I've posted several msgs regarding attempts to synch an A5 db to Pocket PC. As much as I like A5 and believe that it's the best db development platform available, it is becoming clear to me that I have no choice but to revert to msAccess as my clients require the ability to access, update and synch data to/from the desktop and pocket PC. I can't believe that I am the only user facing this problem. Is anyone aware of any way i.e exporting from A5 to comma deliminated file to pocket access? Dbase and foxpro drivers dont work. I've heard that handbase for palm can do it, but palm is not the platform of choice at this time for my users. Palm db's are still flat files with workarounds to simulate relational capabilities. This seems like a tremendous oversight in alpha softeware's plans for retaining future market share. I can't believe that all of re-working of A5 has overlooked this requirement. Sorry to keep posting this question so many times, but I keep hoping that either a sharp developer or Alpha will address this issue soon.
-
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
Hi Terry,
I have followed your quest with interest and I think I have your sloution. Though it should perk Alpha's ears to hear it.
As much as I hate FMI and their anti-developer practices and the limitations of FM as a dev tool you should check out Filemaker Mobile (now available for Pocket PC). I'm sure it can import your text file.
Marc
www.a5solutions.comMarc King
A5solutions -
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
I have downloaded and tried filemaker's pda program. It is a list-based gui without any user defined forms. VisualCE has a driver available for Filemaker which allows for custom forms, macros and features to create a full featured program. But Filemaker's desktop GUI is horrible and I would never consider distributing it.
Microsoft's compact framework has excluded all but SQl sever, XML, oracle and sybase and has no plans to include "pocket access" or any other type database in the future. Pocket access was a feature used to gain market share from palm. That has now has occurred, and any of us small-time developers are no longer needed by microsoft. If you have been attempting to develope pocket pc apps, consider yourself used, abused, chewed up and spit out by microsoft. One now must have Visual Studio 2003, which includes the compact framework, and SQL Server 2000 or 2003 which will only allow data access to 2 or 3 mainstream dbms. ADO.net and ODBC are not part of the compact framework. Microsoft has succeeded in creating the demand and now suckering developers into having to shell out a minimum of 2,500.00 dollars to develope pocket pc apps. There is one backward compatible pocket access program by odessy software that will allow access to .mdb\cdb's. Microsoft had a terrible memory leak in ADOCE which it acknowledged along with their intention to never fix it as pocket access was not part of their future plans. It's SQL, XML or nothing. I believe Odessy claims to have overcome the memory leak, but it's immaterial unless you are using msAccess anyway.
Alpha will need create it's own data access method, pony-up with visual CE or possiby sybase powerbuilder for pocket pc (in beta) to get in the PDA arena. Even with powerbuilder, alpha will still need to come up with an odbc driver of their own. Alpha is great as long as your user never needs to integrate data. One can "attach" an Access db to Alpaha, but it is really an export as it is not a dynamic exchange of data. Alpha's db structure is different from dbase and foxpro. Unfortunately Alpha has not provided a way to share an alpha database in a functional way as othe DBMS have.
Alpha is fantastic as long as you user can live within alpha alone.Comment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
Terry
Alpa Software is not a large company like Microsoft and has to make decisions based on what they can do that has the widest appeal. I am sure if they had the resources, they would work on PDA versions, Linux versions, etc. But in the real world, only some projects can take front stage. The next version of Alpha in development hints at being a major change and upgrade. Between the work for that and the web version, they probably don't have much time for sleep, let alone a limited market product like a PDA version. There is a reason your options are so limited for a PDA. There isn't enough demand to warrant the investment.
Microsoft may try being all things to all people, but I am glad Alpha sticks to doing what it does best. And that is creating a great Windows based database development program.
JerryComment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
That may mean that like all things Filemaker - You need to buy the full install FM application to build anything usefull in FM Mobile. If that is true you should be able to create an attractive GUI in FM and open that in FM Mobile to distribute to your users.Just a guess on my part, it would not suprise me if FM Mobile only provided the aformentioned list based GUI. But its worth investigating.
