Re: [Q] Informix's DBACCESS and other questions

> ssmaus@musctn.monsanto.com (Saqib Mausoof) writes: > I have a question for people who are developing applications on Informix > and > utilizing them as a client/server. Any help would be much appreciated. > > We have an Informix-Online 5.01 on SCO UNIX. It runs a propritery software > written on ESQL-C, for which we have a run time version. The machine was > standalone, but we have put it on Ethernet. The reason was to utilize the > records in the database to help locate employees in an emergency. In case I > have not mentioned it, the software is a secure system for a site and keeps > track of employees IN/OUT proceedings. > > This is my dilemna, we don't have I-STAR on the server, neither do we have > any > development packages on the SCO box. So to save money I opted for MSACCESS > and > Openlink ODBC 32 bit drivers running on NT, thereby implmenting a small > client/server (there were other reasons for it, the sites friendliness to > these products and the migration to NT). > > My question is, how powerful is DBACCESS? I realize that I have a field > with around > 1100 records and I need to compare it with another column, get the > difference > and send out the relevant information to the client. I don't understand what you intend to do (a field with 1100 records is a contradiction in terms), but Informix Dbaccess is a simple tool that in this respect can do nothing but execute sql-statements. Hardly something you can use for development. > The only reason I want to > keep it local to the Informix server is because of the ODBC drivers, I have > heard that they are slow (although I have not yet gotten my hands on them). > They used to be slow, but Openlink is supposed to be relatively fast according to people who have tested it. I haven't myself yet, but the supplier claims to be able to transfer 220 kb per second of data to/from the dbms for what that is worth. > ANy ideas? Should I just use access or Visaul basic on the client's side? > Using C is an option that I have not explored, I have not had much > experience with Dbase programming. I would really appreciate help on this > from all you Informix Gurus (Okay, so a little brown nosing can't hurt :)) > > Thanks in advance > > Saqib Mausoof > >>>> We have used Visual Basic with success although it is slow with the Intersolv (previously Q+E) ODBC drivers (at least the version we have). This is on Windows 3.1 though, and I don't know how it will work on NT. The new 4.0 release of VB that is coming out soon shall have no problems. You say yours is a "secure system". In that case you should be aware of the easy access users will have to the database if you install ODBC on a PC. You will have to make shure they have select rights only on the fields within each table they should be allowed to see. There is no way I know of to limit this on the PC side. If you have "grant all to public" on all tables in your database, which is the default if you haven't changed it yourself, anybody can do anything to the data from MS Access. Also be aware that if you want any performance at all with Visual Basic and ODBC you have to use the SQLPASSTROUGH option. You can also program to the ODBC API directly, but that is a little hard. I have used MS Access only for simple querying of Informix databases, and that works fine. I don't know what would happen if you make some kind of an application, but it should work also within its limitations. Your other options of course are Informix 4GL or NewEra, but you sound like one on a low budget, and VB is OK. (You here that Informix, you just lost another sale of NewEra because there is no NewEra light...). Nils.Myklebust@ccmail.telemax.no NM-data, Dalsbergstien 7, N-0170 Oslo, Norway My opinions are those of my company