Data Abstract comes with a wide range of create samples across all three platforms that are built around a common middle-tier server: The PCTrade Sample Suite.

PCTrade Sample Servers are available for all three platforms (Windows Forms and WPF Versions for .NET, a VCL version for Delphi and a Mono-based server for the Mac), and can be used with a variety of databases, including a built-in SQLite database that will be available out-of-the-box as well as external database files that can be installed in Interbase/Firebird and Microsoft SQL Server. These PCTrade databases represent the data from a fictitious PC hardware distributor, including tables for Products, Customers and Orders.

The various databases are purposely designed to be different, but similar, and the sample servers, regardless of platform, use Data Abstract Schemas to expose all databases using the same structure. This way, regardless of what database you choose or what version of the sample server you are running, all client samples, for all platforms and editions, can communicate with any of the servers.

The samples ship with full source code as part of Data Abstract for .NET and Delphi, but also as pre-compiled executable that you can just run in order to start exploring the matching client projects. While production Data Abstract servers will usually run headless as a Windows Service or Unix Daemon, the sample servers are equipped with a rich user interface that lets you explore what is going on behind the scenes, as client applications perform requests. You will see new Sessions as they are started up, can observe how DA SQL or DA LINQ queries map to SQL that is run against the database, and how updates get processed and applied back to the database.

A wide range of client samples are included with each of the three editions of Data Abstract showcasing the various technologies and device platforms supported by the frameworks. The Wiki provides a thorough summary of all the available samples.