Anybody on PowerHouse V8.19C4 on MPE/iX 6.0 - Allbase G3.02

georgia miller georgia_miller@gfps.k12.mt.us
5 Aug 1999 13:47:30 +0100


Hi, Andreas.  

I have been converting systems to PH8.19C3 on MPEix for the last year as part of the Y2K process.  I have 5 systems that have been successfully converted.  The only problem I have not solved is where part of a screen keeps getting erased when another screen overwrites the part of the screen next to it (doesn't use up the whole 80 columns).  

Here is a list of problems or things that I've compiled to watch out for when converting to PH819.  I keep adding to it from things that have come accross on this list and things that I've experienced.    I was supposed to be done by Sept. but have 2 systems left when I finish the one I'm on and I'm on the testing phase of it, which hopefully will be the biggest system, I've had to change.  One system, I rewrote all the programs that were left in RPG and converted them to Powerhouse.  That one is still biting me (with bugs).  So far in all the systems, I have changed the dates to include century.  We have 2 systems that we won't do that with because of huge cobol sources to change or missing source code for a main cobol program that we don't have time to re-write now.

Here's the list - some of you may recognize your post and see your name.  I've had to use #12 constantly when converting dates.  Thanks John.

Problems to Watch out for in Powerhouse Vs 8.19.C

1.	Subfiles

	A.	If Quiz or Qtp attempts to purge a nodictionary subfile, it will hang - forever.  		The solutions are to purge the nodictionary subfiles prior to re-writing them...or 		just have no nodictionary subfiles (I believe in the latter).

		Ron Tilby - Raytheon Aircraft Montek Co.
		The QTP Parser hangs when processing a SUBFILE xxx KEEP 
NODICTIONARY command if the permanent subfile already exists.

Example:
:comment Initially build the subfile
:PURGE XXX
:QTP
>ACCESS EMPLOYEES
>SUBFILE XXX KEEP NODICTIONARY INCLUDE EMPLOYEES
>GO
>EXIT
:comment Now that the subfile exists, we can exhibit the problem.
:QTP
>ACCESS EMPLOYEES
>SUBFILE XXX KEEP NODICTIONARY INCLUDE EMPLOYEES
:comment the system never returns a '>' to continue input.
:comment in batch, the job will just sit there.

This problem prevents compiling QTP runs that create or append to permanent nodictionary subfiles. I've produced this problem using Image Detail Datasets and Native Mode KSAM files as the input file.  It occurs whether or not the input record length is an even or odd number.  I have NOT seen this problem in 7.09 or 7.29.C8, it appears to be new in 8.19

Workaround from Bob Deskin - Senior Product Advisor - Cognos Inc. 
Certainly the parser should not hang. As a possible workaround, have you
tried specifying the old subfile's format? Or try the SUBFORMAT program
parameter. 8.19 uses a new subfile format and that could be hanging
things up.

	B.	Subfiles are now format 8...so if you want to write to a format 7 subfile (or an 		even earlier version), the process will error.  
		From: Exequiel R. Sevilla III  (aka Kelly) <ersevilla@west.raytheon.com>

	C.	When upgrading from 729 to 819 you will get some subfile format 7 error 		messages. To resolve this you must purge the subfiles and rebuild in 819C.
		From: Michael Lee <mclsys@home.com>

2.	OMNIDEX

	My problem is that I found out that PH8.19C1 does not work with an older version 	of Omnidex (3.4.11).  I'm also upgrading THAT also to 3.4.62B.  I've figured out 	the following truth so far:
		              Omni 3.4.11    Omni 3.4.62B
	Quiz 7.29C2       Yes                        ?
	Quiz 8.19C1       No                      Yes
	
	From: Tracy Johnson <tmj@primenet.com>

	According to the 8.19.C1 Installation Document the lowest version of Omindex to 	support PH 8.19 is 3.4.64A.

	You will have to install this version as the system wide in PUB.SYS in order to have 	TPI turned on in your Image databases that use omnidex.  If TPI is not turned on a 	database that uses Omnidex keys, when you access a dataset with Quiz that has an 	omnidex key, you will get a fatal error.  You also have to upgrade the omnidex keys 	and reload them.  I found the omnidex manual very confusing and had to call their 	technical support many times to get it working.


