I agree with Joe here if you already have RDB. We using it mostly for our IBM i connections, but we also have a couple applications that integrate data between DB2 for i and MS SQL Server 2005/2008 databases.
The improved usability features in the rich client components has been amazing.
We tend to do more with SQL Stored Procedures as much of our legacy vendor-supplied RPG application is too monolithic to call RPG programs or sub-procedures directly. With that said, we've had much success with using calls to RPG with the a opportunities.
Daron
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-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Pluta [mailto:joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 9:43 AM
To: Rational Developer for IBM i / Websphere Development Studio Client for System i & iSeries
Subject: Re: [WDSCI-L] Modernizing
If you have RBD (Rational Business Developer) and not RDP (Rational
Developer for Power) then you have the EGL tooling. EGL is one of the
most powerful tools for developing web applications available. What's
unique about EGL is that it lets you build applications either directly
from your database using SQL, or by calling RPG business logic. It has
fully WYSIWYG designers both for thin client and rich client
applications, and an incredibly easy drag and drop process.
Real world example: we had an extract program that built a file, and
then the users had to go into Excel and download the file. Not horribly
hard, obviously, but there are various issues with users doing downloads
directly from the database.
We built a web page that showed that data in a table that they could
then right-click and export it directly into Excel (export to Excel is a
built-in capability of IE). The time to create the page dumping the
table? Four minutes. Bring up the tool, create an empty page. Add an
SQL Record naming the file. Tell the tool to bring in the record
definition. Define an array of those records to my web page. Drag it
onto the screen (and in so doing change the column headings). Back into
the web page, write one line of code: get myRecords.
Done.
That's just one real world example of the sort of development you can do
in EGL.
And here's a little extra bonus: the SQL Record uses a standard database
connection. That connection doesn't HAVE to be to the IBM i... it could
be to any database server on your network. Imagine the possibilities,
eh? :)
Joe
I am an old time RPG programmer and am currently using Webfacing for their
web development. Although this has been a pretty good tool for us, it has
its limitations. I am looking for some advice on what would be the best
tools to use to modernize their web development. I currently have RBD and
have some minor experience at Java. I do like the RPG language and would
like to continue to incorporate this in my web development.
Any advice?
Russell Kalchbrenner
IT Manager
Financial Management Services, Inc.
Web: www.fmsi-contractorscredit.com
midrange.com
