Conference ulysse::rdb_vms_competition

177.0. "DBMS INTEGRATION" by OZZAIB::RITCHIE (insurers are risk aversive) Sun Aug 21 1988 04:47

Dear Associates:

We have been getting beaten up by our customer about the lack of integration 
of our proprietary software products with those of the competition.  In the
never-ending search for seamlessness, my customers are beginning to care
less and less for networking (physical connectivity), which they almost take
for granted, even though we excel in the area, and have demanded application,
or at least layered product integration.

Nowhere is this demand more vocal than in the Office-product-to-DBMS "space".

My customer is committed to both DIGITAL and ORACLE and would like to install
ALL-IN-1.  Please spare me the lectures, yes, we have lost the DBMS.  We are 
sorry: we fought it and we lost.  Meanwhile, we have won the mid-tier and our
customer is the only insurance industry client to have made such a global
 endorsement of Digital.  WE WANT TO WIN THE OFFICE, so that we can be around
when Oracle fails!

Please help me find a way!!!!

We have two divisions seeking integration:

1.  They want to imbed Oracle commands (such as SQL*PLUS select statements)
into a word processing session so that they can send letters to a group of 
customers.  They currently are considering purchase of WORDPERFECT, which
 has cooperated with Oracle Corp to develop such a facility.

2.  Another division wants to "call" WPS so that they can initiate a WP session
after merging the results of an Oracle query with a canned letter.  Through my
 notesfile readings, I know that a) WPS-PLUS is not callable and that it will
not likely become so, b) ALL-IN-1 has a scripting capability which may offer
 some hope (even at the expense of esthetics, which may necessitate screen
flashing during the scripted session, and c) almost no one in Digital is
interested in "cooperating" with Oracle, even if it means losing major
pieces of business.

Since I have been with Digital for only a little more than 1 year, I don't
 know my way around the company as regards product customizations, but I 
have learned that we should be selling solutions and that we are the great
integators.

Any and every help will be appreciated.

Joe Ritchie
SWS, Sales Support
HTF
DTN 325-1889
VAXMAIL CTOAVX::RITCHIE