Synergex
 
  Synergy-e-News
 
  News and updates for Synergy/DE Developers :: August 5, 2010
 
 
 
SPC 2010 IS COMING SOON

SPC 2010

Learn more and register today
UPCOMING CLASSES


08/16 - 08/20/2010
Synergy/DE UI Toolkit Essentials

View all


LATEST BLOG POSTS

Richard Morris: Blunt Pencil?

Tod Phillips: XP: The O’Hare of Computer Network Traffic

Steve Ives: Starting Services on Linux
 
IN THIS ISSUE
 
Beta Testers Digging into Synergy/DE 9.5 and the .NET Framework
Learn how some of our customers are leveraging the new capabilities of Synergy/DE 9.5 and the .NET Framework in their own applications

William Mooney's Blog
Gearing up for another great SPC

PSG Blog
Rise to the SPC challenge and see how your code looks with a modern UI

Synergy/DE Customer Migrates 14,000+ Data Tables from Oracle to SQL Server – With Ease
Find out how

Synergy/DE Tech Tip
Use xfODBC to enable Crystal Reports to access Synergy data

Quiz
Synergy/DE pros, see if you can answer this question!

Platform News
Read a selection of recent articles

Announcing the Q2 Support Survey Winner
Is it you?
 
 
 

Beta Testers Digging into Synergy/DE 9.5 and the .NET Framework
Learn how some of our customers are leveraging the new capabilities of Synergy/DE 9.5 and the .NET Framework in their own applications

Synergy/DE 9.5 beta testers have been busy writing new Synergy code in Visual Studio and also converting existing code to target the .NET Framework…

Erik Read from Jack Henry is focusing on learning “how the new features will help us design better future apps”. He is writing a proof of concept application that mimics one of Jack Henry’s mainline (DBL) applications. The new application will have a front end that is completely C#/WPF and a DBL class library for access to the data.

Prior to the 9.5 beta test, Chris Blundell from United Natural Foods was working on integrating his application with a third-party price engine. He had written about 50 classes and other regular subroutines and functions for that (a couple of hundred methods, around 10,000 lines of code). As part of his evaluation of the 9.5 beta software, Chris put those classes and routines into a Synergy Language Visual Studio project, and he already has them working. Terry Jones of Turnkey started his 9.5 beta testing by writing a small Synergy program in Visual Studio 2010. (“I’m amazed!” he told us.) Next he’ll move an existing Synergy application into Visual Studio and build it to run under the .NET Framework.

Each of our beta testers has unique applications and unique goals. All are learning how they can leverage the new capabilities of Synergy/DE 9.5 and the .NET Framework. If you are interested in joining them to get an early start with Synergy/DE 9.5, just let us know. Or click here for more information.

(Developer Support required to access the beta Web site and to participate in the beta program. For more information, contact your Synergy/DE account manager.)



William Mooney's Blog
Gearing up for another great SPC

It’s been a while since I posted a blog, but the SPC always seems to propel me back into the blogosphere! SPC 2010 is unbelievably just around the corner, and we are once again gearing up for a conference that is not-to-be-missed...


SPC 2010


Click here to read the full blog post.



PSG Blog
Rise to the SPC challenge and see how your code looks with a modern UI

At SPC 2010, you will learn about the latest tools and techniques you can use to implement new, modern interfaces to enhance your existing and proven Synergy applications on Windows, OpenVMS, and Unix, and migrate them to native Windows Desktop applications. And, if you take the SPC Challenge, you will get to see your very own code running with a modern UI.

Read the latest PSG blog to find out how…

Interested in what else the PSG consultants are blogging about? Subscribe to the PSG blog and get a notification when a new entry is submitted. Visit the blog now!




Synergy/DE Customer Migrates 14,000+ Data Tables from Oracle to SQL Server – With Ease

HyPro Incorporated is a leader in machining, manufacturing, and assembly of components and complex assemblies. For the past 10+ years they have used a Baan/ERP system to manage the 14,000+ data tables stored in their Oracle database, and have used Synergy/DE SQL Connection to provide the complex reporting functionality their customers demand.

Recently, HyPro decided to upgrade their Baan system to Infor ERP LN, which offers significant technological advances. In the process, HyPro decided to replace their Oracle database with SQL Server. Because they use Synergy/DE SQL Connection, which supports both Oracle and SQL Server, they were able to retain all of their proven logic and data and make the migration with relative ease.

