POWERBUILDER 5 DEVELOPER'S RESOURCE
Preface
You have picked up this book for a very good reason. You believe that PowerBuilder is the most powerful client/server development tool available, but you're looking for ways to use it more effectively. You're not a novice because you have quickly left the "How to . . ." books on the shelf in search of some real help-- the industrial-strength kind. You keep current on the events in the industry trade magazines and know about the turmoil that client/server development has been going through. Take the InformationWeek cover story from April 8, 1996, which stated that over fifty percent of all client/ server projects are delivered over budget and late and over thirty percent are canceled outright. More and more, we are hearing business leaders announce their disappointment with client/server:
"Client/server was supposed to save me money--but it hasn't!"
"I was told my business systems were going to be developed quicker--but it hasn't happened!"
"All I've seen of client/server is expensive consultant bills and little else!"
You are well aware that the honeymoon is over and it's time for results--not promises; systems--not prototypes; and benefits--not headaches. The heat is on because now end-users are customers, and as such, they demand satisfaction. You've watched the systems filled with bells and whistles come and go because they lacked power and reliability, and it is clear that those kinds of "systems" will not be tolerated anymore. So you've come to this book on the chance that somebody out there can help. Well, read on. The first thing you should know is that what you are holding is not another rehash of the PowerBuilder documentation set. You already know how to save a datawindow, code in Powerscript, and build an executable. But you need more. The basics may appear to work in those "Introduction to PowerBuilder" classes, but when you try to implement them in a mission-critical environment, many times you run headlong into a wall of obstacles.
Like the majority of client/server developers, you learn most effectively by studying stress-tested examples that have been proven to work. Dissecting them line by line, you see exactly how and, more importantly, why things work the way they do. But as you have discovered, getting your hands on that kind of code is next to impossible. On those occasions when you find code that does work, the majority of your time is spent trying to figure out the undocumented logic. And when you are lucky enough to find something that's well documented, it's usually novice-level information that you already knew.
As if these problems were not enough, you have a team of developers with which to work, a network that seems to be fighting you every step of the way, and more problems with response time from your relational databases than you care to even talk about. And, just when you begin to get your head above water to take a breath, you run into some PowerBuilder quirks that nobody wants to acknowledge even exist!
Let us assure you that you are certainly not alone. After working in the many facets of the client/server arena, we understand that your frustrations are all too common. Our goal in writing this book is to provide you with the most comprehensive information on developing Industrial-Strength PowerBuilder applications available in its class. When we say this book is the developer's resource, that is exactly what we mean. It is something that you will reach for time and time again after its first reading.
When working as consultants, we see the same needs from client/server development staffs appear over and over again. This book addresses those needs in a straight-forward, no-holds-barred approach. If there is a pitfall to avoid, we'll steer you clear. If there is an unconventional method out there that works, we'll explain it to you in detail and even provide benchmarks against more conventional means. Need help organizing your team? We'll show you some proven ways that work best with PowerBuilder. Do you know how much the network affects your system? We provide you with experiences and explanations that will tell you what you need to know. Why should you care about the database? We'll show you why this critical piece of your system needs the utmost attention from you as a PowerBuilder developer. These issues, and more, are the kinds that we tackle in this book.
This information in and of itself would provide you with a wealth of knowledge that would increase your effectiveness, but we know that is not enough to meet your complex needs. You want industrial-strength Powerscript? We provide you with more intricately documented, useable, proven code than any other material available today. Our examples address the real problems that plague us as client/server developers. Issues such as data integrity, performance, and reusability.
The invaluable base class library that we provide you with can literally be copied from the companion CD- ROM into your application for use in your systems. The only things you'll need to change are the site- specific parameters that are needed to connect to the database. There are no copyrights on the code, so use it however you wish!
We are also aware that even though the base class library will be truly valuable to you, nothing enables developers to learn quicker than seeing the code in action. For this reason, we have provided you with several, high-quality applications that can assist you in learning powerful development techniques and also serve as handy database utilities.
We all want to see client/server and PowerBuilder thrive in today's computing environment. With version 5.0, PowerBuilder has flexed its muscles and stands poised to be the leader for corporations looking for a development tool to meet their challenging needs. But as we have seen so many times before, success comes from not only working with the tool, but from the ability of the developers to use it wisely. In summary, this book will provide you with:
We would like to conclude with one final thought. It is our philosophy that a successful client/server project requires more than isolated attention to PowerBuilder and needs to take into consideration other factors (such as the network, database, and team environment structure, to name a few). Failure to understand how such things can affect your system will dramatically impact the overall package that you deliver to your customers. Our aim with this book is to provide you with the complete recipe, not just part of the mix.
We wish you good luck and success!
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