When it comes to database for .NET, there are several options in addition to the well known ones such as SQL Server or MySQL. One of them is Matisse, a post-relational database by Matisse Software.

Why Matisse? It is the only SQL database that I know of, which is extended with complete object capabilities and natively supports .NET. It features user defined types, inheritance, polymorphism, and a simple data model with declarative constraints, etc. Over the last two years I have acquired practical knowledge of Matisse while working on several .NET projects that required complex data modeling.

While one can find press articles that provide high-level comparisons between mainstream relational databases and other products, I have not seen yet a simple step-by-step tutorial to help developers who wish to try their hand at new generation databases. I therefore resolved to publish a series of short articles to help address this void. Here is the first one.

This first article covers a quick overview of SQL programming with Matisse. The subsequent articles, coming weekly, will show how to develop database applications with .NET and ASP.NET in more detail.