Conference ilbbak::ibi_focus

              <<< RUNTUF::SYSB$:[NOTES$LIBRARY]IBI_FOCUS.NOTE;2 >>>
                     -< FOCUS, from INFORMATION BUILDERS >-
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Note 591.1     Need list of users for FOCUS phase-out strategy....        1 of 1
ABACUS::WEHIKE::Clark                                57 lines  13-SEP-1994 11:56
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    Name: Debi Clark
    DTN: 264-8010
    Mail Address: mko1-2g37
    Group Name:US Sales and Marketing IM&T (today at any rate)
    Manager: Marty Thomas/Ginny Covino
    Manager's Phone:
 
  Current FOCUS Usage:  Our Group supports, among other things, 
applications that use certs & revenue information, the Digital contact 
database, the technical consulting center (TCC), & Desktop Direct. We  
have access to corporate reference files , D&B , CI and backlog 
information and other databases and files.  

We use FOCUS  as a reporting tool, a marketing selection tool, an adhoc 
query mechanism.  There ar about 20 active users of FOCUS creating adhoc 
 and standard reports for their managers and own use.  There are a few 
applications that make use of FOCUS.  We do not update with FOCUS.  We 
use it solely as a retrieval and reporting mechanism.


    Migration Plans: None since no product has been identified that does 
what FOCUS does.  And since we have the use of FOCUS forever at no cost, 
why migrate to a solution that will charge us yearly license fees ?

    Comments: We would be willing to port our appplications and retrain our 
users if you or someone could identify a tool that allows
1.  the complex matching logic that FOCUS supports
2. allows the use of both rdb AND rms files in the same process
3. can have batched queries
4. can handle tables with 3,000,000 rows
5. can create reports as easily as FOCUS ( access and excel DO NOT)
6. can be used in a vms environement since much work is done from home 
where client server is not in place.
7. maintains or improves the processing speed.
8. wouldn't require major work to install into the corners of our current 
world.  We use FOCUS in some fashion for
 a. RETAX reporting
 b. Software Loan application reporting/adhoc reporting query tool
 c. TCC reporting
 d. Desktop reporting
 e. Marketing- targeting and selections
 f.  Business reporting
 g. Major account adhoc query tool
  h. Adhoc queries to the database and files
  i . D&B and USDW access
  j.  file manipulation to allow ACCESS or EXCEL to read the file.  They have 
problems with lines > 256 characters....
  k.  plus more that I probably have overlooked.
9. and probably a few more things that I have forgotten.  


We are frustrated with FOCUS at times, but have yet to find anything to 
relace it.
 

Name:   Fred Darrow                 Ray Levasseur
DTN:    297-3935                    297-7610
Mail:   USDEV::DARROW               USDEV::LEVASSEUR

Group:  ASSC Reporting Services/Production Reporting
Manager: Peter Krauss
Mgr DTN: 297-7898

Current FOCUS Usage:

The following online applications accessible through a common
environment have users throughout the US numbering in excess of 400.  In
addition, by January FY95, an additional 100+ users in Canada and Latin
American Countries will be added.
        
        PLREPORTS    - Interactive access to Brown Book reports.
        PLEXUS       - Services Oriented P&L Expense Reporting
        MAST         - Pre-generated and interactive user access to Expense 
                       Actual and budget Reports by Category and Organization
        REVENUE      - access to interactive Revenue reporting
                
        INTEGRATED REFERENCE Reporting - information is provided to users
        through our reporting environment as well as AdHoc responses
        against Center of Control and AM tables.

The following supports the applications above.

        ASSC reporting group

        
In addition IBI FOCUS is used on a DAILY basis to respond to the ever changing
reporting needs of the US when we consolidate data from several sources on
short notice.

        
Database Usage:

        Both Native IBI FOCUS databases and RDB (Read-Only)
        
Migration Plans:

        Reporting data bases are being designed that will replace
        IBI/FOCUS actual and budget data; and reporting capability that
        will be PC based.  However, this will address perhaps 60% of our
        needs in the near term (next 2 years) as not every user has a pc
        or network access.  There is a significant need to replace (only
        because it is going away) the powerful adhoc capability afforded
        us by FOCUS.
        
        Our greatest concern is that FOCUS will be gone before we are
        able to complete our migration and/or there is a truly suitable
        replacement for it.  

There's a sizable user population in Europe..Focussing in three main areas.

1)	The Order Fulfillment Management Reporting - 
	Order Backlogs and Order Logging

2)	The Finance area.. FRCP.

