This is a follow-up to a question I asked about a week ago (where Bonnie gave me some good answers).

We're building a .NET app using Winforms for remote users, a Web Service, a middle-tier layer, and SQL Server. The UI is very 'rich', and we pass datasets back and forth to the Web Service [which passes them on to the appropriate middle-tier function]. The datasets that we pass 'up' contain 'packaged' information on user selections for reports, data that users have added/changed [for INSERTS/UPDATES], etc. The datasets that get passed 'down' are usually formatted results of queries [for user grids, lists, or reports that are run at the remote end].

So the remote end [presentation layer] passes datasets up, and receives datasets down.

We've been told to look at .NET 'remoting' and 'marshalling'. It's been suggested that this is faster and more efficient than sending and receiving datasets. I haven't been able to find much relevant information. Admittedly, I always thought that when the remote end sends a dataset to the Web Service [and then receives one back], it's essentially XML 'under the hood'.

Any thoughts/recommendations? Are we currently doing it along the lines of 'best practices', or is .NET remoting a better idea [and how could it apply to our situation]?

Thanks,
Kevin