Great White North Technical Evangelist

PowerBuilder TV - February 2012

2012-01-29T16:06:00.000-08:00

** Hot News **

Upcoming events on PowerBuilderTV

Thursday February 9th 2012
at 11am EST (New York) / 17h00 CET (Paris)

How to migrate your PowerBuilder Applications?
- English Session -

What are the advantages of migrating to PB 12.x Classic and PB 12.x .NET? What are the costs and difficulties related to migration?
To learn step by step how to migrate your applications and in order to answer any question you may have, join us February 9, 2012 on PowerBuilderTV.

Presenter: Bassam Tannouri

Thursday February 23rd 2012
at 11am EST (New York) / 17h00 CET (Paris)

PowerBuilder 12.5.1 - A Maintenance Release and a Whole Lot More!

PowerBuilder 12.5.1 will be released soon as a free download for anyone using PowerBuilder 12.5. While this is primarily a maintenance release it will include two new powerful features in the PowerBuilder .NET IDE. Join Dave Fish as he discusses and demonstrates the ability to dynamically load PowerBuilder assemblies into a WPF application at runtime as well as the ability to deploy 64-bit .NET applications.

Presenter: Dave Fish

On-demand webinars on PowerBuilderTV:

Regards ... Chris

ISUG - 2012 BOD

2012-01-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

** Hot News **

International Sybase User Group

New Board of Directors

2012-2014

President: Anne Walker - Sydney, Australia

Immediate Past President: Bryan Enochs - Orlando, USA
Executive Director: Mike Harrold, USA
Secretary: Martin Clark

VP Finance: Eric Van Patten - Iowa, USA
VP Membership: Chris Pollach - Ottawa, Canada
VP Business Relations: Cynthia Gill - Texas, USA

Director (RUG: Asia-Pacific): Gavin Dabron - Sydney, Australia
Director (RUG: EMEA): Marcelle von Wendland - London, England
Director (RUG: South/Latin America): Jean-Pierre Dareys - Mexico City, Mexico
Director (RUG: North America): TBD
Director (Communications): Ralf Anoia - Washington D.C., USA
Director (Enhancements): Millard Brown - USA
Director (Partners): Peter Dobler - Florida, USA

For more information on ISUG, please visit their website!

Regards ... Chris

PowerBuilder TV - January 2012

2012-01-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

** Hot News **

Upcoming webinars on PowerBuilderTV

January 2012

Thursday January 12th 2012
at 11am EST (New York) / 17h CET (Paris)

In-Depth Review of .NET Language Enhancements

As a .NET language, PowerBuilder 12 supports the Microsoft Common Language Specification (CLS.) We'll review the CLS, learn how to utilize external .NET resources, how to create .NET Consumer Role compatible applications using the PowerBuilder 12 Classic IDE, and how to create .NET compatible extenders using the PowerBuilder .NET IDE.

Presenter: Don Clayton

Thursday January 19th 2012
at 11am EST (New York) / 17h CET (Paris)

How to migrate your PowerBuilder Applications?
Presented in FRENCH

What are the advantages of migrating to PB 12.x Classic and PB 12.x .NET? What are the costs and difficulties related to migration?
To learn step by step how to migrate your applications and in order to answer any questions you may have, join us January 19, 2012 on PowerBuilderTV.

Presenter: Bassam Tannouri

Don't forget to check out the archive of past webinars!

Regards ... Chris

Twas the Night Before Production

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

‘Twas the Night Before Production

adaptation by Chris Pollach

'Twas the night before Production, when all through the Sybase house
Not a creature was stirring, not even John Chen’s mouse;
The stockings were hung by the developers chimneys with care,
In hopes that St. Nick’s software soon would be there;

The ASE Servers were nestled all snug in their racks,
While Dr Raj backed-up their data, oh there was stacks;
The product manager in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long tester's nap,

When out in the hall there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my PC to see what was the matter.
Away to the MS-Window I flew like Macromedia flash,

Opened the Browser and enjoyed the animations splash,

Engineering's build of PowerBuilder was like the new-fallen snow
It gave promise of new IDE features - listed below,
When, what to my wondering eyes Dave Fish did appear,
Riding his evangelist motorcycle pulled by eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old native database driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment that DBMS was designed by St. Nick.

More rapid than streaming electrons the data they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and categorized them by name;

"Now, Reed! now, Loren! now, John and VIXEN!
On, Dave! on Evan! on, Azeez and BLITZEN!
To the edge of the ISP! Through the Sybase fire-wall!

Now process away! Process away! Process away all!"

As the new applications under Appeon for PowerBuilder did fly,
When they met with a user their new features they did try,
So up to the Browser menu the mouse pointers they flew,
To display a full load of data, images, and animations too!

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the sound card - mystified

A message signaling a software order had just arrived.

As I drew in my mouse, and was turning around,
A Message Box alerted me to a new application … it looked sound.