Marc
www.a5solutions.comMarc King
A5solutionsComment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
A pda version is not necessary to push\pull data to the handeld. Only a workable driver is. A dbf driver that worked with a5 database containers and a working relationship with syware (visualCE) is what is needed. I certainly understand Alpha or anyone else not spending the bucks for a PDA version. Just make the data available to other programs so they can recognize it.
TerryComment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
Handbase is available for the PPC platform:
http://www.ddhsoftware.com/software.html?CatID1=3&CatID2=2&UID=2003071010054763.148.81.103Comment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
Will handbase recognize tables within an Alpha database conatiner?Comment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
Alpha Five tables are just plain DBF files, there is no "container". I've never even looked at handbase but if it works with DBFs, it should work with your Alpha tables.
-Lenny
Lenny Forziati
Vice President, Internet Products and Technical Services
Alpha Software CorporationComment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
According to the handbase advertisement it offers:
"full support for ODBC-enabled products. Read data into HanDBase from any ODBC level 1.0 driver. Write data from HanDBase to any ODBC 2.0 level driver."
The Visual Foxpro driver works very well for Crystal Reports reading Alpha tables.I've not attempted any writing from outside Alpha.Comment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
Go to www.handmark.com and you will find MobileDB. The product is available for Palm and Pocket PC as well as giving you a destop app to manage both.
I use this program to support a large sales force that has their own PDA (not company provided)therefore I need the ability to support both.
Export your data as any delimited text file and you are ready to go to your PDA device.Comment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
Thanks, but it looks like dbf is for palm only. The pockerPC versions wer for excel or access. Please keep the ideas coming!Comment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
I bought handbase for pocketPC. It seems like a pretty good program. It was origionally designed for Palm so the pocket PC features are a bit behind. Their forms designer is available as a beta with the professional version. So far I've tried ms dbIII drivers, foxpro dbf Drivers and visual foxpro dbf drivers without succesfully obtaining alpha data. Handbase was and I still believe a large flat file db. However they have done a great job of workarounds simulate relationships by adding several data types, i.e. "Link", "relationship" fields. These are in addtition to an autoincrement and\or unique guid field. The forms designer is archaic but the macros available for the buttons are okay.
I was looking again at syware's VisualCE. It was originally made for accessing msAccess data, however now one can retrieve, update and create sophisticated forms for Filemaker data, R base, and Accesss, and SQL server. It appears like db vendors partner up and proide the means to access their data. Also if you ar a whiz with windows API they sell a product callled DR. DeeBee with which one can write their own conduits in with about 4 weeks of coding a a couple thousand dollars for the program.
As with most of you A5 is my all-time favorite db, and I haven't intended to suggest that alpha create their own proprietory pocket db. I realize that a few people have done an enormous amount of work to turn out a great db\appliction development platform. But perhaps they could look into the possibility of prividing syware the means for 2-way data exchange so one can use a5 for the desktop and pocketPC in the field.
I'm wondering if the lack of alpha's capability to write SQL queries eliminates it from a candidate for pocketPC. Also someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but there evidently is not a dbf3 driver capable if accessing alpha data.
Comment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
Terry
Alpha Five V6 will be able to link directly to SQL data which will open many possibilities. However, it appears V6 is still somewhere in the distance.
JerryComment
-
RE: PDA, old topic, becoming imperitive
Terry,
" So far I've tried ms dbIII drivers, foxpro dbf Drivers and visual foxpro dbf drivers without succesfully obtaining alpha data. "
If you set up an ODBC datasource using the Visual Foxpro driver (with the "free table directory" option)
and the "Handbase" software does not allow you to see the data in DBF files, then it is a "handbase" problem and not Alpha. As I mentioned Crystal Reports works perfectly.
One thing to consider is that you will only see 10 byte fieldnames.Comment
Comment