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The contents section is just the set of questions/titles in the order they appear in the FAQ.
This FAQ will attempt to answer some of the most common questions concerning CA-OpenROAD. It is aimed mostly at those fairly new to the product but there may even be some snippets to interest the old sea dogs out there.
It is not a general Ingres FAQ - you will find one of these on the NAIUA pages. I will refer to CA-OpenROAD mostly as OpenROAD or just OR; this is not because I have anything against Computer Associates - it just saves typing and reads a bit easier.
If the 'style' of the document seems to vary wildly at times, this is probably because I freely trawled the dejanews archives for old comp.databases.ingres articles that were relevant to OpenROAD. Since some of the pieces are lifted directly from the newsgroup, 'I' may not always refer to me, if you see what I mean.
Where information is incomplete or just plain wrong, I would welcome corrections via email. (As of this edition, the system requirements/platforms sections are woefully short; I tried various people at CA for info, but never got a reply.)
Or if you have any questions/answers to add to the FAQ, they would also be gladly received.
CA is Computer Associates who own the tool along with the whole Ingres product set.
OpenROAD = OPEN Rapid Object Application Development.
Naming convention follows the best acronym standards - think of a name and fit in the words later.
According to one 'insider': There's a funny story that goes with this. The unlamented Pier Carlo Falotti actually invented the name, and suggested it to Steve Weyl (at the time, the head of the Tools business unit), but in Pier's weird French-Italian accent it sounded like "OpenRod". Steve smiled and nodded, they way you do when the boss says something indescribably dumb. It didn't hit Steve until hours later than Pier had said "Open *Road*, and that it was a fantastic name.
OR is a suite of development application tools, comprising a GUI builder and 4GL, and a set of configuration and application management tools.
It facilitates the development of GUI applications on a number of windowing platforms with the ability to communicate with a number of relational databases.
The history of OpenROAD is tied to the history of Ingres in general, so here goes.
The Ingres relational database was a follow on from a University project at Berkeley in the 70's. It was originally marketed by Relational Technology Inc and later by ASK, and finally taken over by Computer Associates in 1994.
Originally, the main application development tool was ABF(Application By Forms) which allowed the development of character based applications, and is still widely used.
In the late 80's, ASK foresaw the rise of the graphical user interface and launched a product to take advantage of the new platform. Thus was born Windows4GL.
It was mainly a UNIX/X-Motif product with a (fairly disastrous) port to MSWin 3.x.
Version 2 of Windows4GL arrived circa 91 with a number of changes. 2.0 was even worse on Win 3.1, at least to begin with (there were an enormous number of patches done). The big feature in 2.0 was the debugger, though they also added multiple database session support and support for DBevents, among other things. There was also an OS/2 version of 2.0, which was eventually withdrawn after siphoning off many of the programming cycles which should have gone into improving the Windows version. There was also an OpenLook version, released the day Sun announced that they were moving to Motif. (Not kidding.)
In mid 1994, version 3 of Windows4GL arrived. It coincided with a major new release of the Ingres database, and to celebrate the fact both were renamed, as OpenROAD and OpenIngres, respectively.
OpenROAD was more than just a set of 'user wish list' improvements (although it meant I could put ticks against most of my list).
One of the major changes to OpenROAD (and the one which was least well publicised) was the move to a fully object oriented development tool. For the first time, the developer could create their own classes as part of an inheritance structure and write their own methods for them.
Another major point about version 3 was that it marked the acceptance of Microsoft as a major development platform, and WinNT became one of the primary platforms for OR.
OpenROAD also broke the automatic tie between itself as a development tool and the Ingres database.Up until this point, the use of W4GL had necessitated the Ingres RDBMS, both for development anddeployment. OR allowed the developer to choose between Ingres, Oracle and SQL Server for development and/or deployment and, indeed, allowed them to develop on one an deploy on any of the others.
OpenROAD also allowed for far greater reuse of code through the introduction of Frame Templates, Field Templates, include scripts and the pre-compiler.
OpenROAD is developed by Computer Associates, by their team in Alameda, California.
You talk to your local CA office.
Or call International Operations at 1-516-342-5224 for the number of your local office.
Latest release (if I ever finish this FAQ) is 3.5, with the beta for OR 4.0 being released as I type. For info on release 4.0, the OpenROAD 4.0 Development Manager, Durwin Wright, posted some info on the upcoming release to the OpenROAD mailing list. This information is available from the OpenROAD Information and Resources page on the NAIUA web site. The appropriate URL is: http://www.naiua.org/open_road.html
The text includes info on the major changes being made for Release 4.0, and also discusses the upcoming beta testing for this release.
OpenROAD is currently available on MS WinNT and 3.x, most of the major versions of UNIX and VMS. I am short of hard information here; I have tried CA without success. If anyone who is listening has the answer, I would welcome the info for future revisions.
I currently run OR 3.5 and OpenIngres 1.2 on an Intel WinNT box. I need all of my P200 and 64 meg to gain reasonable performance. As a client only, I believe you can get away with 16meg and a 486. Same comments on hard info as previous section.