The project manager was dressed all in fur, from head to her feet,
And the red robe was all polished, and even had someone to meet;
A bundle of SUP applications she had flung on her back,
Most of the Engineer’s had agreed, and a DataWindow she did pack.

The programmers eyes -- how they twinkled! Their dimples how merry!
Their cheeks were like roses, their noses like a cherry!
One droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
The “Technical Architect” his beard on his chin was as white as the snow;

The Log from the Application Server he held tight in his teeth,
New ideas using PowerBuilder and Appeon encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a black belt round his belly,
Using moves he learned in TaeKwonDo, the guards shook like jelly.

The “release guy” was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And deployed all the PowerBuilder applications; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the Web Servers rose;

He sprang to his laptop, to his development team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, for a beer at the pub “The English Thistle”.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out in the night,
"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND NO GPF’s IN SIGHT!"

Click on me!

PowerBuilderTV - December 2011

2011-12-06T05:56:00.000-08:00

** Hot News **

Upcoming webinars on PowerBuilderTV

December 2011

Thursday December 8th 2011
at 11am EST (New York) / 17h CET (Paris)

Add Single Sign-On to PowerBuilder Applications

It is essential to list all the important points to take into account when creating a Single Sign-On system. The principle of SSO may seem simple to explain, but in reality it implies numerous functionalities. Additionally, your system may need to support certain complex technical specifications that will add to the functional complexity. During this webinar we will list these points and present a solution that will ensure the success of your project. This solution will be illustrated with concrete examples and case studies. We will also include information allowing attendees to calculate the ROI of each solution: software and material costs, implementation times, etc…

Presenter: Christophe Dufourmantelle

Wednesday December 14th 2011
at 11am EST (New York) / 17h CET (Paris)

Building Modern PowerBuilder Applications

PowerBuilder 12 remains a potent application development platform that arguably remains the highest-level programming environment for .NET available. But times change: user interfaces are now “User Experiences”, and Windows 7 was a UX game changer. The Internet is ubiquitous, and today, application access is taken for granted. Yet users still want applications that are both powerful and pleasant to use, as well as systems that leverage their computing platforms of choice effectively. In this session, a real-world development project to build an entirely modern, Enterprise-class PowerBuilder application from the ground up will be explored. Topics will include the strategic decisions made regarding platforms, architecture, appropriate reuse, and designing a look and feel with an eye towards for the future. So long MDI, hello WPF. In addition to showing this groundbreaking development effort, the speaker will discuss a variety of ways to update older PowerBuilder applications to achieve higher user satisfaction and productivity, and how to leverage the Sybase design and development tools appropriately. A variety of Sybase tools, including PowerDesigner, PowerBuilder 12 Classic and WPF, and Appeon 6.5 will be demonstrated.

Presenter: Don Clayton

Regards ... Chris

Appeon - New Offices

2011-11-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

** News Special **

Shenzhen, China

Appeon Corporation just had a grand opening of the their new office in Shenzhen software park. Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area is one of China's most successful—Special Economic Zones (SEZ). It also currently holds sub-provincial administrative status, with powers slightly less than the province. Shenzhen's modern cityscape is the result of the vibrant economy made possible by rapid foreign investment since the institution of the policy of "reform and opening" establishment of the SEZ in the late 1970s. Both Chinese and foreign nationals have invested enormous sums in the Shenzhen SEZ. Shenzhen is now reputedly one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Being southern mainland China's major financial centre, Shenzhen is home to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange as well as the headquarters of numerous high-tech companies. Shenzhen is also the third-busiest container port in China, after Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Main Entrance at Appeon

The new Appeon office can hold up to a maximum of 120 people and has a great view of the Shenzhen software park. Shenzhen Software Park is located on beautiful Shenzhen Bay, which is integrated with Shenzhen Hi-tech Industry Park. The Shenzhen Software Park now has over 400 member companies, employing over some 40,000 people. After just several years of construction and development, the Shenzhen Software Park has become one of China's most important software product research and development centers.

Enjoying a workout in the new gym.

Appeon built their own gym room that houses state-of-the art equipment, weights, tread-mills, board games, table tennis and much more. This gives the employees an area where they can relax and recharge before returning to their work area. Appeon has also provided the employees with a video games room inside the main office for the employees. Appeon's CEO Armeen Mazda explained that "We’re trying to bring a little Silicon Valley culture to China to spur creativity, productivity, and loyalty" - much like they see in other North American high technology companies.


Jason Zhang (left) Regional Sales Director with CEO Armeen Mazda

Appeon Corporation was founded in 1999. The name “Appeon” is composed of two words “app” + “eon”. “App” is for application of course and “eon” means for a very long time. The significance of the name then is to help companies build really great applications that will be useful for a very long time. Appeon was funded by Sybond Ventures, the investment arm of SMC (Shell Electric Manufacturing Corporation) in Hong Kong. Now Appeon today is a subsidiary of SMC. The SMC group of companies consists of electronics contract manufacturing service (CMS), real estate investments (in China, Hong Kong, and USA), and technology businesses (like Appeon, semiconductor company, private cloud service provider, etc.). The SMC group currently employs 5,600 staff worldwide.

