Re: Informix vs. Sybase vs. Oracle vs. (gasp) MS SQL Server

David Williams wrote: > And this is the CHEAPEST application that will perform the task? > Remember most business custoemrs want cheap system...(every supplier > says that there system will work!!) Well, you do get what you pay for. The app I was describing was an inhouse app. You seldom get the source to commercial apps or access to the developers and immediate fixes. > >> Either is easy with debug logs. Switch on, get a trace, debug it. > >> Most debugging can be narrowed down to one screen operation by the > >> user, plaster with debug and that 's it. > > > > This is a point in time issue. But you have to work back thru > > the app to work out how it got into that state and how the > > data became incorrect. Often times it was as the result of > > some hairly written code in a module made by a programmer > > who either didn't have a proper grasp of what was required or > > didn't care. > > > Which you have to do anyway, what's your point? Thats right. My point was that debugging isn't always as trivial as checking for a dereferenced pointer with an if statement. > > Of course, we've drifted off topic now. But while we're here, > > how many others have designed apps to guard against problems > > and what measures did they take? > > > No the app but the database. > > - unique indexes > - not null > - we would have constriants if I had my way.. Funny you should mention this. I've just been involved with the setting up of another 3rd party system. Had a quick look at the schema. Almost every field allows null. The table creation script was probably churned out auto- matically, judging by the formatting. I'll have to have a word to the developers tomorrow. -am