“SQL Connection has such a broad range of functionality,” states Roy Nelson of HyPro. “ERP systems are incredibly good for keeping a tremendous amount of data and collecting it. But they rarely do a good job of providing the information you need to run the company. That’s where SQL Connection comes in. Thanks to SQL Connection, I can create my own applications, building in whatever logic that I want, and can jump into and manipulate the data, whether it’s in Oracle or SQL Server. And the processing time is instantaneous – which is significant for a company like ours with some data tables containing over 14 million rows of data.”

HyPro is scheduled to go live with their new ERP LN/SQL Server-based application this week. Immediately following the launch, they will be working with the Synergex Professional Services Group to migrate their customer/supplier Web site from xfNetLink COM to the easier-to-use, feature-rich xfNetLink .NET client. This will ease their user interface programming efforts dramatically.


Synergy/DE Tech Tip
Use xfODBC to enable Crystal Reports to access Synergy data

The following outlines one way you can use xfODBC to enable Crystal Reports to access Synergy data. This procedure was created with Crystal Reports XI. The steps may vary for other versions. See the documentation for Crystal Reports for more information.

These instructions use the sample database that is included with the Connectivity Series distribution. Before you can do the following, you must generate a system catalog for the sample database, create a connect file and DSN for the sample database, and create a user that can access the data. If you initialize users and groups when you generate the system catalog, you can use the default user DBADMIN. See the xfODBC User's Guide for more information.

1. Open Crystal Reports XI and select File > New > Standard Report from the menu.

2. In the Data screen of the Standard Report Creation Wizard, expand the Create New Connection folder. Then expand the ODBC (RDO) folder. This opens the ODBC (RDO) dialog box.

3. In the ODBC (RDO) dialog box, select the "xfODBC" DSN or an xfODBC DSN that you've created. Then click Next.

4. Enter the user ID and password in the Connection Information screen of the ODBC (RDO) dialog box. Then click Finish. This closes the ODBC (RDO) dialog box, returning you to the Data screen of the Standard Report Creation Wizard.

5. Expand the folder for the DSN (e.g., the xfODBC folder), expand the PUBLIC node under that folder, and then select CUSTOMERS.

6. Click the top, right-pointing arrow (>) to add CUSTOMERS to the Selected Tables area of the dialog box. Do the same for ORDERS, and then click Next.

7. In the Link screen, make sure By Key is selected, and then click Next.

8. In the Fields screen, select the fields you want displayed on the report. (Use the > and >> buttons.) For example, to see an order report that includes the names of the customers who made the orders, select OR_NUMBER, OR_ITEM, and CUST_NAME.

9. Click Finish. (You can click Next instead to continue on with the wizard to the Grouping, Record Selection, and Template screens to further customize the report before clicking Finish.)

Crystal Reports displays the generated report.

This Tech Tip is also an article in the Synergy/DE KnowledgeBase*. KB is a searchable, fully indexed technical library where you can research a multitude of answers to previously asked support questions.

*You must have Synergy/DE Developer Support in order to access the Synergy/DE KnowledgeBase. If you do not have Developer Support, contact your Synergy/DE account manager.




Quiz
Synergy/DE pros, see if you can answer this question!

What type of field can store a numeric value between 0 and 255, inclusive, in a single byte?

a. a
b. byte
c. i
d. all of the above



Click here for the answer and explanation.




Platform News
Read a selection of recent articles

Windows
OpenVMS Linux

Announcing the Q2 Support Survey Winner
Is it you?

If you’re Cathy Song from GFS Chemicals it is! Cathy is the winner of the Q2 Developer Support Survey contest and the recipient of a $100 American Express gift card! Founded in 1928, GFS Chemicals, Inc., manufactures over 4000 items for chemists. All of their in-house applications are based on Synergy/DE and run on HP OpenVMS.

Want a chance to win? Let us know what you think! Customer satisfaction with our Developer Support is monitored and enhanced through the distribution of satisfaction surveys upon the closing of each support case. Each quarter, we choose a winner by randomly selecting the name of a customer who has completed a survey after working with Developer Support. So, next time you call on us for support, let us know how we did, and you could win $100 just for giving us your feedback.

Thanks to everyone who completed a Developer Support survey in Q2, and we look forward to hearing from you again.

If you do not currently have Synergy/DE Developer Support, contact your Synergy/DE account manager for more information.