New work offices in the main building.

All of Appeon's core technology was created in-house and developed independently (that means no OEMing or licensing of 3rd party technology). As such, Appeon has had to build up a team of the strongest and most knowledgeable PowerBuilder developers in China. It has taken many years and over USD 20 million to get their flagship product – Appeon for PowerBuilder – to the point it is today. By growing the company and product themselves has given Appeon the benefit of the strongest Web deployment product on the market and 100% control over the technical direction, design, support and customer satisfaction (a big factor for the company). Appeon were the first company to commercialize an AJAX solution for Web application development. In fact, they were doing AJAX before it was built-in feature of today's Web browsers! So Appeon had to come up with our own way of doing it without adding to the web browser over-head like other solutions. This was so successful that Appeon now have US patents on their unique AJAX approach. To this day they continue to use their own AJAX engine instead of the one built-in to Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser, offering significantly greater performance and reliability.

Developing Appeon - Hmm on the xBox? :-)

The development team is now working hard on their next version of the Appeon product. They are also building on top of it to produce a new range of products for future devices. Not only will this add significant features into the current web enabling base product, it will also add new tablet and smart phone capabilities that will allow any PB Developer to extend their new or existing applications towards today's hot technologies. These extensions will target HTML5 browser deployment and native compiled applications for the Apple, Android and Blackberry O/S based devices on the market today. In fact, Appeon's CEO Armeen Mazda was on hand at Sybase / SAP's Techwave event in September, 2011 located in Las Vegas demonstrating the new mobile product's capabilities on the iPad. As far as cloud support, Appeon already supports this aspect today with version 6.5. Accenture demonstrated this in production at Sybase / SAP's TechWave conference in Las Vegas in September. There was no need to wait or to buy anything extra on top of Appeon product for cloud deployment.

So stay tuned for some great new software from Appeon in 2012 and all the best in your new offices in Shenzhen from your friends at the Ottawa Sybase User Group!

Executive Offices

More workouts!

Jenny Yu (right) Financial Director with Armeen Mazda

Regards ... Chris

PBTV - November, 2011

2011-10-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

** Hot News **

Upcoming webinars on PowerBuilderTV

Thursday November 3rd 2011
at 11am EST (New York) / 16h CET (Paris)

PowerBuilder and the Cloud

According to Forrester, the global market for cloud computing will increase six-fold to $240 billion by the end of the decade. In this session, we'll discuss the core components and attributes of a cloud solution - focusing on Microsoft Windows Azure - and investigate the advantages of and opportunities for adapting existing PowerBuilder applications (and building new ones) to work in a cloud environment. We'll specifically take a look at how to host PowerBuilder Web services in the cloud as well as how to leverage cloud services - including SQL Azure - from an application built to run in-house. After a combination of slides, demos, and discussion you'll leave with a better understanding of how you as a PowerBuilder developer and architect can stake your claim in the cloud.
Presenter: Jim O'Neil

Tuesday November 15th 2011
at 11am EST (New York) / 17h CET (Paris)

Fast Track to Web-enabling PB with Appeon 6.5

Some of you may have heard about Appeon and how well it works, but you may not know exactly how to use it. This seminar walks you through the process of migrating an actual PB application with Appeon 6.5. You will learn from concrete examples as well as case studies. Also, we will equip you to run ROI calculation for your specific scenario, including software and material costs as well as implementation times.
Presenter: Christophe Dufourmantelle

Session in Spanish		Session in French
Martes 22 de noviembre del 2011 a las 10:00 de la Ciudad de México / 17:00 Madrid Presentadóra: Carmina Garcia Inscripción		Mercredi 16 novembre 2011 11h00 EST (New York) / 17h00 CET (Paris) Intervenant : Christophe Dufourmantelle Inscription

Don't forget to check out the archive of past webinars!

Enjoy ... Chris

ASE 15.7 for Free

2011-10-25T04:24:00.000-07:00

Get a free copy of Sybase ASE!

You may not want to spend the money for a full production license of ASE, but you would like to run ASE for example, for the purposes of evaluation, development or preparing yourself for an ASE certification exam.

Step 1: download the base product
To get a free copy, these are your options:

A free Express Edition of ASE 15.7 for Linux can be downloaded here. While the ASE Express Edition is limited to 1 server engine, 2 Gb of memory and 5 Gb of disk space per server, the great thing is that this edition is free for production purposes! (note: these limits apply to an individual ASE server instance, NOT to the hardware itself -- if you want, you can run multiple ASE Express Edition servers on a multi-CPU Linux box).

The free Developer's Edition for ASE 15.7 can be downloaded here and is available on all supported O/S platforms. This edition has most license options enabled, but it also has a pretty tight limit of 25 maximum user connections. The Developer's Edition may not be used for production purposes.

