Re: ODBC performance with UPS Worldship

[Dave Murvin <davem@xxxxxxxx>]

Comments in line:

At 06:00 AM 3/17/2002, Doug wrote:


> >At the present time, they do a batch import for the addresses once per day.
>
>What is the rationale for doing this instead of just setting up an import map
>and retrieving it dynamically when it hits the scale?

This was done previously by some in-house person as a quick and dirty way
to get the job done. They sometimes seen to just do what is adequate.
Perhaps we can enhance this to an immediate import if their budget allows.

> >The UPS machine just writes the shipment information to an AS/400
> physical file
>
>Without a trigger attached, then the delay would seem to be happening in the
>ODBC insert/update side.  Does the physical file have a key?  Any logicals
>with
>unique access paths?

No physical file keys and no unique access paths on logicals.


>In my case, the shipping must be processed immediately by the 400.  The
>customer
>can opt to have the invoice sent attached to the package rather than
>mailed, and
>the majority do it that way.

I do not believe that attaching the invoice to the shipment is an option
here, so periodically during the day is probably good enough, although you
solution sounds like it might be more fun to implement.

>I had tried alpha fields (parsing the value is no problem), but couldn't get
>that to pass data reliably either. :(

The only time I have had problems with the data is when I tried to use the
C atof function to convert the alpha numbers with imbedded decimal points
to numeric fields.  Because is uses floats, the amounts were not always
being translated correctly.  Some would be fine and some would be off a few
cents due to the inaccuracy of floats as decimals.  I ended up using a
variation of an example (from Club Tech iSeries Programming Tips -- January
31, 2002) of using an RPG program to call the CVTEFN MI instruction
(Convert External Form to Numeric Value) to convert the decimal
numbers.  There is also an example of this in the archives by Barbara
Morris.  I am still using the C atoi function for the non-decimal numbers
and it seems to be working as desired.

> >If I can't solve the problem with blocking adjustments, I will probably try
> >the 3rd party ODBC driver mentioned in another response.
>
>The third party drive I used was the same one (HiT Software), and it
>worked from
>the very first attempt with no changes.

It is sounding like this is what I will need to do too.


Dave Murvin
DRM Enterprises, Inc.
davem@drme.com