On Thu, 2 Mar 2006 14:31:26 -0800, donna garverick <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> eloquence can be the database of destination or a stepping stone.
> that is, use it to get the migration done with the plan to move to
> ______ once stable on the new platform. (this of course takes some
> serious commitment from all involved to complete this phase.)
>
> each shop is different. each migration is different. but when so
> much is depending on the programming staff to complete the migration --
> maybe eloquence should be considered for non-technical reasons.
My observations have been that decisions like this are rarely made on
technical merits. At best, technical issues are sometimes used as a
tie-breaker between two equally (un)desirable paths. At worst they
are shaped to support what is, at root, an arbitrary decision
informed by self-interest rather than communal good. Usually
however, the determinant factor is cost and the essential task lies
in fixing that cost as accurately as possible. In such cases
technical issues devolve into two simple questions: can the chosen
technology deliver the minimum functionality and support the
transaction volume required?
The greatest asset that any enterprise possesses is its corporate
memory and that reposes in its records. The form those records take
and their retrieval systems necessary to support business decisions
frequently are the most important factors in the stability and
prospects of corporations. Thus moving an entire corporation from
one records storage format to another is a major undertaking, one
that is fraught with peril and usually accompanied by considerable
expense, both direct and consequential.
So, the idea of moving to an interim form of storage in anticipation
of later selecting a final choice strikes me as inherently reckless
and needlessly expensive. In some cases that course might be forced
by circumstance but I would have grave reservations regarding any
plan that took this as a central feature.
We evaluated Eloquence for some time and found it very appealing.
But, then we were quite content to stay on the HP3000 and Image for
the rest of eternity as well. Eloquence will appeal to those HP3000
users in situations where a great deal of their existing code base
can be preserved by maintaining a familiar data structure and that
code base represents a significant investment. Eloquence offers the
prospect of preserving the vast majority of their investment in code
and systems process knowledge to the benefit of the corporation, its
employees, and those who must bear the actual costs of conversion and
any injuries contingent on business interruption or record loss.
Where the existing code base does not represent decades of
development amounting to such considerable sums then the relatively
low cost of more recent DBMS and programming tool software offers an
opportunity to completely refashion their systems. These enterprises
can thereby take advantage of nearly universal internet access and
the ubiquitous presence of personal computers running more-or-less
standards compliant web browser software.
Restructuring corporate information systems to take advantage of
these recently developed environmental factors allows for a good deal
of the cost associated with record management to be externalized.
The corporation can have their clients enter their own orders, track
their fulfilment, make their payments, and often do much of the the
corporation's work that formally could only be performed within the
confines of accounting, purchasing, sales, or customer service.
The choice of DBMS and programming language is, for these firms, a
secondary consideration and, for solutions of reasonably comparable
costs, as likely to driven by fashion as by function.
Regards,
Jim
--
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James B. Byrne mailto:ByrneJB.<token>@Harte-Lyne.ca
Harte & Lyne Limited http://www.harte-lyne.ca
9 Brockley Drive vox: +1 905 561 1241
Hamilton, Ontario fax: +1 905 561 0757
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