/// <summary>
        /// Logs user in/authenticates against StockTrader database.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="userid">User id to authenticate.</param>
        /// <param name="password">Password for authentication</param>
        public AccountDataModel login(string userid, string password) 
        {
            //Create instance of a DAL, which could be designed for any type of DB backend.
            dalCustomer = Trade.DALFactory.Customer.Create(Settings.DAL);
            
            //As feature of the StockTrader DAL, you will see dal.Open, dal.BeginTransaction, dal.CommitTransaction,
            //dal.AbortTransaction and dal.Close methods being invoked in the BSL. The pattern  within this BSL is:
            //a) Create an instance of the DAL; 
            //b) Open the DAL; 
            //c) Start a transaction only if necessary (more than one update/insert/delete involved);
            //d) You get to pick ADO.NET transaction or System.Transactions or ServicedComponent, it will work with
            //   all of the above; StockTrader lets you choose ADO.NET txs or System.Transactions via config.
            //e) Close the DAL. This releases the DAL's internal connection back to the connection pool.

            //The implementation "hides" the type of database being used from the BSL, so this BSL will work
            //with any type of database you create a DAL for, with no changes in the BSL whatsoever. 
            
            //System.Transactions and SQL Server 2005 and above and Oracle databases work together
            //with a new feature called "lightweight transactions"; which means you do not need to have the
            //same performance penalty you got with Serviced Components for always invoking the tx as a full
            //two-phase operation with DTC logging.  If operating against a single database to SQL Server or Oracle,
            //across one or more connections involved in a tx, System.Transactions will not promote to a DTC-coordinated tx; and hence will be much faster.
            //If there are mulitple databases or multiple resources (for example, MSMQ and a database) 
            //used with a System.Transaction tx, on the other hand, the tx will be automatically promoted to the required distributed tx, two-phase commit
            //with DTC logging required. Our StockTrader DAL is designed to:

            // 1.  Hide DB implementation from BSL so we maintain clean separation of BSL from DAL.
            // 2.  Let you freely call into the DAL from BSL methods as many times as you want *without*
            //     creating new separate DB connections
            // 3.  As a by-product, it also helps you use ADO.NET transactions without worrying about
            //     passing DB connections/transaction objects between tiers; maintaining cleaner separation
            //     of BSL from DAL.  If using ADO.NET txs; you can accomplish DB-implementation isolation also with
            //     the Provider Factories introduced with ADO.NET 2.0/.NET 2.0: see for details:

            //             http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379620(VS.80).aspx


            
            //Note Open() is not really necessary, since the DAL will open a new connection automatically 
            //if its internal connection is not already open.  It's also free to open up more connections, if desired.
            //We use Open() to stick with a consistent pattern in this application, since the Close() method IS
            //important.  Look for this pattern in all BSL methods below; with a transaction scope defined
            //only for operations that actually require a transaction per line (c) above.
            dalCustomer.Open(Settings.TRADEDB_SQL_CONN_STRING);
            try
            {
                return dalCustomer.login(userid, password, Settings.USE_SALTEDHASH_PASSWORDS);
            }
            catch
            {
                throw;
            }
            finally
            {
                //Always close the DAL, this releases its primary DB connection.
                dalCustomer.Close();
            }
        }