Cognos, re: StrongHold & Migrating to Windows
Deskin, Bob
Bob.Deskin@Cognos.COM
Thu, 18 Nov 2004 10:42:10 -0500
I have been reading the exchanges with great interest and felt that it
might not be my place (being biased and all) to comment. However, since
David has asked directly...
This list is a wonderful window into the PowerHouse community. Part of
its value is that it is independent. Certainly we (Cognos) don't always
like or agree with what we see. However, it is up to the list members to
decide what is permissible.
Personally, I find the discussion/debate very interesting. As usual
there are pros and cons of every approach. I have stayed out of the
debate because regardless of what I say I am biased by my association
with PowerHouse and Cognos. Plus not only is this is the first time I've
heard about StrongHold, but I have no experience with Java other than
discussions with my wife when she took a Java course.
A while ago, I/we posted some remarks regarding the comments on some of
the migration vendors' web sites. My concern was not that they were
selling a tool to convert PowerHouse to something else, but rather that
they were making misleading or incomplete remarks (some would call that
marketing). I simply wanted to level the playing field and ensure that
people thought about both sides. Some of those previous remarks may
apply here as well but I won't repeat myself (at least not too much).
My advice, as always, is to make sure you know what you're getting. And
I would say the same to anyone thinking of buying anything, including
PowerHouse. If you do migrate/convert then in the short term you're off
of PowerHouse. But what about the long term. What about maintenance?
What about application changes (and you know there'll be lots)? What
about moving to the web, is it going to be easy or hard?
And as for the migration itself, just make sure it works. I have yet to
see a PowerHouse migration tool that claims 100% automation. Everyone
knows that the last 10% can kill you. Get references. Get a firm
contract. Don't turn off the old system until you're sure the new one
works.
Bob
Bob Deskin
Senior Product Manager, Application Development Tools, Cognos Inc.
bob.deskin@cognos.com (613) 738-1338 ext 7268 FAX: (613) 727-1178
3755 Riverside Drive P.O. Box 9707 Stn. T, Ottawa ON K1G 4K9 CANADA
-----Original Message-----
From: powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com
[mailto:powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com] On Behalf Of David Morrison -
Corporate
Sent: November 18, 2004 10:13 AM
To: Ron Seybold; powerh-l@lists.sowder.com
Subject: To: Cognos, re: StrongHold & Migrating to Windows
TO: Bob Deskin and other Cognos people
When Core Migration contacted the members of this group, someone or two
from Cognos (sorry, I don't recall who) gave them a "less than
favorable" review.
Do you have any feedback for us regarding StrongHold and Brain2B?
Thanks.
David Morrison
McBride Electric
-----Original Message-----
From: powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com
[mailto:powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com]On Behalf Of Ron Seybold
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 6:39 PM
To: powerh-l@lists.sowder.com
Subject: Re: StrongHold & Migrating to Windows
Georgia, thanks for your detailed report on the forced migration away
from PowerHouse on the HP 3000. Great Falls is doing some novel
things with their HP 3000s, even as they transition away from the
platform grudgingly. We ran an article in our 3000 NewsWire this
summer about their use of PDF as a report distribution platform on
the 3000. It comes as no surprise that they've got their eyes open
about their PowerHouse future.
Lists like this are the lifeblood of every computing community that
contributes to them, even when they carry a notice of products that
carry you away from what you know. PowerHouse customers are like many
others in the IT world today, being nudged from legacy to commodity
solutions by vendors eager to winnow their playing fields.
I would like to hear more about StrongHold, and especially the
customer who's done the beta-testing of the product. This is the
second migration tool mentioned here that's aimed at the PowerHouse
customer. Like Core Migration, StrongHold looks like it's got a
manual finishing step to get the PowerHouse code completely replaced
by Java. I'd like to know what kind of database StrongHold will
migrate a customer to, or if it's even got a database migration
component.
Plenty of PowerHouse customers are sticking with the language even in
the face of HP's forced march away from the 3000. Some day they might
not be able to stick, for reasons of geography like Georgia's
situation, or retirement of a key programmers. Alternatives are
rarely a happy thing, since they challenge the years of intellectual
investment of experts here. But migration is rarely sparked by
availability of tools. Business decisions, by vendors as well as
users' management, often prompt a move away from a platform, whether
it's PowerHouse or the HP 3000. Change is tough. Tools can make it
easier, if you have to weather it.
--
Ron Seybold, Editor In Chief
The 3000 NewsWire
Independent Information to Maximize Your HP 3000
http://www.3000newswire.com 512.331.0075 -- rseybold@sbcglobal.net = = =
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