Step 2: download bug fixes (EBFs)
For most platforms, you can download patches (EBFs) from the public Sybase website without having a Sybase support contract. Go here:http://www.sybase.com/downloads, then click on "Maintenance Releases and Bug Fixes (EBFs)". It is a good idea to install the most recent patch every now and then so that you can benefit from bug fixes and new features.

Step 3: documentation
Once you have the ASE software, you'll also need the documentation. Follow this link for information where to get ASE documentation.

Enjoy!
Chris

ISUG - Online WorkShop

2011-10-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

** Hot News **

PowerBuilder .NET "Next Step"

    ISUG are pleased to announce that they will be running an expanded, online version of the workshop that was presented just prior to TechWave 2011.

    This workshop will be three days in length, starting on Monday November 7 through until Wednesday November 9, 2011 inclusive. The course "Lectures" will commence at 11am each day, and will last 2-3 hours, perhaps longer, depending on the amount of material presented on a given day and the number of questions from the attendees. The rest of the time will be set aside for lab exercises. Attendees should plan to spend 6-8 hours each day on the workshop.

    The instructor for the workshop will be Mr. Yakov Werde. Yakov will be bringing his considerable PowerBuilder talents and experience to the workshop making this a can't-miss event! He will also remain online after each lecture period to answer questions throughout the day.

    The cost for the three day course is just $999us. However, if you are a Green or Gold member you can receive a $200 discount if you register and pay for the course prior to November 1, 2011. After November 1st the discount will be reduced to $100. (If you are an organization that would like to put multiple employees through the class, please contact ISUG directly.)

   Depending on the level of interest, ISUG are considering holding a second class later in the month for the EMEA and AP audiences. If this course interests you please click on the link below for more information.

Click here for more information and to register!

Chris

PBTV October, 2011

2011-10-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

** Hot News **

Upcoming webinars on PowerBuilderTV

Don't forget to check out the archive of past webinars!

Tuesday October 4th 2011
at 12:00pm EST (New York) / 18:00 CET (Paris)

Taking PowerBuilder to the Cloud (with Microsoft Azure)
Accenture Case Study

If you missed it at TechWave, now's your chance to see how Accenture took their PB application to the cloud. We'll show you the important lessons and some pitfalls we discovered along the way. We will also discuss the overall process and tools that enabled Accenture to successfully take their PowerBuilder application to the cloud.
Accenture has a commercial software solution originally developed in PowerBuilder, which is used by Fortune 500 companies.
Presenter: Anthony Orsini

Thursday October 13th 2011
at 12:00pm EST (New York) / 18:00 CET (Paris)

Powerbuilder.NET, Expression Blend, Mobility and the Cloud

The capital architect program is a tool to calculate a financial planning for weathy individuals. A formerly rather dull Excel program has been converted to an attractive professional tool, available anywhere anytime, on almost any platform. (Android, iOS, Mac OS, Windows and more...). How did we achieve this? PowerBuilder.NET!
The result is a tool able to simulate and analyze certain financial situations on a "what if" basis. Users can create a projection of their financial situation in any given year, taking into account parameters including interest rates and real estate. This session will show you how this mobility solution was achieved using PowerBuilder.NET, MS Expression Blend and Cloud.
Presenters: Dimitri Joosten and Peter Loozen

Thursday October 20th 2011
at 12:00pm EST (New York) / 18:00 CET (Paris)

PowerBuilder 12.5 IDE Enhancements: Tips and Tricks

PowerBuilder 12.5 continues to build on the exciting new features introduced in PowerBuilder 12. This session will provide an overview and demonstration of many of the new features found in the PowerBuilder .NET IDE such as the advanced property grid, batch build command option, how PowerBuilder .NET supports multi-threading, debugging enhancements, split assembly deployment and more.
Presenter: Dave Fish

Tuesday October 25th 2011
at 11am EST (New York) / 17h CET (Paris)

Let Users Customize Screens & Reports by Themselves

When many users request different changes, you cannot duplicate and adapt the application for each of them: maintenance would soon become impossible.

This webinar will show how to make the application "customizable" by the end-users themselves.
They would use simple tools to define changes, without viewing or modifying your code, and you would keep maintaining and deploying a single copy of the application.

This solution will be illustrated with concrete examples and case studies.
We will also include information allowing attendees to calculate the ROI of the solution, including software and material costs and implementation times.

Presenter: Christophe Dufourmantelle

Enjoy ... Chris

Happy Birthday!

2011-09-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

Happy 20th Birthday - PowerBuilder!

From the Sybase Techwave event at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas this week ...

Left: Dave Fish - PB Technical Evangelist from Engineering

Right: John Strano - PB Technical Evangelist from Marketing

PB: Your Dad - Dave Litwack - is very proud of you!

