Re: Intersolve ODBC Q&E, MS Excel & Access front ends

In article <3n3m8f$t6@hermes.is.co.za>, arih@eastcoast.co.za (Ari Hamalainen) wrote: >In article <3msle9$sd2@inferno.mpx.com.au>, mcdonste@ozemail.com.au > >------ >I am currently looking at connecting an Informix Online 5.1 engine to >either microsoft access 2.0 and/or microsoft excel 5.0. I need to know if >you have any information regarding the ODBC drivers (which drivers? from >who?) or other drivers that you may have used; it appears that you have >been successful in this venture. > >We run a TCPIP network with full FTP >from PC's to the UNIX server which is a NCR machine. I am also using >viewpoint and have found that the product is farely slow when retrieving >large query's but in general goes a long way to making short work of >reporting, very nice product! > >Thanks RALPH > Perhaps our venture can give you some ideas. We are a software house compagny and four years ago we had to select a database (SQL) on Unix, a client development environment on PC/Windows and Macintosh. But every products available was not ok for us. 1/ First some of them were available only on one machine (Mac or PC) 2/ Some were too expensive 3/ The functionnalities included in this products was not enough professionnal (I mean you can play with these products but you cannot develop with them) At this time nobody knew ODBC ! So we decided to start with Informix (only the kernel) and several well known clients applications (Excel, Access, VB, 4D, HyperCard, '). To link the client Application to the database we developped our own middleware product (CI-Link) in C with ESQL/C. CI-Link is installed on the server part. We developped a set of DLL for the client applications. CI-Link is not only a pipe between the database and client application, it includes its own : programming language stored procedure batch procedure print report unix access blob management (even with Informix SE) ' CI-Link is fast (very fast). To install you need 5 mins on your Unix machine (even if you don't know Unix). You also need 5 mins to install a DLL. Then you can immediatly connect Excel to several Informix database simultaneously. Now ODBC exists and the release 2.0 seems to be very interesting, so an ODBC driver for CI-Link will be available before the end of june. Frederic Bouquet FB-) frederic_bouquet@ascus.com