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Frank--

We installed it, and it works-- with a few caveats.

You do have to be current with PTFs, both for the system, Java, and Web Query itself. Not unusual, and not a big deal, except for tracking down all of them and scheduling a time to install them-- I don't recall if an IPL was necessary or not.

If you're expecting just a supersonic version of AS/400 Query, forget it! They are two totally different products. The best way to describe Web Query compared to AS/400 Query-- they both can do pretty much the same things, but WQ is like going to someone else's house and trying to use the kitchen. You have to search for the silverware drawer. And -why- did they put the glasses all the way over -here-?

WQ is definitely a Java application. This means your PC must be up to the task. I had to bump up my memory, and a faster processor wouldn't hurt, either.

As I understand WQ, it is Information Builder's "Web Focus" product, with a lot of the niftier features stripped off. You can still get these features from IBI (for a price). The "Getting Started with Web Query" Redbook is just that -- a starter book. There's a lot of useful info on the IBI/WebFocus web site, but since the IBI/WF interface is different than IBM/WQ, you have to read between the lines and guess how IBM would have re-written the interface.

The interface is usable, but it has its quirks. Once you define files to WQ, when you select a file WQ insists on showing you the entire list of files. One library I defined has several thousand files. WQ shows you a segment of the list of about 200 files at once. Then you click on the top entry for 'back one chunk' and the bottom entry for 'next chunk' of files. The scroll bar only scrolls through the chunk of 200 or so. You can key the first character of the file name to position yourself closer to where you want to be. However, if you take their advice and use a prefix for each library or application, the first letter doesn't do much for you. If you add a 2nd library, you can jump to the next prefix letter. One trick when scrolling through the list is to make sure you have a file that begins with "Z" or other 'high' letter. Key the letter and jump to the bottom. Then you can click on the 'back one chunk' entry and go -back- through the list-- you don't have to scroll to the 'next chunk' entry. Somewhat faster, even for 3000 files.

One major difference between WQ and AS/4Q is that if AS/4Q decides that an index -here- would speed things up, it creates it on-the-fly, uses it, then trashes it. WQ can't do that. So you must be absolutely certain that your data is organized in the sequence(s) that you will use to access it. That may mean additional Logical Files or indices. I had one AS/4Q query that ran in less than 30 seconds. The WQ version (not imported-- rebuilt) ran over 2 minutes. Until I built a nice LF, then WQ ran in less than 15 seconds. Your mileage may vary, depending on number of records in the file, and how much horsepower your PC has.

I'm still learning-- this has all been with the Report Advisor. I haven't gotten to the developer's workbench yet.

--Paul E Musselman
PaulMmn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At 2:06 PM -0400 3/14/08, fbocch2595@xxxxxxx wrote:
Hello, has anyone started using this licpgm?? Any pro's and con's about it to share?? Are there any admin/management/config snafu's regarding it?? How's the training for users?

Thanks, Frank?

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