RE: Multi-member files - Big picture feedback

Ah here we go again...

AS/400/iSeries/i5 record-at-a-time fundamentalism rears its head again.
   The only problem about being in that camp is the rest of the RDBMS
community laughs those folks out of the room and WORSE YET, out of the
running when it comes to which platform is picked for a company's
strategic direction.   The market place is the FINAL arbiter. 

While on the surface, I agree with Joe the best tool should be used to
solve the problem, he fails to understand the only tool accepted by the
real-world RDBMS community is SQL.   To use any other access methodology
is, on the one hand, considered a fundamental security breach as it is
allowing a back door, something made quite clear as a "no-no" by Chris
Date (also considered one of the founders of the RDBMS world and the
person who brought Ted Codd's "laws" down the mountain so the real world
could understand.)   On the other hand, using any other access
methodology when doing true RDBMS access is not doing anything positive
and strategic for your company, not to mention your resume.   

I simply invite you to look at what access language the rest of the
world is using when accessing the world-accepted and strategic RDBM's
(the real DB2s, ORACLE and the like) and you will find its only SQL
called from whatever language you wish to code in.   And that's what the
rest of the non-i5 IT community has been purchasing for MANY years and
the strategic direction by same for years to come.  

Take care,

Dave Odom
Arizona