Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!unido!uniol!Christian.Kuehnke
From: Christian.Kuehnke@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de (Christian Kuehnke)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Dataflex
Message-ID: <4015@uniol.UUCP>
Date: 11 Dec 90 19:54:40 GMT
References: <1990Dec10.141331@IASTATE.EDU>
Organization: University of Oldenburg, Germany
Lines: 54

beveland@IASTATE.EDU (Eveland Bruce R) writes:
>Has anyone out using a database package called Dataflex.  Any info would 
>be greatly appreciated.  Thanx

I use DataFlex at work (developing applications) for three years. DataFlex is 
more a programming tool for software developers rather than a stand-
alone application. Applications are written in a special Macro-like
language. This language is restricted in some ugly ways, e.g. 
there are no Procedures or Functions (No recursion possible), and
no arrays.

Database handling:
- Relational
- Up to some billion records per database
- Up to 255 databases
- Up to 255 fields  per record
- Up to 10  indices per database, each with max. 6 Fields
- *Practical* limit of databases open simoultaneously is about 50,
  each with about 3 indices, but the theoretical limit is higher...

Dataflex is very fast, if not *too* much indices are required,
but generally speed is no problem. Creating graphic screens
is supported. Currently, there's no reasonable interface to
other languages (Once, DataAccess announced a C library, but
it was never delivered, as far as I know).

DataFlex is available for MS-DOS, for several Unix machines, for
VAXen etc... But be careful, the price for the VAX full development 
license is about 40.000 German Marks, i.e. about 25.000 $. Of course
the MS-DOS licenses are cheaper: About 5.000 DM (3000$) for the multi-user
development license (preferably supporting Novell's Netware), and 1.000 DM 
(700$) for the multi-user runtime license, which you need for *every* custo-
mer...

Generally, DataFlex is a fine and suitable database system for applications
of average up to large size. And, moreover, DataAccess is currently working
on release 3.0 (the current release is 2.3), which supports procedures, arrays,
and provides a full graphics-oriented user-interface, at least on MS-DOS
machines... And even in the current release it is far more powerful than
Clipper, FoxBase, and all this stuff - Never seen an application on these
systems as large as that I know on DataFlex...

Oracle etc. are even more mightier, but they are hardly suitable
if you want to downgrade to MS-DOS-machines...or am I wrong ?

Christian

PS: Diclaimer: I am not affiliated neither with DataAcess nor with any of
	       their redistributors...
-- 
Christian Kuehnke   * Christian.Kuehnke@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de
Hartenscher Damm 65 *
D-2900 Oldenburg    * Earn/Bitnet: 249923@DOLUNI1
FRG ("W.-Germany")  * Voice      : +49 (0)441 592 652
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