Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucsd!ames!amdahl!pacbell!ditka!bucket!whizz!bbh
From: bbh@whizz.uucp (Bud Hovell)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Informix SQL doesn't compile ACE reports reliably
Keywords: 3B1, consistent problem
Message-ID: <658@whizz.uucp>
Date: 16 Jun 89 22:16:54 GMT
Reply-To: bbh@whizz.UUCP (Bud Hovell)
Distribution: na
Organization: McCormick & Hovell, Inc.
Lines: 41

Ever since I first installed Informix SQL, I have found that ACE reports
have a tendency to fail on compile - without an error message. When this
occurs (about half the time), the report core-dumps when it is run. It may
take 2-4 iterations of compiling before the report finally "takes", and
will run flawlessly thereafter. The frequency of the problem seems directly
related to the size and complexity of the report being compiled.

During the period when I was paying for tech-support for this software, I
raised this problem with one of the techs at Informix, and was told: "Sounds
like a system problem to me." No info of how to determine whether this was
actually so or other advice. In other words: "Ees no my problem, mon."

The system software has been reloaded a number of times since then, and the
condition has been constant without exception since day one (when we first
installed the SQL a year ago in April).

I now have a report that will not output *AT ALL* since I have added more
code to it. It has always been more-difficult to compile a good copy of this
particular (admittedly rather large) report, but now it just barfs and core-
dumps every time. If the output is sent to the printer or piped to a pager
('less', in our case), the report will actually start to generate, but then
just stops after about 12 lines and core-dumps. Or, more accurately perhaps,
it core dumps and stops. Whatever.

This is Informix SQL ver 2.10.00B. We run it on a 3B1 under ver 3.51a OS. We
have 2 Meg of RAM and a 67-Meg hard-disc. The process is invariably run from
a 610 terminal attached to port tty000.

Does anyone know if there is something I can do to fix this problem? Is this
yet another undocumented "feature" of Informix SQL? Is there a workaround?

Yours in most desperate need, :-(
 
                                 Bud Hovell

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