Regards ... Uncle Chris
(I was there at Cullinet when PB was conceived and at PowerSoft when he was born) :-)

Upcoming Webinars for September 2011

2011-09-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

** Hot News - PowerBuilder TV **

1) The Road Ahead - An Update on What's Next for PowerBuilder

Date: September 20, 2011 at 12:00pm EST (New York) / 18:00 CET (Paris)
A post-TechWave webcast: If you couldn't make it to TechWave, or want to go back already, we have a session just for you! Join us for a recap of what was covered in the plenary session, when John Strano and guests will share what's coming up for PowerBuilder.
Presenter: John Strano, Dave Fish, Sue Dunnell, Dimitri Joosten, Peter Loozen, Armeen Mazda

2) Advanced Security for PowerBuilder and .NET

Date: Monday September 26th 2011 at 11am EST (New York) / 17h CET (Paris)
Over the years, applications have evolved to support multiple technologies and complex architectures. Access Control systems must be flexible enough to handle all possible configurations. This webinar will show you concrete solutions that fulfill these requirements.

We will implement the following features: • Web SSO • Identity Federation • Mixed Mode Authentication • Centralized view and Control of all applications • Multi-tenant / SaaS applications • Securing recent technologies

Note: this solution will be illustrated with concrete examples and case studies. We will also include information allowing attendees to calculate the ROI of each solution: software and material costs, implementation times, etc…

Presenter: Christophe Dufourmantelle

3) Accenture Case Study: Taking PowerBuilder to the Cloud (with Microsoft Azure)

Date: Tuesday October 4th 2011 at 12:00pm EST (New York) / 18:00 CET (Paris)
If you missed it at TechWave, now's your chance to see how Accenture took their PB application to the cloud. We'll show you the important lessons and some pitfalls we discovered along the way. We will also discuss the overall process and tools that enabled Accenture to successfully take their PowerBuilder application to the cloud.
Accenture has a commercial software solution originally developed in PowerBuilder, which is used by Fortune 500 companies.
Presenter: Anthony Orsini

Regards ... Chris

What's New this month?

2011-09-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

** Hot News **

Whats New at Sybase these days?

    Sybase has co-hosted its own TechWave developer/DBA symposium at SAP's TechEd conference!. During this event in Las Vegas, Sybase announced PowerBuilder 12.5, the second .NET release of its rapid application development tool. Built for creating "visually appealing" business applications on Windows 32 and .NET Frameworks, PowerBuilder 12.5 is now said to include WCF Services to create web services using the WCF model. There is also support for CVUOs in .NET assemblies, an enhancement designed to enable PowerBuilder users to share the productivity of the DataWindow with .NET developer peers. There is also PowerBuilder .NET assembly — used to create a PowerBuilder .NET target, then reference it in another PowerBuilder .NET project, without exposing the source code behind it.

    According to Sybase, the new iteration of PowerBuilder 12.5 comes with multithreading support implemented through Shared Objects in PowerBuilder .NET (originally supported in PB Classic). There is also Batch Command Processing, which enables customers to run a batch file to build applications without any user intervention. Also present here is REST Client in PowerBuilder .NET, so that targets can be clients that consume RESTful (Representational State Transfer) web services.

   Sybase PowerDesigner 16 was also been launched this month. This collaborative enterprise-modeling tool is, according to Sybase, "Enabling forward-thinking companies to achieve a clear and consistent Information Architecture throughout their enterprise." In more detail perhaps, we learn that PowerDesigner 16 now includes support for over 80 RDBMSs, more than any other modeling tool in the industry; a modernized, role-based user interface based on Windows 7 standards for improved usability and management; and an enterprise glossary to ensure business terms and definitions are established and consistently managed throughout all models to ensure everyone is speaking the same language. There is also improved Link & Sync technology with impact analysis in the repository to ensure users are gathering all the connections throughout the entire enterprise to provide mission-critical decision support.

    Last but not least in this batch of news updates is SQL Anywhere OnDemand Edition — a new product launched to fulfill the demand from Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) for easier data management and deployment of multi-tenant, hosted applications. It provides cloud-specific tooling and features that allow ISVs to manage data for cloud applications that meet both their business needs and those of their customers.

The features of SQL Anywhere OnDemand Edition include:

Elastic Database Provisioning — scale up and scale down computing resources on demand; ability to share computing resources among tenants to achieve economies of scale; tenant data is isolated from all other tenants at the file level
Tenant Scalability — designed to power "web scale" applications that grow to thousands of tenants
Atomic Tenant Databases — each database treated individually, allowing for customer-specific customizations, backup solutions, and direct customer access; databases stored in known locations and can be restricted from moving to another
Cloud Management Tools — designed to meet the needs of ISVs who are managing thousands of databases, hundreds of servers, and multiple versions of software and schemas.

