RE: Changing database to SQL from DDS

[Vern Hamberg <vhamberg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nelson, tools like Popkin's System Architect, Sybase's PowerDesigner, and 
CA's AllFusion ERWin Data Modeler can read and generate gboth SQL and DDS 
for iSeries - they often have an earlier design stage that models your 
business rules and then generates a schema from that - very cool. I think 
the benefit of tools like this is, they can handle almost any RDBMS you 
have, so you can design and maintain all your databases in one place.

BTW, no holy war here (I hope). We use both as we decide it is best to do 
in each case. Of course, we are a development house, not huge, so we don't 
have the same massive data processing needs that you all have with AR and 
AP and all that

I've used Access' relationship diagram - it's good to a point but limited. 
The tools listed above are needed, IMO, for serious data modeling/design.

Regards

Vern

At 09:19 AM 1/8/2003 -0500, you wrote:
> I've been interested in the same thing for some time now, but every time the
> subject comes up on the list here it just degrades into a holy war over
> which is the better method, rather than any meaningful discussions on the
> best tools, methods, practices, etc. to use to implement a DDL-based system.
-snip-

>  The reason that would seem to be the most compelling to me
> would be tools that would make life easier, like a CODE/400 for database.
> Is there such a thing?
See above

-snip-

> I think (but have had no experience here) that there are a lot of PC-based
> SQL tools that might make our lives easier if we were used to using SQL for
> defining and maintaining our databases, but I'm not sure how easy they are
> to integrate with the 400.  Has anything like this been ported to the 400
> for native use?  Does anyone use something like Access to model/define their
> databases and then port that to the 400?  How about data dictionaries?  Is
> there anything useful or considered a standard in that area, that could then
> be used to build our files from?