Introduction of Calling Quick Screens as Functions

Tue, 25 May 2004 16:01:53 -0500

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Yeah, for my tastes it's just about as easy to do a couple of subfiles ...
typically I keep the "intermediate" subfiles small by using just the bare
minimum of data items in each of the files.  

I guess too that my preferences are coloured (fer you Americans on the list,
that's the "Queen's English" for 'colored') by never having learnt how to do
Quick in batch mode and by starting my career in Cobol, where you often had
that sort of processing (extract from the master file, write to a sort file,
sort the sort file, do some more transformations, open yet another file to
report to, etc., etc.).

Guy.

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Lee [mailto:Michael.Lee@mclsystemsinc.com]
Sent: May 25, 2004 3:44 PM
To: Guy Werry
Cc: powerh-l@lists.sowder.com
Subject: Re: Introduction of Calling Quick Screens as Functions

Hi Folks,

Just to add my 2 cents. Perhaps you can do most things in QTP but can you do
them as efficiently? For example if I have to link to a file and read down a
date range until a certain criteria is reached then I run into problems.
This is especially true if it's a loop within a loop. With Quick I can have
a WHILE RETRIEVING loop with a BREAK option to quite once whatever criteria
is met (for example a total or count reaches a certain level... report all
customers whose invoices total at least $1,000,000 or who have had 10 orders
in the last month).

Usually where I use QUICK as a batch process I am reading down a chain. For
each of those records I go out and do another read down another chain and so
on. To do this in QTP I would have to build a huge record complex and write
to a subfile and then create another subfile and so on and so on. There are
some nice tricks that one can do in QTP using "IF 1 = 2" type processing but
not anything that can't be done in just as easy-if not easier-in QUICK. This
coupled with the fact that using INTERNALs allows a user to put 'like-code'
in one place often makes QUICK faster and more maintainable. 

QTP is great for straightforward mass updates but I find that the more
complex the process the more QUICK comes into it's own in my humble(ish)
opinion.

Regards,

Michael Lee
MCL Systems Inc.

Guy Werry wrote:

I can't agree with your statement that interactive quick is a better tool.

Qtp is specialized for "batch" processing, whereas with Quick we're tricking

an interactive product to do something it's not really intended for.  As I

wrote to Viet privately, I've almost never had to resort to another tool

besides Qtp.  And, where I've used another tool (normally Cobol), it has

almost always involved cases where the algorithm required array handling,

which ALL of the Powerhouse tools do poorly.

As John alludes, you may have to plan out a bit what you're trying to do, as

it may take several Qtp processes, but once you get used to doing things

that way it becomes very much 2nd nature.  I would also think that it may be

easier to debug, also.

Guy.

-----Original Message-----

From: David Morrison - Corporate [ mailto:dmorrison@mcbrideelectric.com
<mailto:dmorrison@mcbrideelectric.com> ]

Sent: May 25, 2004 2:22 PM

To: Penney, John; Viet Nguyen; Hodson, Paul M EDUC:EX;

powerh-l@lists.sowder.com <mailto:powerh-l@lists.sowder.com> 

Subject: RE: Introduction of Calling Quick Screens as Functions 

Viet,

<rant on>

Well, now you see why the cost of running California's prisons has

skyrocketed.  Here you have someone working for that department that refuses

to use a better tool when it is available.

</rant off>

David Morrison

McBride Electric

 -----Original Message-----

From: 	Penney, John [ mailto:John.Penney@corr.ca.gov
<mailto:John.Penney@corr.ca.gov> ] 

Sent:	Tuesday, May 25, 2004 12:14 PM

To:	'Viet Nguyen'; Hodson, Paul M EDUC:EX;  powerh-l@lists.sowder.com
<mailto:powerh-l@lists.sowder.com> 

Subject:	RE: Introduction of Calling Quick Screens as Functions 

Dear Viet:

<rant on> or whatever

The majority, if not the vast majority of batch processing can easily or if

not easily, with come forethought can indeed be accomplished via QTP. The

tools, techniques and procedures alluded to in this thread reflect the

leading edge of the most sophisticated users who have years if not decades

of Powerhouse experience. I do not think that it would be in your best

interest to learn how to program Quick to act just like a variant of Cobol-

or am I missing something? I do realize that the Quick language provides you

this type of functionality but, IMHO, it is to be used with caution and only

after long reflection as to the consequences. QTP is a fine tool and looping

constructs are there in the facility. YMMV IIRC IMHO

<rant off> or whatever

JP in Sacto

-----Original Message-----

From: Viet Nguyen [ mailto:VNguyen@wsboces.org <mailto:VNguyen@wsboces.org>
]

Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 11:44 AM

To: Hodson, Paul M EDUC:EX;  powerh-l@lists.sowder.com
<mailto:powerh-l@lists.sowder.com> 

Subject: RE: Introduction of Calling Quick Screens as Functions 

Where can I learn more about using quick as batch programs? I am a

newbie at Cognos QTP - it's very awkward for me without the looping

constructs.

Thanks.

-----Original Message-----

From:  powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com
<mailto:powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com> 

[ mailto:powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com
<mailto:powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com> ] On Behalf Of Hodson, Paul M

EDUC:EX

Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 2:37 PM

To: ' powerh-l@lists.sowder.com <mailto:powerh-l@lists.sowder.com> '

Subject: Introduction of Calling Quick Screens as Functions 

We have a batch quick process(aka ghost screen) that processes a WEB

calls

(up to 2500 concurrent clients) from a JAVA app through oracle 8i blob

data

type and generates PDF output back to the WEB app(see  www.sanface.com
<http://www.sanface.com> ).

All

run from a batch quick engine running in "persistent" mode using  a

trigger

and an openVMS mailbox. This allows our CUI user to the have the same

processing as the WEB does (sharing the processing) and dressed up the

powerhouse CUI interface(lipstick on a pig - sorry but the WEB is much

sexier but why re-write if it ain't broke)

Also at another client, we have batch quick that is used as an interface

between Level 4 (business app) and Level 3 (steel mill line ops) that is

shared. DMQueue is used to pass messages with the same quick engine

running

6 different mill ops interfaces. Again sharing processing.

There are papers written in the cognos proceedings (user group meeting

minutes). One comes to mind "Quick:To Batch or not to batch" from the

1994

version.

Paul Hodson

Senior Systems Consultant

Tel:     (250) 387-8877

           (250) 744-2372

Fax:    (250) 744-2372

Email:  Paul.Hodson@gems7.gov.bc.ca <mailto:Paul.Hodson@gems7.gov.bc.ca> 

           phodson@pacificcoast.net <mailto:phodson@pacificcoast.net> 

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