Regards ... Chris

ISUG - PB 12.5 Workshop

2011-07-29T04:25:00.000-07:00

** Hot News **

PowerBuilder 12.5 .NET Next-Step Workshop

TechWave 2011
Monday, September 12th, Las Vegas, NV

The Next-Step Workshop will help you build a solid foundation for successful application coding with the PowerBuilder 12.5 WPF .NET 4.0 platform by incorporating everything you already know about Classic PowerBuilder with essential PowerBuilder .NET 4.0 elements. In addition to a succinct knowledge transfer, the workshop incorporates lab exercises in which you will build “from Soup to Nuts” a fully functional, well partitioned business application using best practices, elements of which you can reuse in your own app infrastructure. Details: Course Overview

Target audience

Professional, craftsman level PowerBuilder Classic developers who are generally familiar with .NET and the capabilities of the PowerBuilder .NET WPF platform

What you can expect to gain

Increased fluency in using the Visual Studio 2010 isolated shell IDE to code, test and deploy a multi-target solution containing PowerScript, .NET framework calls and DataWindow technology using a RAD methodology within the scope of a workgroup scale application
Increased familiarity with PowerBuilder .NET Assemblies by coding and deploying logic as a service facade tier. You’ll also get a detailed look at the big picture, by interfacing a ‘Thin GUI’ WPF app to the assembly based service tier.
Knowledge about and coding skills in, accessing distributed application services using RESTful interfaces by building a full blown business application whose functionality is based entirely on distributed services.
Comprehensive foundational knowledge and skills in designing, coding and styling rich WPF UI using declarative XAML elements through putting a stylish UI on top of your service layer.

Class Lab Configuration

Prerequisites Bring your own wireless internet enabled notebook computer with an installed and working PowerBuilder .NET 12.5 with ASA and the EAS Demo v125 database. There will be no time to confirm your installation. Please do that before arriving at class. Optional installation of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express Edition

Course Developer and Trainer
Yakov Werde of eLearnIT LLC Certified Sybase Instructor, Sybase MVP, member TeamSybase

Location

Venetian Hotel, site of TechWave 2011. Exact room TBD. Lunch will be provided.

ISUG - Virual PB User Group, Aug 4, 2011

2011-07-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

** Hot News **

ISUG - Virtual Meeting Announcement - PowerBuilder

ISUG is pleased to announce that their next meeting of the North American PowerBuilder Virtual User Group will be on August 4, 2011. This meeting will feature Mr. Don Clayton from Intertech Consulting who'll be discussing Building Thoroughly Modern Systems in PowerBuilder.

You can read all about the meeting details, time and how to register by clicking here!

Regards .... Chris

Toad for ASE

2011-07-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

** Hot News **

Introducing Toad for Sybase: Tricks and Tips
Date: Wednesday, July 27
Time: 8:30 PT / 11:30 ET
Duration: 1 hour
Join Toad expert Devin Gallagher as he reveals how you can use Toad for Sybase to dramatically simplify your development and database administration tasks. You’ll discover easy ways to proactively solve performance issues across your Sybase ASE, IQ, and SQL Anywhere databases. Plus, you’ll see how to:

Automate SQL optimization and reduce vulnerabilities
Mitigate the risks of change
Reduce your workload and increase accuracy with improved workflow and automation

Live Q&A will follow!

Learn more and register

Quest Software
5 Polaris Way
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
USA

Phone: (800) 306-9329
Fax: (949) 754-8999
E-mail: info@quest.com

Regards ... Chris

PBTV July, 2011

2011-07-07T04:26:00.000-07:00

Hot News ...

Upcoming webinars on PowerBuilderTV!

Wednesday July 13th
at 10:00am EST (New York) / 16:00 CET (Paris)

How to make your application multilingual with Enable 3.5

In this webinar, you will see how to upgrade your applications to a multilingual interface with just a few, simple changes to your code. Enable 3.5 allows you to translate the application and adapt the User Interface in runtime.
Presenter: Gian Luca De Bonis

Tuesday July 19th
at 11:00am EST (New York) / 17:00 CET (Paris)

Analyze PowerBuilder and Stored Procedures Code

Manage the evolution of your applications: save time and avoid costly mistakes.
We’ll show you a tool for code exploration, impact analysis, source code documentation, code review and dead code detection.

You’ll see how to:
    * Perform Impact Analysis across your entire application
    * Browse cross-references in PowerBuilder, Stored Procedures and DBMS code
    * Generate complete documentation for your code in a few minutes

Presenter: Christophe Dufourmantelle

Tuesday July 26th
at 12:00pm EST (New York) / 18:00 CET (Paris)

It's Not All About .NET

PowerBuilder has been evolving over the last several releases to more comprehensively support .NET, but what if you don't have any plans to go to .NET or the effort to migrate your application from Win32 just can't be justified? Well Sybase hasn't forgotten about you Win32 developers and in this session Dave Fish will show you the PowerBuilder Classic enhancements to be found in PowerBuilder 12.5.
See how you can modernize the look and feel of your Win32 applications without having to migrate to .NET! You'll also learn how you can incorporate .NET code into your Win32 applications so that you can achieve the best of both worlds. Finally, Dave will talk about additional Win32 enhancements being planned for PowerBuilder 15.

Presenter: Dave Fish

Note: PBTV is taking a break in August to gear up for Techwave, but will be back in September 2011 with a whole new set of exciting sessions.

