NorthwindCommunity Wiki & Documentation Rss Feed

Updated Wiki: Home

jwanageladmin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:02:56 GMT

Project Description
A community supported sample database for use in demos that talk to databases.

The Northwind Database needs a facelift. You know, this is the Products, Categories, Suppliers, yada yada yada sample database that you've been seeing in Microsoft demos since the beginning of time. (FYI, the beginning of time was about 1997. Maybe earlier. ;) )

Why do we use it? Because it's there. Because it's easy, it exists, and it takes two seconds to install. It's full of good sample data that has international characters. It has a few views and a few sprocs and it's easy to grok.

Now, some folks don't like Microsoft's (often) focus on "Database Driven Development," and I'm basically Switzerland at this point. Consider me neutral because I've done it both ways, both Domain Driven and Database Driven. With an ORM and without. I'm not 100% convinced either way and I like to have choice. Plus, when I'm showing some technology that is talking to a Database or to POCO (Plain Ol' CLR Objects) I still need good sample data to pull from. Thus, the Northwind Database lives on.

We aim to extend Northwind and create a more interesting sample database then whoever wants to can build good examples of things like NHibernate, LINQ to SQL or Whatever,

Requirements

Complex enough to be called Real World but simple enough that someone could "get it" in 5-10 minutes
In a familiar Domain Space that makes sense to folks all over the world
Has a decent amount of sample data with strings that are more than just [a-z|A-Z|0-9]

Deliverable(s)

Have a single .SQL file that one can run and immediately get a working database
Sample Code for any of a number of Database access patterns, ORMs, whatever. This might require a few subtle versions.

We need:

A Project Manager (probably best if it's not me)
Modelers, Sample Code Writers
Sample Data Creators
Documentation Person
Release Manager

Who's with me?

Updated Wiki: Home

shanselman — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:37:59 GMT

Complex enough to be called Real World but simple enough that someone could "get it" in 5-10 minutes
In a familiar Domain Space that makes sense to folks all over the world
Has a decent amount of sample data with strings that are more than just a-zA-Z

Deliverable(s)

Have a single .SQL file that one can run and immediately get a working database
Sample Code for any of a number of Database access patterns, ORMs, whatever. This might require a few subtle versions.

We need:

A Project Manager (probably best if it's not me)
Modelers, Sample Code Writers
Sample Data Creators
Documentation Person
Release Manager

Who's with me?

UPDATED WIKI: Home

shanselman — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:24:32 GMT

Project Description
A community supported sample database for use in demos that talk to databases.

I'm just sick of Northwind. Sick to death of the Northwind Database. You know, this is the Products, Categories, Suppliers, yada yada yada sample database that you've been seeing in Microsoft demos since the beginning of time. (FYI, the beginning of time was about 1997. ;) )

Why do we use it? Because it's there. Because it's easy, it exists, and it takes two seconds to install. It's full of good sample data that has international characters. It has a few views and a few sprocs and it's wholly harmless.

Now, some folks don't like Microsoft's (often) focus on "Database Driven Development," and I'm basically Switzerland at this point. Consider me neutral because I've done it both ways, both Domain Driven and Database Driven. With an ORM and without. I'm not 100% convinced either way and I like to have choice.

Plus, when I'm showing some technology that is talking to a Database or to POCO (Plain Ol' CLR Objects) I still need good sample data to pull from. Thus, the Northwind Virus continues.

And I hate it with the heat of a thousand suns.

There are others I could use, like AdventureWorks and its variants and specifically the AdventureWorksLT example is pretty lightweight, but still it doesn't quite turn me on.

I suspect, though, that if we (the community) took a few weeks, did some Skype conference calls, assigned some tasks, brainstormed and did it, we could come up with NotNorthwind. The Lazy Web, the Web of Clay Shirkey, .NET Flash Mobs included, could create a sample database, (we can argue about whether to start in the middle or in the db in the first meeting) as well as some good examples of things like NHibernate, LINQ to SQL or Whatever,

Requirements

Complex enough to be called Real World but simple enough that someone could "get it" in 5-10 minutes
In a familiar Domain Space that makes sense to folks all over the world
Has a decent amount of sample data with strings that are more than just a-zA-Z

Deliverable(s)

Have a single .SQL file that one can run and immediately get a working database
Sample Code for any of a number of Database access patterns, ORMs, whatever. This might require a few subtle versions.

We need:

A Project Manager (probably best if it's not me)
Modelers, Sample Code Writers
Sample Data Creators
Documentation Person
Release Manager

Who's with me?

UPDATED WIKI: Home

shanselman — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:21:10 GMT

Complex enough to be called Real World but simple enough that someone could "get it" in 5-10 minutes
In a familiar Domain Space that makes sense to folks all over the world
Has a decent amount of sample data with strings that are more than just a-zA-Z

Deliverable(s)

Have a single .SQL file that one can run and immediately get a working database
Sample Code for any of a number of Database access patterns, ORMs, whatever. This might require a few subtle versions.

We need:

A Project Manager (probably best if it's not me)
Modelers, Sample Code Writers
Sample Data Creators
Documentation Person
Release Manager

Who's with me?

UPDATED WIKI: Home

shanselman — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:20:59 GMT

Complex enough to be called Real World but simple enough that someone could "get it" in 5-10 minutes
In a familiar Domain Space that makes sense to folks all over the world
Has a decent amount of sample data with strings that are more than just a-zA-Z

Deliverable(s)

Have a single .SQL file that one can run and immediately get a working database
Sample Code for any of a number of Database access patterns, ORMs, whatever. This might require a few subtle versions.

We need:

A Project Manager (probably best if it's not me)
Modelers, Sample Code Writers
Sample Data Creators
Documentation Person
Release Manager

Who's with me?