Re: How will I adapt from Pick to Oracle?

At least someone else does use both Pick and Oracle.

Albert Kallal wrote:

> I worked in the Pick environment for years and years. Good data design and
> understanding of how to relate data, and tables is a good skill. It is the
> number 1 skill you can learn, and it is transferable to sql, or other
> environments. My exposure to Pick did help me much in this regard. So, while
> SQL and the pick's Access/recall query language are different, having used a
> query language did help me a lot in my transition to from Access/recall to
> SQL. Many concepts do transfer from one system to another.
>
> In fact, of all the many programming languages/environments I have learned,
> SQL seems to be the only one that I have kept. I started using SQL in FoxPro
> about 10 years ago. The addition of SQL to Foxpro was great leap forward.
> Having worked with Pick really did help me on the data side when I migrated
> to FoxPro. I still use SQL today (I always used a query builder, so I can't
> really say that I know the sql syntax that well, but sql certainly is my
> friend now). SQL is the universal means by which we access data in the non
> MV world (both desktop, and the web). I should add that my MV designs
> generally map quite well to a sql environment. So, your classic invoice in
> Pick, becomes a parent and child table of detail in sql. This conceptual
> mapping of tables comes quite easy when jumping to a new non mv environment
> .
>
> I am currently re-writing a application in Pick to sql/VBA/ms-Access.....it
> is
> a most fascinating change, and the parts that are creating difficulty are
> not
> what I expected at all!.
>
> So, from a data structure point of view, the change from Pick to a sql
> relational model is a easy change. At least it was for me. In my new table
> designs, their is little difference from Pick to the equivalent sql tables
> (expect that sql model has at least twice as many tables!). Of course I use
> a ER diagramming tool (Visio 2000) to cope with the increased number of
> tables, and relationships. This "map" of tables greatly aids me now that the
> coding part has started. If I ever do another large Pick project, I will
> certainly use something Like Visio 2000. In fact, I would love to do a
> Omnis project with pick.
>
> While the table stuff was actually easy, you better be prepared for a drop
> in productivity. Simple little code routines that grab a record and do
> something to it can be a real pain in these new languages. There are lot of
> reasons why this is so, but what was a simple single read in pick code (say
> a invoice) becomes a real disco dance complete with spiked punch in sql, and
> vb. What was one record, now becomes 3 tables, and two of them are
> multi-records. YOU have to work out this relation stuff when doing updates.
> The sql engine might enforce RI for you, but that just stops your code from
> doing something wrong!
>
> So, the big difference between Pick, and other systems comes in the area of
> coding, and how you get at the data from a program point of view (here is
> where implementation of business rules etc really starts to change). There
> is also the issue of event driving programming etc. I have never used the
> Oracle developer tools, but I suspect that they will result in a
> productivity
> drop when compared to pick.
>
> Right now, most VBA developers using ms-access are about 2x as productive as
> using VB to develop the same business application. And from them, I have
> heard that
> Oracle takes even more time.
>
> So, it is not the relational model that will kill you in the change...it is
> the programming
> environment.
>
> I am actually still looking for that great development platform somewhere
> out there.You, know...Omnus is starting to look like it would be the best
> choice! The reviews I have read about this product impress me much. It
> is a rad tool, and totally object driven. Anyone want to hire me for a
> Omnus project?...I will work the first month for 1/2 price!
>
> --
> Albert D. Kallal
> Edmonton, Alberta Canada
> kallal_at_msn.com
Received on Tue Mar 27 2001 - 22:54:00 CST