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Conference ilbbak::ibi_focus

Title:	FOCUS, from INFORMATION BUILDERS

Moderator:	ZAYIUS::BROUILLETTE

Created:	Thu Feb 19 1987
Last Modified:	Mon May 05 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	615
Total number of notes:	1779

117.0. "Accessing Focus data through RALLY/RDB?" by GRANPA::BAKILLIAN () Fri Aug 19 1988 11:44

I have just recently started working as a Software Specialist 
concentrating on VIA products and am not familiar with Focus.  I need some help 
on understanding how I can access data stored in a Focus database through VAX 
RALLY and RDB.

I have a prospective customer who is using Focus on an IBM  system for 
his large accounting system.  He's not too crazy about Focus as a 
development tool and is interested in using RALLY for a cost accounting system 
that will need to extract data from the IBM.  

I read an article talking about IBI's FOCNET which allows a Focus 
application on a VAX talk to a Focus appl. on the IBM, manipulate the 
data and send the appropriate data to the VAX. Is this feasible? Or is 
there another way?

If this is the only way to go, then can the database on the VAX be 
defined as an RDB database that allows the user write access? What 
type of response time am I talking about?  development effort?

Does anyone have any article, or memo's they can suggest?

I'd appreciate any suggestions you can give.

Thanks in advance,
Beth Akillian

T.R Title User Personal
Name Date Lines

117.1 Playing on edge... PLANIT::RYAN Tue Aug 30 1988 12:48 25

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
117.1	Playing on edge...	PLANIT::RYAN		`Tue Aug 30 1988 12:48`	25
	If I were you, I'd ask only the IBI VAX people in NYC - especially Melissa Webster or Emma Schwartz. What you are requesting is stretching the logical limits of a number of different products. I'd bet what you want to do is possible - just not necessarily practical. FOCUS works well as a reporting tool with Rdb databases, but not as effeciently as it does with its own file structure. Rally works well with Rdb but has to spawn a subprocess if it calls FOCUS to work on Rdb (this may not be a big deal). Although I've never used FOCNET, I know this much: FOCNET piggbacks on DEC's SNA gateway to essentially act as terminal/host on an IBM mainframe. Naturally there is some performance degradation. But - and this is really IBI marketing strategy - performance is relative since CONVERSIONS (IBM-to-DEC) are really expensive. But when you end up with a system that uses Rally as the main application, spawns to FOCUS to read Rdb files, spawns to FOCUS to call FOCNET to call IBM FOCUS databases .... hmmm? It sounds interesting anyway. -rpr-

    If I were you, I'd ask only the IBI VAX people in NYC - especially
    Melissa Webster or Emma Schwartz.  What you are requesting is
    stretching the logical limits of a number of different products.
    I'd bet what you want to do is possible - just not necessarily
    practical.
    
    FOCUS works well as a reporting tool with Rdb databases, but not as
    effeciently as it does with its own file structure.  Rally works well
    with Rdb but has to spawn a subprocess if it calls FOCUS to work on Rdb
    (this may not be a big deal).  Although I've never used FOCNET, I know
    this much:  FOCNET piggbacks on DEC's SNA gateway to essentially act as
    terminal/host on an IBM mainframe.  Naturally there is some performance
    degradation.  But - and this is really IBI marketing strategy -
    performance is relative since CONVERSIONS (IBM-to-DEC) are really
    expensive. But when you end up with a system that uses Rally as
    the main application, spawns to FOCUS to read Rdb files, spawns
    to FOCUS to call FOCNET to call IBM FOCUS databases .... hmmm? 
    
    It sounds interesting anyway.
    
    
    -rpr-