Currently, Oracle, SQL Server, Ingres 6.4 and OpenIngres.
Original release 3.0. Subsequently 3.5, whose main feature was the introduction of Assistant technology to help automate the use of field templates. Version 4.0 due 3Q97 - see http://www.naiua.org/or4_0.html
There are a few on-line resources for OR.
Computer Associates' home page on the web is at http://www.cai.com
The North American Ingres Users' Association is very good for all things Ingres - http://www.naiua.org. In particular they have some news on OR 4 - http://www.naiua.org/or4_0.html
Elena M. Yatzeck (emy@gbsun.uchicago.edu) runs the OpenROAD Special Interest Group which has an automatic mailing list (Majordomo@gsbpop.uchicago.edu).
CA run OpenROAD training both in the UK and US.
Both the UK courses stress the OO features of OpenROAD, and constitute a radical rethink of the approach used for Windows4GL training.
They run two OR courses:
Application development in OR (4 days) covers basics from scratch. http://www.cai.com/profserv/courses/oi180.htm
First Half: Using the OpenROAD Environment
Second Half: Building Applications
There follows a quote from CA training in the US:
The course will be upgraded to OpenROAD 4.0 (or possibly supplanted with a 4.0 version of the same course), but we have not set a time for when that will occur. I don't expect the changes to be major; basically, we will replace the screen shots and interface descriptions in the first half of the course with their 4.0 equivalents.
At the moment, there are no advanced courses in OR offered in the US (but see the below comments about our plans). However, there is an advanced Windows4GL course that we offer that applies to OpenROAD as well. It covers GUI design, portability considerations, and font and colour customization.
We are currently in the early stages of creating two advanced OpenROAD courses: one on dynamic programming techniques using OpenROAD (including prochandles, dynamically added fields, and creating frames, procedures, and user classes at run-time), and the other about advanced database access techniques in OpenROAD, including synchronizing tablefield contents with database tables, the datastream classes, dynamic SQL, and dynamic expressions. I can't give you a date for when these will be ready.
We are also considering creating a third advanced course about integrating 3GLs with OpenROAD. I don't know if this will happen; if it does, it is lower priority than the other two.
A fourth possible course will be in using the OpenROAD 4.0 report writing facility. We haven't discussed this much yet; my guess is that it will happen before the hypothetical 3GL integration course, but after the other two.
A fifth possibility is a US version of a GUI design course that's currently offered in the UK. I just received a copy of this, and haven't had a chance to review it yet, so I don't know where that will go. If it looks readily usable, it may show up on our schedules fairly soon; if we feel that it will take a major effort to make it palatable to US audiences, it will either take a long time or never happen.
All of the above discussions of new courses is subject to change, depending mostly on customer feedback. If we hear that the reporting facility is much more important than the others, for instance, its priority can be changed.
On-site training available in OpenROAD, Windows4GL, ABF, Ingres Systems Admin and most areas of the Ingres product set. Originators and maintainers of this FAQ!
Ex CA trainers/consultants.
Contact details:
Alan Davies, CACI Ltd, Avonmore Road, Kensington Village, Avonmore Road, West Kensington, London W14 8TS , United Kingdom. 0171 603 5862 (fax) 0171 602 6000 (tel) aland@caci.co.uk www.caci.co.uk www.caci.comSummary description
CACI are a company specialising in project work using INGRES, ORACLE OpenROAD , VB and so on. We also sell and market a product called UPFRONT which some people may have heard of that transforms ABF into windows look and feel. CACI are a CA solutions provider and many of its consultants are ex-ingres/oracle with a great deal of product knowledge.
Contact details:
MARC VAN DE VYVER KOMPAS@INNET.BE Tel +32-3-235.00.84 fax +32-3-235.97.92Summary description:
We developped OpenReportLINK which make connection with reporting tools like Crystel Reports, MS-Acces, Report-Smith, you can print from OpenRoad Whithout Leaving it We devlopped also RoadBUILDER which make application in to openroad very easy
Pricing info if appropriate.
just call:
Bodo Bergmann Client/Server- Consulting & Training Ruedesheimer Str. 17 63110 Rodgau Germany Tel. + 49 6106 876 115 Fax + 49 6106 876 116 Email: bodob@ibm.netEx-Ingres employee (TechSupport, OR-Dev.)
Contact details:
Adress : Hindbygarden S-213 74 Malmoe SWEEDEN Phone : +46 40 210590 Fax : +46 40 210515 e-mail : malmoe@informationslogik.seSummary description:
We supply administrative computer systems for laboratory clinics of public and private health care, primarily within the pathological discipline, such as histopathology, cythology, blood, microbiology etc.
Our major systems are built using CA OpenROAD. Hence, all the above stated subjects apply to us, although we don't usually supply OR training - we have done and could of course do so again if approached.
