MSMQ v Database Table

Question

An existing process changes the status field of a booking record in a table, in response to user input.

I have another process to write, that will run asynchronously

Answer 1

I also like this answer from le dorfier in the previous discussion:

I've used tables first, then refactor to a full-fledged msg queue when (and if) there's reason - which is trivial if your design is reasonable.

Thanks, folks, for all the answers. Most helpful.

Answer 2

If you have MSMQ expertise, it's a good option. If you know databases but not MSMQ, ask yourself if you want to become expert in another technology; whether your application is a critical one; and which you'd rather debug when there's a problem.

Answer 3

I have recently been investigating this myself so wanted to mention my findings. The location of the Database in comparison to your application is a big factor on deciding which option is faster.

I tested inserting the time it took to insert 100 database entries versus logging the exact same data into a local MSMQ message. I then took the average of the results of performing this test several times.

What I found was that when the database is on the local network, inserting a row was up to 4 times faster than logging to an MSMQ.

When the database was being accessed over a decent internet connection, inserting a row into the database was up to 6 times slower than logging to an MSMQ.

So:

Local database - DB is faster, otherwise MSMQ is.

Answer 4

With MSMQ you can also offload the work to another server very easy by changing the location of the queue to another machine rather then the db server.

By the way, as of SQL Server 2005 there is built in queue in the DB. Its called SQL server Service Broker. See : http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms345108.aspx

Answer 5

Instead of making raw MSMQ calls, it might be easier if you implement your sevice as a queued COM+ component and make queued function calls from your client application. In the end, the asynchronous service still uses MSMQ in the background, but your code will be much clearer and easier to use.