The previous chapters of this book have looked at the individual features of ASP.NET, such as web controls, data binding, configuration, and security. Powerful though they are, these features are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; the final objective is to figure out how to put them together to create the big picture.
This chapter will explain how to use ASP.NET to create a simple n- tier e-commerce application that is scalable, yet still relatively simple to code and understand. Along the way, the chapter will discuss and review:
How to design and write an n-tier e-commerce application on the .NET platform
Using HTML form-based authentication to secure an e-commerce application
Scalability considerations when creating an e-commerce site that must scale in a web farm
Using business objects to encapsulate business logic and data access
Using 'code behind' to share common page logic