Contact details:
PeaceTower Software, 220 Laurier Ave., Suite 1500, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5Z9, Canada. Tel : (613) 236-1598 x233 Fax : (613) 236-2481 Email : anejad@marinbridge.com Internet: www.peacetower.comCompany Overview:
PeaceTower Software specializes in application and database migration technologies. Based in North America, the company is operating internationally through a well-established network of value added resellers in Europe, the Middle East and Australia.
PeaceTower's A2W solutions perform automated migration of character based applications to GUI platforms. The available conversion solutions for Ingres-ABF/Vision are CA-OpenROAD and MS-Visual Basic. PeaceTower is currently developing various source/target environments to offer more options for migrating legacy applications."
Contact details:
Contact: Jim Eberle or Susan Tutor 5825 Glenridge Drive Building 3, Suite 101 Atlanta GA 30328 404.843.9308 Fax: 404.256.1984 jeberle@mentora.com or stutor@mentora.comSummary description:
Mentora, Inc. is a best-of-breed team of information management experts specializing in the definition, design, implementation, and management of large, complex database systems. The group distinguishes itself by combining the management skills of business process re-engineering with the hard skills of data modeling and client/server development.
These skills are applied using state-of-the-art, disciplined methodologies, software utilities and management tools, with close adherence to accepted design and development standards. The results are: properly architected and configured systems, efficiently performing database applications, well documented processes, and trained I.S. staff.
Our service philosophy is to make a significant impact quickly, and do knowledge transfer to increase your staff's skills and expertise. We can help you identify key roles and responsibilities, and hire, develop, and train your people. Our real-world problem-based training approach teaches your staff concrete skills that they immediately apply to your environment and needs.
Services
We have a number of experienced Ingres Principal consultants on our staff and have been involved with training clients for over ten years. Over the past two years we have conducted numerous OpenROAD classes for CA as well as customers throughout North America.
OpenRoad training: Yes conducted by experienced principal and senior consultants
OpenRoad consultancy: Yes we provide experienced principal and senior consultants and programmers
OpenRoad 3rd party add-ons? We have developed a Year 2000 conversion product (Y2King) for Ingres and other RDBMS applications.
Contact Details:
Peter Barzen Phone No: 404 261 2074 Fax No: 404 261 9645 E-mail: pbarzen@prophecy.atlanta.comSummary Description:
Prophecy Americas, Inc. is one of the worldwide offices of Prophecy International, a company which has been delivering financial solutions for nearly 20 years to customers in 30 countries.
Our flagship product, Prophecy Classic was a move to take full advantage of relational database systems and now, our newest product called ProphecyOpen, taps into the latest object-oriented and client/server technologies.
We chose CA-OpenROAD as the tool to build the Prophecy Object Framework. The Prophecy Object Framework consists of business and screen objects, together with core architecture such as menu, database accessing, a task builder and a browser. Applications are assembled by simply dragging and dropping from the Window and Business Rulers Layers. The concept is that all business processing is already done, all that is needed is to select and assemble - no compiling!!! New tasks - super transactions - can be created on the fly with screens showing what the user needs, the business processing and validation.
With this Framework we developed ProphecyOpen , a full suite of financial and distribution applications featuring multi-company, multi currency and multi-languages, covering the major areas of business including - General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Budgeting, Bank Reconciliation, Fixed Assets, Purchase Order, Requisitions, Order Entry, Project Costing, Job Control, Allocations, etc.
The Prophecy Framework can be used to extend ProphecyOpen or to develop entirely new applications from scratch. The tailorability provided allows changes to screens, database structure and menus without any source code changes.
ProphecyOpen is definitive of the word open being open database with native drivers, and open systems with your choice of platform for deployment of the client and server.
Contact Details:
David Postle, Business Manager, Apertus Systems Ltd Technico House Richardshaw Lane Leeds LS28 6AA EnglandSummary Description :
Apertus was formed in 1992 to specialise in the provision of Ingres-based development and support services, and numbers more than 50 Technical Specialists as at July 1997. Based in Leeds and Manchester, we focus exclusively on Ingres, covering the server (both versions 6.4 and OpenIngres), as well as front end tools such as OpenROAD and ABF. We provide bespoke application development services, as well as Ingres system support and maintenance and consultancy. The vast majority of the systems we write are developed using an OpenROAD front end, typically using a fully object oriented n-layer model.
We were founded with a unique philosophy: companies that specialise in a technology provide a better service than those who don't; we specialise exclusively in Ingres and its related toolset.
Pricing Information : Services are priced according to the resource and skill level required for the work; please contact us for further information.
Contact Details:
ERD has its head office in the Netherlands:
Elegant Relational Development bv Hoogstraat 125a Telephone: 00 31 10 273 22 33 NL-3111 CK SCHIEDAM Telefax: 00 31 10 273 11 14Summary Description :
Elegant Relational Development (ERD) is a relatively young software company, set up by a number of relational database consultants with extensive international experience.
The sum of this knowledge and experience, collected through their involvement in dozens of major projects, has been used to produce Elegance, the sophisticated system generation software which forms the foundation for ERD's activities.
HTMLised by Don Simonetta