FoxPro 2.6 Fundamental Communication Question

[Imran]

Hi Everyone,

Keep in mind that this question is coming from an experienced
programmer that has no understanding of the FoxPro 2.6 platform or
it's architecture.

I'm trying to integrate with a FoxPro 2.6 system. The system consists
of ~60 FoxPro databases deployed around the country running a custom
order entry system. I need all of these Order Entry systems to
communicate the status of their orders every time the status of an
order changes.

What's the best way for me to accomplish something like this? I'm
specifically asking about how FoxPro can communicate with other
systems. Figuring out when an order changes is not an issue, but
figuring out how to tell another system that the order has changed is
what I'm worried about.

For example,
- Can FoxPro insert and update records in a SQL Server database via
an ODBC connection?
- Can FoxPro initiate some sort of message to a server that is
listening for messages (DDE, COM, etc?)

Are there other ways of accomplishing this with FoxPro?

A solution to this problem was already attempted but it failed. A
service was written that accesses each of the 60 FoxPro systems one at
a time and polls the Order Status Data. The problem with this system
was that it needed exclusive access to the FoxPro system that it is
polling. Because the systems are being used on site, if another user
was entering or updating an order, the service would skip that
location.

We are looking to replace this system with a more robust solution.

Thanks

[Dan Freeman]

First, understand that FoxPro 2.6 has been obsolete since the early 1990's.
It is very rooted in the Windows 3.x era.

Fox 2.x *is* capable of inserting into an ODBC data source IF the
connectivity kit is installed. It can also handle DDE fairly capably, if
programs are constructed to do so.

However, there is absolutely no way to "blanket" change the code to make the
existing application always update whatever destination you have in mind.
Every save would need to be modified, every append would need to be
modified.

Dan

"Imran" <chicag...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1173980170.9...@y66g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...

[swdev2]

Ug -
you said, "A solution to this problem was already attempted but it failed.

A
> service was written that accesses each of the 60 FoxPro systems one at
> a time and polls the Order Status Data. The problem with this system
> was that it needed exclusive access to the FoxPro system that it is
> polling."

I'd suggest to you that it was written wrongly.
Ya don't need exclusive access to the tables to 'poll the data' . Someone
tried it, left the exclusive setting ON, and it failed miserably. 'That'
Programmer should be fired, ya? He/She/It missed a basic, fundamental issue.

Now - the current system was written in FP 2.6 and is spread across some
country, right?
You could add in a back-end module on each site that grabs the updated data
and sends it off via ftp
to an ftp server. You can STILL code this in FP 2.6, provided you have
access to the IDE.
No odbc required.

If you don't feel comfortable doing it in FP 2.6, then do it as an
additional module in VFP 9, and then
poll the data, send it out via the internet or internal network to a mySql
or MS-SQL instance, and handle your data from there.
There are lots of options, even with this system 'as is'.

You also said this, "I need all of these Order Entry systems to

> communicate the status of their orders every time the status of an
> order changes."

Fine - write up a middle tier component in VFP 9 that runs at each site and
xfers the data somewhere.

If you need assistance, contact me privately to email box 'imran at
efgroup dot net' , reforming the address.
Regards [Bill]
--
===================
William Sanders / EFG VFP / mySql / MS-SQL
www.efgroup.net/vfpwebhosting
www.terrafox.net www.viasqlserver.net

"Imran" <chicag...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1173980170.9...@y66g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...