SQL*Forms 2.3->3.0 Conversion (Eval)
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 15:22:14 GMT
Message-ID: <1993Aug30.152214.21412_at_news.unomaha.edu>
Topic: Evaluation of SQL*Forms v2.3 -> v3.0 Tools Evaluation Period: April 1993 - July 1993 (off & on, due to projects ;-) ) Companies Evaluated: (1) Performance Technologies, Inc. (PTI)
product name: ACE*Converter
(2) Kumaran Systems, Inc. (Kumaran)
product name: FORMS*Converter
(3) Logical Technologies, Inc. (Logical)
product name: Logical*2-3 Passport
With some discussion on or about the need for or information on SQL*Forms conversion tools I thought I would make one more post to the ORACLE-L at SBCCVM (Bitnet) and comp.databases.oracle (on Internet).
The order in which the companies appear has nothing to do with they way the products performed or the way I would rate the companies in the customer service arena. The comments that follow should bare out those opinions.
The evaluation period was long partly due to the tools themselves since all of the products where available on other platforms (UNIX, DOS, etc.) rather than on the IBM VM/ESA platform. So the process of downloading and uploading and dealing with converting some the extended characters to the IBM mainframe set was time consuming.
**NOTE: ALL OF THE CONVERSION TOOLS REQUIRED THE CONVERSION OF THE V2.3 INP FILES TO V3.0 FORMAT USING ORACLE'S CONVERT3 PROGRAM. Logical Technologies, Inc. - Logical
Logical was the first company I contacted and the company only has one sales person in the states, Jack Hubbard. Even though Jack was not a tech-support type he wasted no time in getting an answer or someone on the phone from Australia to help. There were a number of occassions that Logical called me at home (due to the time difference) to see how things were going. GREAT CUSTOMER SUPPORT. Their tech-support handled all of my questions.
As a product Logical performed flawlessly. It convert all of our SQL*Plus code into PL/SQL statements (on a 486/33 in less than 1 minute/form). The only thing required to run their conversion program was a data dictionary listing created from their MAKEDD.SQL program (which requires DBA privs).
We did not experience the problems with Logical that the other companies (as of 8-27-93) had with the concatenation symbols (||). The other two companies, for their mainframe products, were still translating the || into solid vertical bars (33).
The only drawback with Logical, *in my opinion*, was the lack of a procedural conversion tool. Both Kumaran & PTI proceduralized common code making your INP files smaller and easier to maintain.
I think if Logical's product includes proceduralization in their tool they will be a contender. Actually, they are contenders ... when you start looking at the code both Kumaran and PTI create for procedures you see that they have saved the developer time in not having to write the code but its nothing that someone couldn't do on their own.
Logical's product produces some documentation and like the other converters listed is will let you know about the errors it has found. Their product has similar options as listed below with PTI and Kumaran but I am unable to confirm that at this time.
Logical provides free public-domain INP files for a shipping fee of $10. The INP files are Hypertext_LT, Flexi_Date_LT, Pop_Up_Calc_LT, and Encrypt_Pass_LT.
If asked Logical also has some other free software but I can't remember the specifics but I believe you had to make a purchase. They, like the other companies will deal.
Cost: Depends. I think your better off calling Logical direct, try the
product out, and talk money at that time.
I will tell you this ... they started out with the lowest bid!
The charge is per FoRM/INP. The other companies charge per trigger
step.
Performance Technologies, Inc. (PTI)
PTI was the second company I called on for their SQL*Forms 2.3->3.0 conversion tool. This company pushed the fact that their converter optimized your code better than the others and had better proceduralization techniques.
It took 2-3 weeks for PTI to port their version to the IBM mainframe which since they didn't have one on site they would have to buy time on a local machine. I guess I should be use to this by now ... since porting to our platform is always on the bottom of someones list.
The difference between PTI and the other converters was that not only did you have to use Oracle's CONVERT3 program but you also had to run each INP through their INPLONG pre-converter program. This doubled the size of the INP which makes it difficult to work with when your short on disk space. As the name implies it creates or converts the INP into a long format before running their ACE*Converter. Why? Heck who knows ... the other converts handle the Logical-RECord-Length (LRECL) just fine.
As a tool and like the other products it converted all of the SQL*Plus code to PL/SQL.
I was not impressed with the proceduralization of either PTI or Kumaran but both converters did do the job. At first I was impressed but as I work more and more with SQL*Forms v3.0 the procedures become less and less mysterious. *BUT* for someone who is just learning or needs to move to v3.0 these are tools to consider. It saves you time and money (relatively speaking).
PTI and Kumaran failed to convert some v2.3 triggers ... this was discovered only after receiving a copy of the Kumaran product. The problems occurred in a form that was used to compare the two products. I ran this same form through Logical's converter and it converted all of the triggers to PL/SQL.
Before signing with either PTI or Kumaran both companies where given the chance to respond to the problems. PTI has assured me that these problems have been corrected in their next release.
As a company, the PTI sales person was at times obnoxious in that he didn't seem to know what the words '..don't call us...we'll call you..' meant. They expended alot of energy trying to discredit Kumaran, since the decision was between the two companies. They also spent time talking about their future products and the fact that they have optimized their converter, etc. These were calls that I didn't need ... calls about the converter fine ... but nothing else.
