In reply to:
>>> Denys Beauchemin <[log in to unmask]> 11/25/95 10:43pm >>>
 
>Question 1.  How many of you out there are actively using IMAGE/SQL WITH
>SQL access?  Not just to say "We have updated to IMAGE/SQL," but rather, "we
>have attached production databases and we are accessing the data in IMAGE
>through the SQL interface".  It doesn't have to be totally SQL, but a least
>some portion of it, perhaps ad-hoc reporting, should be in SQL.
 
We are attempting to use C/S initially with our Allbase tables for a very small
application first.  If we can figure out the "how to" part of application
development and distribution on a very small scale, our next step is to
incorporate a single IMAGE/SQL database into our DBE.  We are a Speedware shop
and we have a Speedware catalog which controls access to our production
databases when the application(s) are run as terminal sessions.  The TurboImage
database in question is enhanced with Omnidex (2.10).  Our concerns, with
moving to C/S is the effort required to manage the database structures and
definitions with/in: TurboImage (using ADAGER and the Omnidex Utilities),
Image/SQL (using ISQL to manage splits etc.) and the database and access
definitions (using Speedware's MAKECAT utility).  There are many unknown
variables in this mix that may cause difficulty.  However, our goal is to move
forward slowly and cautiously.
 
 
>Question 2.  How many of you are actively accessing attached IMAGE/SQL data
>via ODBC or other middleware in a client/server fashion to PCs?  How are you
>doing it?  Which end-user tools (shrink-wrapped or otherwise) are you using?
>Are you developing with VB or perhaps something else?
 
Due to immense budgetary pressures on the educational sector in Ontario, our
only option at this point is to proceed forward with the HP PC API (because it
is FREE!).  Our first attempt is to use DELPHI on the client end.
 
 
>Question 3. If you are not now currently using IMAGE/SQL with SQL, why not?
 
Image enhanced with Omnidex is a primary factor in our shop.  We don't want to
lose any of the "neet" searching capability that is available in applications
that are rune as terminal sessions.  Because we are a Speedware shop, the C/S
application development environment is new to us.  We feel comfortable with
defining screens, fields, business rules in the Speedware environment.  We feel
significantly less comfortable with issues revolving around "thin/fat" clients
and how to proceed where we would have a mixture of Speedware and C/S.  We are
concerned that the management of the business rules would be a daunting task.
 
 
>Question 4. If you are using attached IMAGE/SQL databases with SQL but are not
>doing client/server access, why not?
 
Comments above should cover this off.
 
 
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Robert Hilverth, I.S.P., Database Administrator
Mohawk College of App. Arts & Tech.
PO Box 2034, Hamilton, Ontario Canada, L8R 3T2
Tel: 905/575-1212 x3052 Fax: 905/575-2302 or 905/575-2378
Internet: [log in to unmask]
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