Re: Development tools for accesing Oracle

Hi.

[Quoted] Sure, you can use VB (using ADO+ODBC, the new data environment feature in VB6, or Oracle Objects for OLE). Many folks do with a lot of success.

Do you already have a large investment in VB code? Do you need to be able to go against non-Oracle datasources? Do you need a more general purpose tool?

If yes, then I'd recommend it. No real limitations; if you're doing strictly Windows stuff, it's not a bad choice.

That said, having done small projects in both Developer and VB, I found that I could be MUCH more productive in Developer. 95% of the functionality you need is built-in, and the ability to sub/smart-class through object libraries cuts development time considerably. Yes, Developer is more expensive BUT you make up for it in development costs.

It helps that we're a strictly Oracle shop. The integration between Developer and the Oracle database makes it the right choice for us.

If you're going to go with Developer, I heartily recommend reading Paul Dorsey and Peter Koletzke's new book,"Advanced Forms and Reports". The present best practices and methods, and believe me, they are the right way to go.

(There's no real mention of the Graphics component of Developer, which is still in piss-poor condition. Ignore it. Consider plugging in an ActiveX graphing component.)

The playing field is less even when you want to go against a non-Oracle datasource. VB allows you to de-couple the data and presentation layers far more than Developer currently does.

So, like any tool, it depends on your needs. I have found that I can satisfy most internal database development requirements with Developer, Reports, and WebDB.

Good luck!

-John

H. John C. Hopkins
Gainesville, FL

"Alan Kong" <kkkong_at_ee.cuhk.hk> wrote in message news:8a8bg2$rge$1_at_eng-ser1.erg.cuhk.edu.hk...
> HI,
> Apart from using Developer 2000 to develope applications in accessing
> the Oracle DB, I wonder whether it is feasible to use VB instead. Is
> there a lot of deveolpments using VB? And any limitations in using VB?
>
> Thanks for your advise.
>
> --
> Regards
>
> Alan
>
>