Data processing at the client or server

Question

Hello everyone,

I need your suggest about data processing. My server is a data server (using SQL Server 2005). And my client will get data from the server, and display them on windows.

Server and client is on internet (not LAN). So, time to get client is depended on the data's size and internet speed.

Assume: the SQL Server has a table with 2 column (Value and Change), the client will get data from this table (store in a datatable) and display them on a datagridview with 3 columns: Value, Change, and ChangePercent.

Note: ChangePercent = Change/Value;

I have a question: data in ChangePercent field should be calculated at server or client?

If I do at the server, the server will be overhead if there are a lot of clients. Moreover, the data returns to clients is greater (data of 3 fields).

If I do on the client, the client will only get data with 2 fields (Value & Change). Data in column ChangePercent will be calculated at client.

P/S: the connection between client and server is across a .net remoting. Client is a winform C# 2.0.

Thanks.

Answer 1

I would suggest using Method #2: Send 2 fields and let the third being calculated by the client. The relative amount of calculation is very small for the client.

Answer 2

Go with calculation on the client. Almost certainly the calculation will be faster than it takes to get the extra field over the line, apart from the fact that business logic shouldn't be calculated on a database server anyway.

Assuming that all variables will be of the same type, you needlessly increase your data transfer with 33% when calculating on the server. This matters only for large result sets obviously.

Answer 3

I don't think it matters where you do it, a division operation won't be too much of an overhead for either the server or the client. But consider that you have to write code on the client to handle a very simple operation that can be handled on the server.

EDIT: you can make a test table with, say, 1.000.000 records and see the actual execution time with the division and without it.