Introducing the ASPxGridView... The Answer to Your ASP.NET Grid Concerns

Introducing Developer Express's New ASPxGridView, drop into your project and suddenly:

• Blazing Fast Load and Response Times !
  
• Lightweight - Low Memory Profile !!
  
• XHTML v1.0 Compliant for Cross-Browser support
• Microsoft AJAX Compatible
• Easy to Configure and Use
• Powerful Templates Customization
• Speed (Worth mentioning twice)
  

Background, It all started with your comments

By now, you may have already heard about the Fantastic new ASP.NET Web Grid, the ASPxGridView. If not, then here is a brief history that may interest you...

So after taking a good hard look around the marketplace, we decided that there was still room for improvement. Although at the time we didn't realize how much room. We had a decent solution but we're never satisfied with just decent. So it was back to the drawing board.

Your Concerns and Problems

The major web grid problems that you reported were:

• Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX support
• Proper CSS support
• XHTML rendering
  
• Performance
• Reliability
  

Among these issues, you said that the biggest of your concerns was the Performance and Reliability factor of many web grids. If you have a 100,000 record table that requires sorting, grouping, summaries, etc., then you want the grid to react quickly without taking out huge chunks of processor time or memory on your web servers. You and your users expect a web grid to behave smoothly without costly and annoying postbacks.

The R&D Devs

In listening to your concerns, our R&D team made it clear that to build a proper web grid, one that is capable of such feats, we would have to start from scratch. Build it from the ground up using nothing but the .NET Framework v2.0 technologies and also our existing proven shared libraries. This is was only way to address your concerns for performance and features. You wanted a grid that is capable of being dropped on the form and ready for action without any code. This was only going to be possible by starting fresh.

WHAT, A New Grid?

To understand why it's necessary, you have to look at how most third party web grids have evolved. Most started with the Server-side implementation. Next came the client-side version. Finally, AJAX entered the picture and yet another layer was added to most of these grids. These cycles usually occurred over several years and due to several factors, most web grids lost their way. Inconsistencies, incompatiblities, etc.

We weren't excluded from this category either. So the tough but correct decision was made to create the best web grid that would take into consideration all the issues from the start. With your high expectations and goals in mind, we embarked on the risky venture.

Our Experience + Hard-work = Success for You

The moment you first drop the grid and bind it to some datasource, your first impression will probably be, "wow, this is fast". Imagine how excited your users will be when they see the improvements you've made to the project just by changing the key data representation tool that is used.

You'll immediately notice that everything is setup as callbacks out-of-the-box. There won't be any need from you to look for a property that is hidden somewhere. You'll find that the properties and API have been vastly improved. 

You'll feel good knowing that the grid meets all the requirements and high expectations you've been looking for. You won't have to ask if there are problems working with Microsoft's Update Panel or ASP.NET AJAX because at the heart of the ASPxGridView, the same Microsoft callbacks technology is used.

You can rest assured that the CSS support has been thoughtfully designed to make it easier for you to maintain and implement styles and themes.

Lastly, you'll be amazed when you realize that with the ASPxGridView and our included XPO technology, you can manage LARGE datasets WITH EASE. You can feel the difference because instead of waiting minutes to sort a 300,000 record table, the ASPxGridView will sort it in as little as 2 seconds.

You're in exclusive company

We're not too shy to say that the ASPxGridView's capabilities are unmatched by any other grid in the ASP.NET marketplace. With the ASPxGridView, you can handle large datasets, do true grouping, accurate summaries, enjoy cross-browser support, fast custom lightweight viewstates, and much more.

Test drive the new ASPxGridView and see for yourself just how good it is.

Here are the online demos that we hope you hack at to your heart's content.

Or better yet, you can download our latest DXperience v2007 Volume 2 and create a project for yourself against your own database. If you don't think the ASPxGridView is easy to setup and get going on then let me know. I want to hear your thoughts because that is how the ASPxGridView was originally born and that is how it will improve.

Tell me more

In the coming posts, I'll highlight some specifics of the ASPxGridView that are key advantages and benefits.

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