RE: Betterment of AS/400 - Query/400

["Stone, Brad V (PP)" <bvstone@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here are the scenarios I've run accross...

1.  The user that learned Query/400 first.  This user will always use query
unless a simple mass database update is needed.  In this case if SQL is
available, it will be used.
2.  The user that learned SQL first.  This user will use SQL for EVERYTHING.
When shown Query/400, it's new and they want nothing to do with it.

One more thing to remember is that the big difference between Query/400 and
SQL is that SQL can UPDATE files.  I wouldn't give SQL to anyone unless they
had some understanding of a relational database.  They can't break stuff
with Query/400 unless they really try, and usually only if they produce an
output file and smoke an existing file.

Brad


-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Teff [mailto:jteff19@idt.net]
Sent: Friday, February 26, 1999 1:10 PM
To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject: Re: Betterment of AS/400 - Query/400


>All this Query/400 wish-list stuff. None of this will never happen.
>Why? Because *all* of this stuff is already available in SQL/400.
>All I can do is recommend is that you buy SQL/400, and take
>the time to learn it.

I cannot disagree with your statements on the face of them. I've
learned SQL and use it when I can. What I can't do is buy the
product and put it on a client's machine. I've tried several times
to convince clients that buying the SQL product is in thier best
interest. First of all, the other products come bundled and appear
as though they are free (OPNQRYF, DDS, Query/400). SQL
is an additional charge that they will not view as neccessary.
The other problem is that SQL is very foreign to the majority
of midrange shops. I get very little support from the rest of the
staff when I bring this up. I have only seen the SQL product
on one client's system ever. I regularily put the RUNSQL
utility on so that I can have some SQL capability.

One thing that I do find tedious in SQL is formating data. It
is quite cumbersome to make numeric data look good.

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