[DUG] Why InterBase

[Edward Huang]

Well Treveor, I though you might come up when I wrote my last email.  It's
right that there are 85+ instances of firebird databases and 1000+ (?)
instance of Paradox running around all TWL stores.  And firebird (or IB) is
a perfect choice for the environment its running on, i.e. pretty much only
interface to the application it talks to, with that little exception as you
mentioned.  Just hope that Paradox will retire very soon.

And agree with you that SP interface currently works perfectly fine, and I
don't have much problem with it, although it's an unusual interface that
central system have to connect to 85+ databases, and pull some data back.  I
can see that you are not in favour of middle tier solution for this as well.
I can see middle tier architecture talked in this session works for certain
circumstance, but don't know much places that really need them.

But the SP is one of the point I made previously that, you would put some
business rule/logic into database layer, SP in this case, and you could
avoid whole lot of complexity in the application layer.  A database will
strong SP (and SQL) capability would be very useful.

I didn't know you have some interface into DMSII database (which I suppose
is the TUI).  What kind of interface is it?  I understand that DMSII is not
a relational database system at all.  But I suppose that if firebird can tap
into DMSII database, MSSQL should be able to as well, although we are not
looking at it at all.  Trickle feed served its purpose.

Edward


> -----Original Message-----
> From: delphi-bounces at ns3.123.co.nz
> [mailto:delphi-bounces at ns3.123.co.nz]On Behalf Of Trevor Jones
> Sent: Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:20 a.m.
> To: 'NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List'
> Subject: RE: [DUG] Why InterBase
>
>
> Come on Ed,
>   There are about 85 firebird databases that interface with your Teradata
> database on a regular basis.
>
>   There is a stored procedure defined in each of those firebird databases
> which provides data to the Teradata system.
>
>   The stored procedure provides nothing more than a consistent interface
> which, when called, spits out the data that your Teradata system
> requires in
> a format that it can understand.
>
>   I suspect a certain amount of squeaky-wheel syndrome here: the stored
> procedure interface provided by the firebird databases is so simple and
> reliable that no-one even remembers that it is there.  The only
> calls I have
> ever had about it are to do with the Teradata systems's login not being
> available when a machine has been replaced due to hardware
> failure (and some
> support person hasn't done their job properly).
>
>   The structure of the tables which provide the data has changed
> many times
> since the original interface was designed.  The interface hasn't
> changed at
> all.  The original program which links Teradata to firebird has also been
> tweaked many times, but with a consistent interface, who cares?
>
>   Isn't that the point of interfaces?  And what better to provide an
> interface than a selectable stored procedure?
>
>   I appreciate that a web service could do the same job, but that would
> require (at the very least) a web server, and corporate rules precluded
> providing one.
>
>   Some other kind of middle-ware could also do the same job, but
> why bother?
> The database is there, it is secure, it is a service, it can be
> called, and
> it provides exactly what is required.
>
>   I've even had arguments with your boss about it.  The SP solution I
> suggested was put in place until someone could come up with a
> better way of
> providing the data.  That was several years ago.
>
>   Strangely, the firebird databases also have a (limited)
> capability to get
> live data from your DMSII database.  I know that the DMSII
> database provides
> a trickle-feed to the SQL-Server and Teradata databases, but as
> far as I am
> aware, only the firebird databases can get live data.  And once
> again, they
> use stored procedures (and UDFs) to do it.  Aren't interfaces cool?
>
>   I don't know if I could do all of this stuff with SQL-Server, Oracle,
> Postgres or MySQL, but I know that Interbase and Firebird can do it.
>
>   Currently I see nails, and my Firebird hammer is just the right
> shape and
> size.
>
> Trevor
>
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