They only recently added a 1-800 number unlike Kumaran who has had 1-800 service since day-one.
PTI's product provides some readable documentation as a result of the conversion process. Like the other products it generates a BAD listing if the conversion fails and some good x-ref style listings.
PTI's product also allows the developer options to:
- correct truncation problems
- enable comment generation
- fix enter_query problems
- make references to global procs and triggers
- modify the case of certain kinds of words
- fix :block.field problems
- convert regular list of values to pop-ups
- create RPF listing file
- remove LOCK ... IN SHARE UPDATE MODE statements
- enable verbose messaging
- create x-ref file
PTI also provides a MKGLOBAL program that will create a LIBRARY of similar procedures found in all of your forms. This is something to consider when you move to RDBMS 7 and stored procedures.
Finally PTI has a host of other tools available.
- ACE*Timer *which was suppose to be free but I guess we missed this one
- 2-3 others that I can't remember right now
Cost: Depends on the number of trigger steps.
**Due to a disclosure clause I can't comment.
Kumaran Systems, Inc.
To compare apples-to-apples Kumaran was selected as the other company to buy a converter from.
As a company Kumaran gets very high marks. Their 1-800 number and their customer and technical support staff is A-1. They knew what to ask when to ask and were never obnoxious. They were very responsive to problems and were always available.
Kumaran's product, FORMS*Converter, created files that were surprisingly similar to PTI's v3.0 files. Maybe it was PTI that had the look and feel of Kumaran's converted files. How did they do that? The only significant difference between Kumaran and PTI was the way they labeled their procedures. Granted PTI claimed to have more compact code but I didn't notice a difference in performance.
PTI's claim of tighter code comes from not using the ELSE in a IF-THEN-ELSE statement. Something about checking for NOT NULL instead of checking for NULL then processing further with an ELSE.
Kumaran's product produces very useful documentation but their data-flow- diagram (*.DFD) file is great for documenting a FoRM. As the name implies it is a flow diagram showing which fields are in the FoRM, which fields and tables are referenced in the FoRM. Their HP output is put together very well.
Kumaran's product also allows the developer to do:
- write report on old v2 and converted v3
- specified trigger name will not be converted
- change field datatype from number to CHAR
- not increase base table field length to database
- supress DEFAULT MENU
- convert LOCK statements to NULL
- do not convert triggers to procedures
- do not use CURSOR in SELECT conversion
- DUMMY table as a regular table
- do not write trigger and data flow diagram
- add alias qualifier in sub-query
- do not SUBSTR string to truncate
- convert ROWID to qualifier
- no datatype conversion
- remove never used user defined trigger
- new date field format mask
- allow usage of Japanese KANJI characters
- others .....
Kumaran also provides a CRELIB and FORMS*Template program with the purchase of their converter.
CRELIB identifies similar code and moves that code to a FORMSLIBrary. The user then saves it to the library using the IAD utility before using the REFCNV program.
FORMS*Template will:
- convert SQL and PL/SQL key words and reserved words to u/l, initcap...
- converts varaible names to u/l, initcap, ....
- indents SQL and PL/SQL ...
- etc...
**> Kumaran also provides a value added service of converting your INP files **> for you. *YUP!* What a deal!
Cost: Depends on the number of trigger steps.
**Due to a disclosure clause I can't comment.
**WHO WON THE CONTRACT ??** PTI did. I voted for Kumaran becuase of their support both at the customer and technical level but I was out voted by other staff members.
The only reason PTI stayed in the game is that they finally added 1-800 support and they agreed to convert our FoRMs/INP files for company ***BUT*** it was like pulling teeth, it wasn't pleasant.
In order for PTI to remain competitive they had to offer this service but they tried to weasel out by saying they would do 10%, or 20%, etc. The 10-20% were the number if INP files that were going to be converted by our department for another department on campus. The word was NO! But before things were signed they tried once again to get by with only 10-20% of the INP conversion ... this is horse_Sh__t! They tell on the phone ... '..oh ya Mike we'll do that!'. I tell you ... their talking out of the side of their face when they agree to something!
So word of warning/caution: Don't take the first qoute, or the second, or maybe even the third! Have you even been to Freeport, Bahama's? Have you ever bargained for something? You get the idea!
Time to signoff!!!
Companies Evaluated: Performance Technologies, Inc. (PTI)
70 Birmingham Parkway
Boston MA 02135
USA
tel: (617) 787-1776
fax: (617) 787-1777
contact: Steve Stott
product: Ace*Converter
Kumaran Systems, Inc. (Kumaran)
701 Evans Avenue, Suite 509
Etobicoke, Toronto
Ontario Canada M9C 1A3
tel: (800) 567-1332
fax: (416) 626-1756
contact: Steve Hawboldt
product: FORMS*Converter
Logical Technologies, Inc. (Logical)
2nd Floor, 535 Flinders Lane
Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
tel: (03) 629 5200
fax: (03) 629 8383
contact in the states: Jack Hubbard (sales only)
(813) 751-4043
contact in Australia: Steve Baldwin
John Allison (V.P. ?)
product: Logical*2-3 Passport
Received on Mon Aug 30 1993 - 17:22:14 CEST