Re: Budgeting to replace V5R4

Rob,

Your reacting a bit harshly. No not everyone passed the object conversion on the first try but most can either replace the software that is an issue from the OEM or with another product which has been almost no issue for all of my clients. Most OEM software vendors are able to deal with the changes by sending a version of software that is V7 compliant along with detailed instructions about how to install them. The ones that can't for the most part don't exist anymore and that software needs to be completely replaced. Customers deal with all of that in stride, no problems.

Regarding the SQL issues, there is a bit of a terse statement in the V6R1 Memo to Users (Pgs 24-25) regarding the SQL changes. It's actually a V6 upgrade issue and in the V6 Memo to users:

In part:
/"Resolving an SQL0338 failure
In V6R1, a query might fail with SQL0338 for queries with a JOIN. In earlier releases, this usage was
allowed. The error needs to be issued because of the implied order of the join condition.
For example, the following query will begin to fail on V6R1 because the reference to a.c1 is at an
incorrect scope for the join predicate."/ (emphasis added) An example follows this statement.

If you have an OEM vendor (Solorsoft, Oracle, Infor, Harris Data, ProData etc) and your at the level of software approved for V7, it's no sweat, drop V7 on and go. Very uneventful. If you have your own SQL and you use the types of join as described above, your SQL will have troubles. To lower the level on angst it takes to do an upgrade, knowing this up front is much better than all your applications stop working because you missed 10 lines in a V6R1 Memo to users is it not?

Every single customer that was aware of this sailed past it with no issues. Every one that did not know it, and have custom SQL in their systems had issues. So avoid the issue.

Jim Oberholtzer
Chief Technical Architect
Agile Technology Architects


On 9/17/2012 12:36 PM, rob@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

Seems a bit vague, but maybe, like me, you're just really busy.
"most of documentation" - does that include both Memo To Users? Do they
include some examples?
Something's tickling my memory on this but I've been on 7.1 for a couple
of years now so that experience escapes me.


"The only spot I have seen customers have trouble with in a V5R4 to V7
upgrade". Really? Everyone passed ANZOBJCVN on the first try? Wow! I
am sure you meant "the only OTHER spot".:-)

Is this something you can catch by scanning sql monitors for certain
statement execution? Like "left outer join" or some such thing?

How does one budget for this? Or is this an encouragement to contract
with a vendor who's done enough of these conversions to have caught
undocumented gotchas?

I'm trying to help people plan for and get to 7.1, hopefully safely. Not
to increase their fear of upgrading from V5R4.


Rob Berendt
-- IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept 1600 Mail to: 2505 Dekko Drive Garrett, IN 46738 Ship to: Dock 108 6928N 400E Kendallville, IN 46755 http://www.dekko.com From: Jim Oberholtzer <midrangel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, Date: 09/17/2012 01:20 PM Subject: Re: Budgeting to replace V5R4 Sent by: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx Rob, There's a little gem lost in most of the documentation and that is a change that was made in DB/2 regarding outer joins. The only spot I have seen customers have trouble with in a V5R4 to V7 upgrade is with SQL statements that use certain kinds of joins. There are workarounds but the best solution is to fix the SQL. See the archives of Midrange-L for much more information as well as IBM's web site, although good luck finding much out there..... Jim Oberholtzer Chief Technical Architect Agile Technology Architects On 9/17/2012 10:20 AM, rob@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Many of you are preparing budgets for next year. I've got no dog in

this

> fight, but you may want to consider adding upgrading from V5R4 to your
> budget. End of service for V5R4 is end of September of 2013.
>

http://www-947.ibm.com/systems/support/i/planning/upgrade/suptschedule.html

> You can get an extension but IBM will REALLY, REALLY rake you over the
> coals financially for it. Besides, all that buys you is one year of

delay

> for a LOT of money.
>
> I suggest you read the Memo to Users for both 6.1 and 7.1. Some items

to

> consider in your budgeting:
> - Are you current with IBM software subscription?
> - ANZOBJCVN. This may (almost guarantee WILL) affect some vendor
> purchased software. If you're behind on your vendors versions of

software

> that are supported on 7.1 then there may be some serious costs

including:

> = Paying up back support
> = Replacing the vendor if back support is too pricey or if they still
> don't support 7.1, which has been out for 2.5 years now. We replaced a
> few packages that we're dragging their feet on 6.1 versions when 6.1

first

> came out. IBM gave them a year's notice on ANZOBJCVN prior to 6.1 and

we

> got tired of them milking maintenance for nothing.
> = Training on the new version (or replacement) of your vendor

software.

> When we jumped from BPCS 405CD to LX 8.something we put everyone through
> non software specific ERP training and then LX training. (Note: You

can

> get 405CD to work past V5R4 but it WILL require applying some BMRs.
> - Domino:
>

http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/resources/systems_power_ibmi_lotus_releasesupport.pdf

> - Hardware: Is all your hardware currently supported on something

higher

> than V5R4?
> http://www-947.ibm.com/systems/support/i/planning/upgrade/osmapping.html
> http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssm1platformibmi
> There are some cards etc which may need to be replaced. Including

models

> otherwise supported on these releases:
>

http://www-947.ibm.com/systems/support/i/planning/upgrade/futurehdwr.html

> - Actually doing your OS upgrades. Some of you contract that out versus
> doing it in house. IBM or your BP may provide you a quote on that.
>
>
>
>
> Rob Berendt
> -- IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept
> 1600 Mail to: 2505 Dekko Drive Garrett, IN 46738 Ship to: Dock 108
> 6928N 400E Kendallville, IN 46755http://www.dekko.com

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