Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!mejac!orchard.la.locus.com!prodnet.la.locus.com!jfr
From: jfr@locus.com (Jon Rosen)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Relational Database info needed.
Message-ID: <25744@dice.la.locus.com>
Date: 26 Jun 91 04:03:45 GMT
References: <1991Jun09.222112.10715@chinet.chi.il.us> <5400.285550fb@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu> <1991Jun24.193403.22337@tfic.bc.ca>
Organization: Locus Computing Corp, Los Angeles
Lines: 29

In article <1991Jun24.193403.22337@tfic.bc.ca> clh@tacitus.UUCP (Chris Hermansen) writes:
>In article <5400.285550fb@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu> dlfrost@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu writes:
>[ Someone wants a relational database for ]
>> Try Focus, it is a relational database that will run on a pc, mini, or a
>>mainframe.  The PC/FOCUS comes in DOS, OS/2, and LAN version.  I know they 
>>have a UNIX version for mini computers but I am not sure if they have one 
>>for a pc unix version.
>
>Hey!  FOCUS is ***NOT*** a relational database, it's hierarchical.  The
 
 Here here!  I mentioned this in a previous post.  Having worked with FOCUS
 and its forefather RAMIS, I can attest to the correctness of Chris's view.
 I spent almost 15 years working with both products on mainframes and their
 early editions on PCs.  They are hierarchical databases with some very
 nice ways of linking various database files, and in fact, can be made to
 look reasonably psuedo-relational if you are careful.  But they are not
 relational databases.  Their query languages and report writers are VERY
 powerful (more so than SQL in a number of ways) but they are not based
 on any mathematical foundation like a relational database access language
 should be (no flames to me regarding SQL, I know it has its problems too). 
 
 By the way, what FOCUS and RAMIS can both do is use their report writers
 to link to REAL relational databases such as DB2, OS/2 EE, Oracle, etc.
 Since both products also have very powerful 4GLs and application development
 tools, this is sometimes a good thing to consider (marrying a real RDBMS 
 with a front-end 4GL-based product like FOCUS).  
 
 Jon Rosen