Re: Gupta vs. Powerbuilder or VB

In <jkyserCHECuH.13p_at_netcom.com> jkyser_at_netcom.com (Jeff Kyser) writes:

>umyin_at_ccu.umanitoba.ca (Qing Yin) writes:
 

>>The real issue is that PB needs the backend database at all for the extended
>>attribute. When version 3.0 comes out with built in Watcom SQL server, they
>>are saying that now you can program both at work (with Sybase for example)
>>and at home (with the built in Watcom.) I guess what they didn't tell you
>>is that, yes, you can do it as long as you don't use extended attributes.
 

>That's not the case. Version 3.0 is out, with Watcom SQL, and extended
>attibutes are supported in Watcom as well as SQL Server. The concept behind
>extended attributes is that they are stored closest to the data that they
>describe. So if you wanted to add attributes to Watcom data, then the
>tables would be in Watcom. Extended attributes make no sense unless related
>to the data structure in a database.
>

I think that since PowerBuilder for NOW is primarily/only a Windows based product, the value of using the database itself as an extended repository may seem a little weird. But when PowerBuilder front ends come out for other types of machines that all have different quirks and configurations.. It may start to make sense to allow developers a common database repository than a LAN based one. IMHO, however, I think they should have allowed developers the option of creating a seperate SYBASE database for the repository instead of putting the tables in the database in question. The reason is that we use MANY other tools such as Paradox For Windows (Front end querying for users), and some report writers..NONE of which recognize PB tables as system tables so it makes these 3rd party products seem user unfriendly when a bunch of PB tables shows up in a list of real tables!

Later,
  Gunther Received on Thu Dec 02 1993 - 15:34:15 CET