable to me? Yes. Web services in Visual Studio 2005 are very similar to those created with VS.NET 2003. You will be able to apply the skills from this course to create Web services with VS.NET 2003. I'm using Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5. Will this course be valuable to me? In this case, we recommend that you take Course 513, Windows® Communication Foundation (WCF): Creating .NET 3.5 Web Services. WCF is designed to replace Web services for development with .NET 3.0 and .NET 3.5. What is WCF and is it covered in this course? Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is a unified messaging technology that is designed to replace Web services and .NET Remoting for applications developed with .NET 3.0 and 3.5. This course provides minimal coverage of WCF to demonstrate security features of Web services. For more complete coverage of WCF, it is recommended that you take Course 513, Windows® Communication Foundation (WCF): Creating .NET 3.5 Web Services. How is this course different than Course 513? Course 513, Windows® Communication Foundation (WCF): Creating .NET 3.5 Web Services, implements the .NET Framework 3.0 extensions, including Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), which allow developers to build a variety of distributed systems such as Web services and binary remoting using a uniform, high-level approach. Furthermore, WCF allows development of Web services implementing the existing standards (WS-*) as well as a variety of other kinds of connected systems. Course 508 details the development of Web services using techniques as defined by the .NET Framework 2.0. Will I learn about SOAP? WSDL? Yes. SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) and WSDL (Web Services Description Language) use XML to provide an industry standard for describing information. SOAP describes the format in which messages are sent to and from Web services. WSDL describes what a Web service can do. You use the protocol and Visual Studio 2005 to describe and publish Web services. How is ASP.NET covered in this course? ASP.NET is part of the .NET Framework that uses the IIS Web server to deliver Web applications and ASP.NET Web services. In this course, we discuss and use ASP.NET's processing architecture and build a simple ASP.NET Web site to present the Weblog. How much time is spent on each topic? Content Hours Introduction to Web services 3.0 SOAP essentials 4.0 XML programming in .NET 3.0 Configuring Web services 3.0 Constructing scalable Web services 3.5 Web service client applications 4.0 Securing Web services 3.5 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. How much of the course is hands-on? Approximately 40 percent of the course is dedicated to hands-on exercises, which are presented in both C# and Visual Basic 2005. You create and integrate an online blogging (Weblog) application comprising of a central Web service that is accessed by Windows and Web Form clients. What is .NET Remoting and how is it covered in this course? .NET Remoting is a platform-specific technology used to connect a client application to a remote component. In the .NET platform, Microsoft has provided developers with a choice of mechanisms, allowing both the channel and format to be specified. In this course, you explore Web services using ASP.NET. Remoting is not covered in this course. I'm developing an e-commerce application. Is this course for me? Yes. Web services have revolutionized business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce by using standard technologies-WSDL, SOAP and XML-to exchange business data between trading partners. Web services are replacing older, more expensive technologies such as EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). How is this course different from Course 424? Course 424, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA): A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction, focuses on the high-level architectural and management issues involved in designing an SOA, such as coordinating communication among services. Course 508 focuses on the specifics of building a scalable service architecture using .NET, processing XML and securing messages. Does this course help me prepare for the Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) and the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer for .NET (MCSD) certifications? Yes. This course includes material that helps you prepare for Microsoft exam 70-310: Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework, and Microsoft exam 70-320: Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft Visual C# .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework, cores in both Microsoft certifications. Why should I take this course instead of one offered by Microsoft? Learning Tree is dedicated to helping accelerate the careers of our clients by providing them with world-class technology and management training. Our independence from Microsoft (and any other vendor) allows us to give an unbiased view of what works and what does not. This course is objective in its approach, having been developed independently from Microsoft by industry experts who bring their real-world experience to the classroom. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? 503, Visual Basic® 2008 Programming: Hands-On  974, Programming LINQ with Visual Basic® Extended Features: Hands-On  419, C# Programming: Hands-On  973, Programming LINQ and C# Extended Features: Hands-On  506, Programming Scalable Web Applications with .NET and ASP.NET AJAX: Hands-On  509, Programming Windows® and Smart Client Applications with .NET: Hands-On  511, .NET Best Practices and Design Patterns: Hands-On  512, Developing ASP.NET Web Applications: Hands-On  513, Windows® Communication Foundation (WCF): Creating .NET 3.5 Web Services  514, Windows® Workflow Foundation (WF): Hands-On  577, Building XML Web Services with Java: Hands-On

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