Re: MS SQL server access from RPG

Mike Cunningham wrote:

The reason I asked was because we are looking at some ERP solutions that run on three different databases that might move
our DB2/400 ERP to Informix (DRDA compliant) or MS SQL (not DRDA compliant). We have lots of in house developed apps that
currently access our DB2/400 ERP. If we went the Informix route
we could simply use DRDA to make the Informix database look like
its local (CRTDDMF pointing to the Informix database). No code
changes needed. The JDBC route would work (we have done this from
some java apps already) but would require some major changes in
the applications to move from an "F" spec file definition with
CHAIN/READ/SETLL etc code to calls to a service program or
embedded SQL. Doable, and maybe a better long term solution, but
a much more costly, time-consuming conversion would be needed. We
are considering asking the vendors to use a DRDA compliant
database or provide as part of their package/support a 3rd party
DRDA gateway that would make MS SQL accessible via DRDA

The programs would still have to replace F-spec with SQL to use DRDA. Informix probably does not provide DDM access to its data, so presumably only DRDA will be available to access Informix SQL data; i.e. via an Informix DRDA server. That is, I think a conversion to use SQL is going to be required, regardless of which other database is chosen for the ERP on another platform.

Regards, Chuck