3.	Get Fatal Error 45 (42?) with some programs when compiling in QUIZ. This is 	fixed in 819C4 (which has not been released yet).


4.	 ALLBASE
A.	If you use the option CLEAR_PENDING_ROLLBACK to alleviate rollbacks in Allbase you actually get more rollbacks in 819C2. I don't believe this has been fixed.  ..we are getting more rollback errors in 819C than in 729C7. It turns out it was having the option "CLEAR_PENDING_ROLLBACK" on the QUICK call. When this option was removed from the UDC that called QUICK the problem went away. Since the option was put there for a reason the $64,000 question is... "is the cure worse than the disease?". Only testing will tell, I guess. This has been reported to Cognos CS but a bug number hasn't been assigned as yet. Michael Lee - MCL Systems Inc. 9/11/98

	B.	According to the Cognos 8.19 Installation Document you must have at least 		version G2.04 of Allbase/SQL


5.	The PDL Dictionary must be recompiled under Version 8.
	Simple recompile from 7.29. Users didn't notice any difference.
	John Pickering - JWP Systems Inc. - Toronto  


6.	MB Foster's ODBS Driver 
	3 problems are listed in the Cognos 8.19.C1 Installation Document


7.	KEEP CURSOR in 7.29 application and port to 8.19, you will get a warning about 	KEEP CURSOR.  You can ignore the warning and remove the KEEP CURSOR 	statement.  This will not effect the running of your application. - Cognos 8.19 	


8.	Quiz & QTP Cannot Read Portable Subfiles Containing Datetime 	Datatypes
	When a portable subfile is created in QUIZ or QTP using a datetime datatype, 	PowerHouse 4GL 8.19 will not be able to read that portable subfile. - Cognos 8.19 	Installation Document

9.	French & German Alternate Message Files are not available in this version.

10.	Scrolling Date Fields Redrawn & Displayed
	PH 8.19 redraws and displays screens with scrolling fields whenever it encounters 	them.  This problem is more visible now that the new ALLOW CENTURY option 	uses horizontally scrolling date fields to include the century without having to 	reformat the field.  Examples of the problem are displayed ghost screens and screens 	that flash when a return to stop screen command is executed. - Accordiing to Michael 	Lee - MCL Systems Inc.  this was fixed in vs 8.19C2 although it is not listed as a 	bug fix on Cognos' Product Updgrade Advisor on the Web.

11.	'EXIT' from PDL terminates job on the HP3000
	Any commands after the Exit in a job stream are ignored as the Exit command 	terminates the job.  The workaround is to add an !EOD stmt after the EXIT in the job 	stream. 
	!JOB 
	!PDL
	use pdlsrc
	EXIT
	!EOD
	! >> other commands
	!EOJ
	Steve Miller <steve@portionpac.com
	Ron Tilby <Rtilby@montek.com>

12.	addcentury(date_6) convert to addcentury(date_6,century(date_6)
	John Pickering <pickerij@norbord.com

13.	FR designer procedure not conflicts with the scrolling screen first record action 	field command.
	John Pickering <pickerij@norbord.com


14.	Documentation
	Only problems discovered so far are no coghelp on the tape, no qkmsgf on the tape 	and the manuals are on cd. None is a big deal - missing files promised with the 	lawyers' letter and the cd actually isn't too bad.  
	John Pickering - JWP Systems Inc. - Toronto  


15.	We are going from PH729c6 to PH819c.  These screens work and are currently in 
production using ph729c6.  We are running in a ghost screen environment to allow movement from any one screen to any other screen.  While running a popup to allow entry to perform a key change,  we are passing a temporary item back to the calling screen.  In the PH819c version, when performing a return from the popup screen we  get the following error:


 Code Trap :
  01634010227
  00122161137
  00000000641
  00000000017
*E* Memory fault (invalid address).
*Fatal Error* *1504* Notify Cognos Customer Support
hickeyt@gatesmcdonald.com 9/14/98

16.	You have to be correct when using the OCCURS statement and the MISSING option of the FOR statement.  It requires you to be a little more specific than in earlier versions. - Bob Miller TVOntario - Supportlink Vol. 9 Number 3 page 19.



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