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  • Subject: RE: Web to AS/400 Database connectivity
  • From: "John Taylor" <john.taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2000 20:18:07 -0600
  • Importance: Normal

Hi Art,


There are so many ways to do this, that I ignored your original question
because I was too lazy to type them all out. :) Since you mentioned Cold
Fusion, I'll limit my discussion accordingly.

Cold Fusion will allow them to access the database directly using ODBC or
OLE-DB. Since you may not want them to be able to directly manipulate your
DB, you can provide them with stored procedures that they will be able to
use through either interface.

If you're more comfortable with your "flat-file" solution, you can do that
too - you just need to present it to them in a different way. Create an
externally described PF on the AS/400 that will accept their transaction
requests. Tell them that they can use ODBC to "insert" their requests into
this "table". Put a trigger on the file to handle whatever processing needs
to be done, then return the results in a "response table". I'd like to add
that I'm not recommending this particular way of doing it, but it can be
done.

Your idea of using data queues will also work. Again, you just need to
explain it to them in terms that they'll understand. Tell them it is a
concept similar to MQ Series, or MSMQ (Microsoft Message Queue Server). Also
tell them that they can access the queues through an ActiveX Control
provided with the Client Access Express Toolkit.

Now, if your web guys don't understand the ODBC or OLE DB interfaces, I'd
_strongly_ recommend that you find new web developers.

Note that this is by no means a complete list of the different ways to
accomplish your objective. It might be simpler if you just ask the web guys
what web server & which tools they are most comfortable with. It doesn't
matter whether they want to use ASP, JSP/Servlets, CGI, Sockets, or
whatever. You can access the AS/400 using any of those methods.


Regards,

John Taylor
Canada


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
> [mailto:owner-midrange-l@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Art Tostaine, Jr.
> Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2000 6:43 PM
> To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject: RE: Web to AS/400 Database connectivity
>
>
> Comments in line
>
> Art Tostaine, Jr.
> CCA, Inc.
> Jackson, NJ 08527
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
> [mailto:owner-midrange-l@midrange.com]On Behalf Of MacWheel99@aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2000 3:53 PM
> To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject: Re: Web to AS/400 Database connectivity
>
>
> >From Al Macintyre
>
> >  From:    Art@link400.com (Art Tostaine, Jr.)
> >
> >  I have a new customer who we are developing an AS/400 application for.
> > He has grand plans for a web site that will interact with the
> data on the
> 400.
> > He is not automatically considering serving the web pages from the 400.
> > He has considered buying another AS/400 to serve the pages using
> > WebSphere Commerce Suite, but that is not definite.
>
> Something to consider here is that different models of AS/400 are
> optimized
> for different types of operations.  If your customer has an
> extensive ERP or
> other business operations package, then how that package is designed will
> dictate the model of AS/400 that is best for the performance & security &
> user friendliness & so forth for that package.  Many packages
> have not kept
> up with security needs, so they in esssence force the AS/400
> security to be
> at such a low level that it would be criminally negligent to connect it
> directly to the internet.
>
> Planned for.  If the customer chooses to run his web serving from
> an AS/400, that's the way we
> recommended he do it.
>
> >This sounds like you are not an experienced developer for this
> area.  Are you
> >planning on writing custom code or connecting a bunch of established
> >packages?  Have you discussed with the customer the trade-offs
> between custom
> >code & standard packages?
>
> I am not an experienced web developer.  I have not been asked to
> be one.  I am writing the business
> apps for this customer that they will use in house.  Some of
> these functions will need to be
> web-enabled.  That's why they are looking at other consulting firms.
>
> >There are plenty of developers who are experienced in both the 400 & web
> >applications.  Why are you & your customer hiring those that are not
> >specialists in the work to be done?
>
> I'm not involved in the web end.  He may be trying to hire those people.
>
> >Is your customer not already in business with a system to process orders?
>
> Yes, but they are scrapping the existing system and moving to my package.
>
> >You need to analyse what software system your customer is now using to
> >process orders & see what hooks it has that make web connections
> practical,
>
> I am ready to develop those hooks.  I've told web guys I want
> them to give me a flat file that I
> would trigger and return back to them data.  Some couldn't
> understand what I was talking about.  I
> told one about data queues.  Again quiet on the phone.  I could
> even accept EDI transactions.
>
>
> >A big problem for you is that there is no such thing as a
> "standard" since
> >the computer scene changes so rapidly.  What you should be looking at is
> >stuff that IBM  is committed to support for some time to come &
> stuff that
> >works well with Lansa.  Have you taken your customer to the
> Lansa web site
>
> Our company is a Lansa Solutions provider.  I am very familiar
> with Lansa.  Lansa has a bid into
> this company as well.  I could do the simple web stuff for them
> in Lansa, but they are considering
> developing a large portal site for a specific industry, much like
> Yahoo! is for the masses.  I do
> not have the desire nor the experience to develop such a large web site.
>
> Thanks for your input.
>
> Art Tostaine, Jr.
> CCA, Inc.

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