Monday, December 6, 2010
Windows Phone 7 and Data Persistence - Not As Simple As You Might Think
Posted by Don Sorcinelli in "Windows Phone Developer" @ 07:00 AM
Now that users are getting their hands on Windows Phone 7 devices, many of the applications submitted to the Windows Phone Marketplace are getting their first real tests out in the field. While many of the applications are meeting or even exceeding user expectations, there have been some complaints. If you were to categorize the issues across applications, one area that seems to be a pain point among users has been some applications and their saving - or not saving - data properly, or at least to the expectation of the user.
While Microsoft has done an admirable job in explaining and detailing the process for Windows Phone 7 developers for data persistance and the Windows Phone 7 architectural model, I can't help but think that some of the messaging hasn't made it to all developers. The simple concept of ensuring that data that needs to persisted or saved can be quite complex to implement. Not taking the proper care in this matter can result in a very poor user experience and very disgruntled users.
With all the talk happening around why data is not being saved, I thought it would be a good time to discuss some helpful reminders and tips around data persistence from a Windows Phone 7 development perspective. Hopefully, these friendly reminders from "your old Uncle Don" will make your application behave a bit better and make your users a bit happier.