Don't forget to check out the archive of past webinars!

Enjoy ... Chris

OSUG Meeting - June 14, 2011

2011-06-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

** Hot News! **

Dear Sybase User;

     Please join us on Tuesday June 14, 2011 for the next Ottawa Sybase User Group (OSUG) special event! OSUG's mission is to create a Sybase community in the National Capital area of Canada where users can share knowledge, experiences, and best practices. Users of all Sybase products, including data management, tools and mobility are welcome to attend. This meeting will feature networking opportunities, product updates and a discussion.

     The OSUG June 14, 2011 meeting will be held in Ottawa at Constitution Square in the double Board Room (down the hallway from the Queen's University MBA lecture theater). Constitution Square is located at 350 Albert Street (at Lyon) just across the street from the Crowne Plaza hotel. Bus access is right to the door and parking is available at the hotel, in Constitution Square and across the street. The Double Board room is located on the second floor (center) and can be accessed from either the west or east elevators.

Days Agenda:

Time:          Topic:

7:30am       Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30am       Introduction & welcome - Chris Pollach
9:00am       Mobilizing your PB Applications to the Blackberry and iPhone
                   - Anthony Robinson & Chris Pollach
10:30am     Coffee Break
10:45am     PowerBuilder Road Map, New Features of PB 12.5,
                   PB Fresh from the Labs, HTML5 Demo
11:30am Mini Q&A session before lunch

12:45am     Lunch

1:00pm      Migrating a Win32 Application to .NET considerations - John Strano
2:15pm     Coffee Break
2:30pm     A Detailed walk through of PB 12.5 - John Strano
3:15pm     Coffee Break
3:30pm     Web Services everywhere - Chris Pollach
4:20pm     Q & A Session
4:30pm     Wrap-up (all)

How to Register

    To register for the above event, please follow this link (click here). This will take you to the the ISUG website where the automated registration system will accept either ISUG members or non-members. Last years Canadian Technical Summit forced everyone who was registering to become a basic member (which is still free by the way). In the upgraded registration system, you now have a choice.

BTW: Everyone is welcome ... so I hope to see attendees again from Toronto, Montreal and northern New York state!

Location

The OSUG event will be held in the double-board room located in Constitution Square at 350 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario. The lecture rooms are located on the center section of the second floor level. For more information on Constitution Square, please click here!

Things to do

If you are coming from outside the National Capital region ...

Alcatel Ottawa International Children's Festival - early June, five-day event aimed at families and children aged between 4 to 15 years old, with theatrical performances, dance and music
Franco Ontarien Festival - mid-June, celebrating Canada's historic French origins and culture, with music, local arts and crafts, and many interesting exhibitions
Fringe Festival - mid-June, with visual arts, buskers, musicians and performances

* BIO's *

John Strano

    John Strano is a Sybase Technology Evangelist and a charter member of TeamSybase. He has been using PowerBuilder since 1991 and has authored articles for multiple industry periodicals. John has presented Sybase tools on an international basis since 1997. Over the last 15 years John has developed a variety of PowerBuilder applications from single-user scaling up to enterprise-class, web-based projects.

   Anthony Robinson

    Mr .Anthony Robinson is a Principal Systems Consultant for Sybase based in Ottawa, Canada. Anthony has been with Sybase since 2000. He worked for Sybase's American Federal team out of Bethesda Maryland until 2004, when he then transferred to Sybase Canada. Before joining Sybase, Anthony was a sales consultant with New Era Of Networks and a functional SAP consultant for SLI Consulting Inc.


Regards ... Chris
OSUG - Co-Ordinator

PBTV - June 2011 Schedule

2011-05-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

** Hot News **

Upcoming webinars on PowerBuilderTV

Summer's almost here and so is the June 2011 webinar schedule!

Thursday June 16th
at 11:00am EST (New York) / 17:00 CET (Paris)

How to let end users customize their applications

If end users know best how they want their applications to look, why not let them customize screens and reports themselves? We’ll introduce a tool that provides an innovative new way to let them customize applications and reports without touching the source code. You've never seen customization like this!
Presenter: Christophe Dufourmantelle

Tuesday June 21st
at 12:00pm EST (New York) / 18:00 CET (Paris)

Using PowerBuilder Custom Visual User Objects in Visual Studio

With PowerBuilder 12.5, Custom Visual User Objects (CVUOs) can be deployed as WPF User Control libraries. Bring the power of the DataWindow to C# and VB .NET solutions. Become the star of any .NET development team!

Presenter: John Strano

Don't forget to check out the archive of past webinars!

Regards ... Chris

PBTV May 2011

2011-04-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

*** Hot News **

Upcoming webinars on PowerBuilderTV...

