Re: Converter needed SQL*FORMS 2.3 to 3.0

From: <sstephen_at_us.oracle.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1992 02:04:57 GMT
Message-ID: <1992Sep23.180457.1_at_us.oracle.com>


In article <1582_at_rwja.umdnj.edu>, holowczk_at_rwja.umdnj.edu (Richard Holowczak) writes:
> grommen_at_prl.philips.nl (Ton Grommen) writes:
>
 [stuff deleted so I could address the P.S. ...
>
> P.S. If you are planning a major migration now, and you see any chance of
> going to Oracle 7 in the future, you might want to first check out
> how version 7 handles its database triggers. These can be used in
> various combinations to help out with integrity constraints,
> business rules and other housekeeping chores that might otherwise
> have to be done via SQL*Forms trigger code.

I have heard a lot of speculation about how Oracle 7 triggers will take the place of Forms 3.0 triggers. However, they are slightly different usages of the term "trigger". SQL*Forms triggers respond to user input and perform forms actions. Oracle 7 triggers respond to database operations and perform further database operations. The declarative integrity constraints insure consistent data for transactions against the database.

What this means is that database triggers and integrity rules don't do operate until the user commits their transactions. This will get pretty frustrating for users if a form left all the checks to the database. They would have to keep going through all their data entry to find out which one caused the commit to fail.

So, you will still have to do validation checks from the form to give users the same feedback you currently get for V6 based forms. You might be able to query up the constraints to make your forms a bit more dynamic, but you could have done that in V6, (constraints can be defined and stored in the database, but were not enforced). Although Oracle 7 triggers and constraints are a great for DBA's to keep applications from doing what they are not supposed to, it is still up to the application designer to make the application do what it IS supposed to do.

In other words, I would make decisions about forms-based applications independent of the availability of Oracle 7 triggers and constraints. But, this is strictly my own opinion, not that of Oracle Corp..

Scott Stephens Received on Thu Sep 24 1992 - 04:04:57 CEST

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