I don't think all developers have a knack for design with non-IT users in mind. Many (far too many IMHO) developers long-time Green Screen IBM i developers cannot design a user-friendly GUI screen, and I probably fit in that category somewhat.
Yet I agree that most users who have no actual development experience couldn't safely set the standards either. I suggest that there should be a lot of dialog between inexperienced users and developers to set the standards and then probably reviewed upon Phase I completion by an outsider to see if it meets expectations. Sounds like a lot of work and thus expense, but the alternative could be something that helps neither the user nor the developer.
Every shop I've worked at has at some point attempted to get tools like Query400 or SEQUEL into the hands of non-IT users. All have failed and I believe it to be because of two things: 1) the users have a total lack of confidence that they can do anything technical like build a report, and 2) the developers have a total lack of confidence that the users can do anything like build a report. Of course there are other factors leading up to it, like files not being designed for user generated reporting and fields not being named with the same in mind. These are the same users who have very little problem working Word and Excel, tools that once were somewhat "difficult" for non-IT users to grasp.
I dream of a world where users can take a tool like DB2 Web Query and actually build their own reports. But I don't think that could happen in a world where the users cannot grasp the naming convention of the tables and columns.
Duane
PS - the opinions expressed in the above statement reflect the views of myself based upon years of observation and unfulfilled desires to rebuild and modernize to get mundane tasks like reporting out of the hands of IT and do not reflect those of (my) management.
-----Original Message-----
From: RPG400-L [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Buck Calabro
Sent: Sunday, February 28, 2016 5:33 PM
To: RPG programming on the IBM i (AS/400 and iSeries) <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: SQL Naming Conventions
On 27 February 2016 at 13:43, Mike Jones <mike.jones.sysdev@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
IMO, for new development, use of the long names should be enforced by
standards / code review.
If 'standards / code review' means that the standards were designed and agreed by the developers, I totally agree. I have never - and I mean never - seen 'standards forced down from on high to succeed.
What happens is the developers end up making the ugliest possible code while strictly following the rule of the law.
Developers should have efficient tools to fetch a the list of columns
from a table, so they can copy/paste them instead of keying them.
This is a great idea; what do you use?
--buck
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