Hi Bonnie,

>... we serialize the DataSets into XML to pass to and from the WebService.

Are you using the GetXML() method of the dataset or are you rolling your own XML?

I just read an interesting article on the web about serializing (haven't had time to play with it yet). Instead of passing DataSets (or their XML equivalent) between tiers you pass objects serialized into xml.

(BTW, here's the link to the article: http://tiberi.us/view_article.aspx?article_id=30 )

Let's say you have a Purchase Order class with certain public properties (say, po number, po date, vendor, and an array of POLine objects that include item number, description, quantity, price.)

If you serialize an instance of that PO class to xml you can transfer it between tiers. .NET clients can just deserialize the xml back into an instance of the object (they will have to know about the PO and POLine class but there may be a way where they don't have to) whereas non-.NET clients can use the raw xml.

As I understand it remoting is .NET's idea of Distributed COM (DCOM) but communicating using HTTP, SOAP, and WSDL (again, I'm getting this from my studying and haven't been able to play with it yet.)

There's so much in .NET that my biggest problem has been staying focused on one topic at a time. I read something interesting and next thing I know half the day is gone on a sidetrack.

Roger