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From:   Paul Christensen
Sent:   Sunday, January 25, 1998 3:17 PM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        COGNOS - Y2K versions

<<snipped>>
>to PDL.

>What are others on this list doing with Powerhouse versions?   Is going >to PDL
>a big deal, or not?
>Are there any problems with upgrading versions - such as features that >no
>longer work or code that
>does not act the same way?

Converting to PDL is not very difficult but there are issues. You use QSHOW and issue the GEN command (after setting the LANG to PDL) to create a default file called QSHOGEN which contains the PDL source. This source can be compiled using PDL to PHD (short for Powerhouse Dictionary, I guess). Then a file equation such as :FILE PHD='pdl dictionary file' works exactly the same as :FILE QSCHEMAC='qdd dictionary file'.

PDL is definitely better than QDD or QDDR. It allows compound items, not just redefined items. It treats datasets as files, database as base, etc. unlike QDD where database is a file.

However, getting a clean QSHOGEN source may be a challenge. You may have to edit it manually to clean it up. Also, if you have both :FILE QSCHEMAC and :FILE PHD= equations in effect, I believe it defaults to PHD, i.e., PHD has precedence over QSCHEMAC.

I believe versions 7.09 forward are all Y2K compliant. But COGNOS can be very inflexible in terms of not following their recommendation - so go with it unless you have the opportunity to look at something like SPEEDWARE.

Pat Sarkar
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