Can a WCF Service database connection be as fast as a direct database connection

Is database connection through WCF Service slower than direct database connection by nature? Or it is a question of how to implement it?

Is there something specific that makes it impossible for a WCF service connection to be as fast as a direct one: XML-based format, transmission protocol used or something else?

My question is a rather general one, that's because I'm trying to grasp the essense of the issue. For example to understan开发者_如何学Pythond: can it be possible, in principle, that there would be no difference (regarding performance of an app) whether a database is located inside a local network or somewhere in the Cloud?

I hate saying "always" for anything, but all other things being equal, a direct connection will always be faster.

The cost of serializing/deserializing alone will create overhead.

Yeah, unless your servicing alot of clients. WCF will allow you to run as a service, a single application calling the Database instead of one per client, less TCP overhead, less open connections, higher performance as you grow, and a much better security model.