Frank--
We installed it, and it works-- with a few caveats.
You do have to be current with PTFs, both for the system, Java, and
Web Query itself. Not unusual, and not a big deal, except for
tracking down all of them and scheduling a time to install them-- I
don't recall if an IPL was necessary or not.
If you're expecting just a supersonic version of AS/400 Query, forget
it! They are two totally different products. The best way to
describe Web Query compared to AS/400 Query-- they both can do
pretty much the same things, but WQ is like going to someone else's
house and trying to use the kitchen. You have to search for the
silverware drawer. And -why- did they put the glasses all the way
over -here-?
WQ is definitely a Java application. This means your PC must be up
to the task. I had to bump up my memory, and a faster processor
wouldn't hurt, either.
As I understand WQ, it is Information Builder's "Web Focus" product,
with a lot of the niftier features stripped off. You can still get
these features from IBI (for a price). The "Getting Started with Web
Query" Redbook is just that -- a starter book. There's a lot of
useful info on the IBI/WebFocus web site, but since the IBI/WF
interface is different than IBM/WQ, you have to read between the
lines and guess how IBM would have re-written the interface.
The interface is usable, but it has its quirks. Once you define
files to WQ, when you select a file WQ insists on showing you the
entire list of files. One library I defined has several thousand
files. WQ shows you a segment of the list of about 200 files at
once. Then you click on the top entry for 'back one chunk' and the
bottom entry for 'next chunk' of files. The scroll bar only scrolls
through the chunk of 200 or so. You can key the first character of
the file name to position yourself closer to where you want to be.
However, if you take their advice and use a prefix for each library
or application, the first letter doesn't do much for you. If you add
a 2nd library, you can jump to the next prefix letter. One trick
when scrolling through the list is to make sure you have a file that
begins with "Z" or other 'high' letter. Key the letter and jump to
the bottom. Then you can click on the 'back one chunk' entry and go
-back- through the list-- you don't have to scroll to the 'next
chunk' entry. Somewhat faster, even for 3000 files.
One major difference between WQ and AS/4Q is that if AS/4Q decides
that an index -here- would speed things up, it creates it on-the-fly,
uses it, then trashes it. WQ can't do that. So you must be
absolutely certain that your data is organized in the sequence(s)
that you will use to access it. That may mean additional Logical
Files or indices. I had one AS/4Q query that ran in less than 30
seconds. The WQ version (not imported-- rebuilt) ran over 2 minutes.
Until I built a nice LF, then WQ ran in less than 15 seconds. Your
mileage may vary, depending on number of records in the file, and how
much horsepower your PC has.
I'm still learning-- this has all been with the Report Advisor. I
haven't gotten to the developer's workbench yet.
--Paul E Musselman
PaulMmn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
At 2:06 PM -0400 3/14/08, fbocch2595@xxxxxxx wrote:
Hello, has anyone started using this licpgm?? Any pro's and con's
about it to share?? Are there any admin/management/config snafu's
regarding it?? How's the training for users?
Thanks, Frank?
midrange.com