3)	Local "Mushrooms"

Most, if not all, of the usage is under the MRE environment.

Also: (if they still exist)
AMI,AMIS,COPR,PACS,SCORE,ROSS/FA,GEARS,RAM, and others all used FOCUS at one 
time.. They may have changed, Though.


David

The moderator can move this or ask me to delete it if inappropriate.

I was told by the Burlington/Boston IBI FOCUS sales office that Digital owns 
the use of IBI FOCUS at whatever release we are at at the end of our 
maintenance and support contract either this year or next- I don't 
remember the dates.  What this means is that if we have FOCUS installed 
on a machine/cluster it can continue, it may in fact be able to be installed 
elsewhere in Digital on a new machine ( can't remember).  But, we won't 
ever lose our right to use FOCUS.  When we signed our contract with 
Information Builders, we bought a license for use in perpetuity.  ( I am not 
sure of the European or GIA considerations- it might only pertain to US 
based operations)

What we didn't buy was the upgrading, support hotline ( that is seldom 
used) and maintenance contract for life.  That is what is costing us.  That is 
what is planned to go away.  If we have applications using FOCUS, they can 
continue to use FOCUS.  We don't HAVE to migrate if it can be 
demonstrated that it is in our best interests NOT to.  If we feel confident 
that applications can be supported without an IB contract, we should be 
all right.    IM&T feels that technology is moving forward and that a more 
efficient way of managing our data would be to use client/server 
technology.  I agree with someone's statement that too many USERS do not 
have PC's yet.  Until everyone does, and everyone is comfortable with 
them, it might be in our best interests to continue to hang on to the "old" 
technology.   Until we find a tool that does what FOCUS does, we should 
also hold onto this "old" technology. (Notice that FOCUS does come for the 
PC, now - anyone look into that yet ?- FOCUS Reporter for Windows...)

  New is not necessarily better.  I certainly haven't been able to do my job 
adequately with only the new tools.  I have a PC ( which I am using at this 
moment) and a workstation.  Both have their strengths, both have their 
weaknesses.  Workstations multi task well, Pc's currently don't.    PC tools 
tend to be bound by I/O.  Vaxes are, but not noticably !

I frequently use ACCESS to load data from PC files created in the field or at 
a vendor site, FOCUS to do the data manipulation and record  selection 
based on certain characteristics, then excel to toss the file back into "," 
format ( easier than editing a FOCUS fex).

FOCUS is flexible and can handle most everything thrown at it.  PC tools 
tend to be more rigid and offer a lot for the casual user , but are difficult to 
make do the strange and unique things FOCUS handles easily.

Comments and corrections welcome !

    
    Name:            Daniel Duquesne
    DTN:             885-6621
    Mail Address:    JURA::DUQUESNE
    Group Name:      MCS IM&T - Space Program
    Manager:         Herve Monin @FYO
    Manager's Phone: 885-6655

    Current FOCUS Usage:
    	SPORT: SPace Operational Reporting Tools. 
		SPACE is the Contracts mgt system used currently in Europe 
		and soon US, then WW.

    Database Usage (Native FOCUS databases, RDB (Read-Only):
    	Rdb only.

    Migration Plans:
    	Currently under consideration. We're investigating replacement
	for PC-based & VT-based:
		o PC-based: ACCESS/VisualBasic-CrystalReport
		o VT-based: Rally/Datatrieve
		o ...other suggestions?
	None of the replacement seems satisfactory yet. However, our 
	assumption is that Digital (worldwide) will stop maintenance/support 
	renewal by end 1995 and we have to find replacement now for *new* 
	development (ref. Anil Sitole's memo posted somewhere in this 
	notesfile). Such new development will be deployed starting 1996.

    Comments:
	
	While it may make sense to get off of Focus, nobody has yet 
	looked at for its replacement: this note is the first attempt. 
	Hence everybody comes with their own solution.

    

I looked at APTuser as a FOCUS replacement.. It seemed to do the job
really well.. Unfortunately, something went wrong with the negociations,
and it's no longer a Digital Product. (It was bought in..)


It looked ideal, except that it didn't produce any source code, and stored 
everything in it's own internal format.

David

    I also support two groups that are heavy FOCUS users.  I ditto just
    about all the previous notes regarding the heavy reliance on FOCUS,
    without much success in finding an appropriate replacement.
    
    So now that we know there are many people who are relying upon FOCUS,
    what are we going to do about it?  Have the previous notes influenced
    the plans to migrate away from FOCUS?
    
    Judi