RE: Saving the System i: Fight Rather Than Switch

 <snip>
And, you did not define what you meant by 'better' when you said "native 
record level access is better than SQL for retrieving records by key, 
updating them, and writing them". While the AS/400 faithful may think it is 
'better' in some green outdated sense, the System i futurists do not agree
</snip>

IMO the future will use BOTH RLA & SQL.  For some tasks SQL just makes more 
sense, FWIW I prefer RLA for single record access (fetch for one row at a time 
on a cursor performance sucks...but optimizing for multiple rows is MUCH 
better).  This is just another example of using the right tool for the job.  
Realistically I feel that both ARE necessary.  But I digress.  Everyone may 
have a different opinion as to what's beter & only use one form of data 
retrieval, but SQL is gaining ground.  Here I use both & the number of programs 
& processes using each is pretty much a 50-50 split.  With appropriate indexes 
& proper planning SQL becomes much faster than trying to do a simple select * 
from myfile where mykey = 'WHATEVER'.  Without a proper index yes this can be 
slow, but it can be improved using a good index.

Just my 2 coppers...


Thanks,
Tommy Holden


-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces+tommy.holden=hcahealthcare.com@xxxxxxxxxxxx 
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces+tommy.holden=hcahealthcare.com@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On 
Behalf Of Trevor Perry
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 10:52 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: Saving the System i: Fight Rather Than Switch

Nathan,

Thanks for the support. I appreciate the feedback.

Maybe I need to build a website: www.as400syndromeandproudofit.com ? I agree 
with you that the key to the future is leveraging the past. However, we need 
to have a clear vision of what was valuable from the past and use it as a 
stepping stone to the future.

For example, you compare SAVE in SEU with CTRL+S in WDSc. However, these 
things are two completely separate tasks. SAVE in SEU will save you current 
member for you to your development system. In WDSc, this function is done 
for you. Your PC is the development system, and it keeps all of the changes 
you make as you develop in the Integrated Development Environment. CTRL+S in 
WDSc is publishing your changes from the development server to the 
deployment or production server.  Not apples to apples. You are complaining 
about the present based on something different from the past.

And, you did not define what you meant by 'better' when you said "native 
record level access is better than SQL for retrieving records by key, 
updating them, and writing them". While the AS/400 faithful may think it is 
'better' in some green outdated sense, the System i futurists do not agree.

Trevor


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nathan Andelin" <nandelin@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Midrange Systems Technical Discussion" <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 5:51 PM
Subject: Re: Saving the System i: Fight Rather Than Switch

Trevor Perry:
I wrote about AS/400 Syndrome ...

"Maybe, this ability to see no further than your own technology
is a disease? Letʼs call it AS/400 syndrome, and work on a cure!"

"Are you stuck in the past? Do you have AS400 Syndrome?"

In the past, I entered "save" in the command line of SEU and my program 
was saved to disk in the blink of an eye.

In the present, I press CTR+S in Websphere Developer Studio Client and am 
somewhat entertained by  three (3) iterations of the progress bar (growing 
and shrinking, growing and shrinking, growing and shrinking) while I wait 
for the file to be saved.

You have a great site, Trevor.  And I appreciate the recognition the 
System i platform is gaining from it.  But in some ways, the past is 
better than the present.

The AS/400 faithful are a discriminating group.  They've learned for 
example that native record level access is better than SQL for retrieving 
records by key, updating them, and writing them.

The key is leveraging the the past to ensure the future, not discarding 
the past for things that grab immediate attention, but have less intrinsic 
value.

Nathan.