Tuesday May 10th
at 10:00am EST (New York) / 16:00 CET (Paris)

Transfer Knowledge of PowerBuilder Code

Do you have plans to update your applications this year, but its original developers have left the project? How will you reconstruct the knowledge of the application's inner-workings? How can you transfer this knowledge to staff or sub-contractors?
In this presentation, we'll show you a tool to:
- Facilitate the understanding of the code by a team new to the application
- Avoid side effects from changes made to the application
Presenter: Christophe Dufourmantelle

Thursday May 19th
at 10:00am EST (New York) / 16:00 CET (Paris)

The New Features in Enable 3.5

We’ll introduce you to the new features found in Enable 3.5.
More than 100 changes have been introduced in the Rex panel to improve runtime changes. This new version also includes an important architectural change allowing you to provide customized layout and properties. This will allow end users to customize the multilingual application using a Customization module.

Presenter: Gian Luca De Bonis

Have you seen the new website? Don't forget to check out the archive of past webinars while you are there!

Regards ... Chris

PB12.5 Public Beta Has Started!

2011-04-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

** Hot News **

The PowerBuilder version 12.5 public beta has started this week! You can join the program and download the software from this link <click here>. PB 12.5 includes the following new feature highlights (and more) ....

PowerBuilder 12.5 Features

The ability to deploy custom visual user objects as .NET assemblies for use in other .NET applications.
A new WCF Service feature that allows business logic written in PowerBuilder to be deployed as a web service.
New options to make creating, compiling and deploying .NET applications faster and easier than ever before
DataWindow enhancements for both WPF and PowerBuilder Classic.
Language enhancements and support for .NET events
The ability to call REST based web services
Numerous IDE enhancements and more.

When you register to download PB 12.5, you will also be able to download further documentation that describes in detail the new and revised features of both PB Classic and PB.Net.

Enjoy!

Regards ... Chris

PowerBuilder 12.5 – Get Ready!

2011-04-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

** Hot News **

PowerBuilder 12.5 Overview

Join PowerBuilder Evangelist and resident .NET Rockstar Dave Fish, for this hour long webcast that will cover the exciting features you can expect to find in this new release! The PowerBuilder 12.5 Beta will be available in April, 2011 and this webcast will give you an overview of the new features included in this release. Attendees will learn about features like WCF Services, deploying custom visual user objects (CVUOs) as .NET assemblies, DataWindow enhancements, and more.

Europe

Date: April 21 2011
Time: 12:00pm EDT (New York) / 18:00 CEST (Paris)
Presenter: Dave Fish
Register: Click here

North America

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET
(10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. PT)
Presenter: Dave Fish
Register: Click here

PowerBuilder 12.5 – Get Ready, ‘Cause Here It Comes!

Regards ... Chris

Updated Foundation Classes for PB 11.5.1, 12.1 (Classic & .NET)

2011-04-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

PowerBuilder framework updates released!

** Hot News **

Software Tool & Die Inc is pleased to announce that they have released a new version of their STD Foundation Classes for the production versions of PowerBuilder 11.5.x, and 12.1.x. This release is based on the STD framework using PowerBuilder 11.5.1 build 4011, PowerBuilder 12.1.0 Classic build 6518, PowerBuilder 12.1.0 .Net build 6518, . PowerBuilder developers can now further enjoy this superior framework for their mission critical applications allowing them to dramatically accelerate their development work while maintaining superior application performance. The framework architecture supports Win32, Webform, Winform and Smart Client deployment models.

      The STD Foundation Classes are a free business and productivity framework and available for Appeon, InfoMaker, EAServer, PocketBuilder, and PowerBuilder that support .Net Assemblies, WebForm, WinForn, Win32, WPF and JSP/ASP deployment as well.

STD FC Release 11.5.1 and 12.1.0 for PowerBuilder ... April 10, 2011)

1)    Changed SA database version check to work with SA12.0 as the default.
2)    Extended the "Timing" object base ancestor "ns_timing_master" to
    a) Allow an object to register itself as the Timing object's parent
    b) Fire any event of the parent objects choosing on the timer interval
3)    Added a new global function "fn_encrypt_simple" that supports basic encryption (all written in PowerScript).
4)    Added a new global function ""fn_decrypt_simple that supports basic decryption (all written in PowerScript).
5)    Revised the "fn_open_sheet_window" global function to allow an arrangement type option parameter.
6)    Revised the "fn_open_sheet_window_withParm" global function to allow an arragment type option parameter.
7)    Added a new global function "fn_convert_packed_decimal" that supports the handling of IBM DB/2 numeric data.
8)    Added a new global function "fn_copy_transaction" that allows a new Transaction Object to be created from an active one!
9)    Added a new global function "fn_dbms_get_sysdate" that allows you to get the System date of the DBMS server.
10)    Added a new global function "fn_lookup_display_value" that gets you the displayed value from any DDDW.
11)    Added a new global function "fn_print_screen" that allows you to print any current dialog.
12)    Added a new global function "fn_remove_spaces" that allows you to remove ALL spaces from any String variable.
13)    Added a new global function "fn_validate_phone_no" that allows you validate any standard phone number.
14)    The global function "nc_crypto" was renamed to "nc_crypto_master" to be inline with FC's naming conventions
15)    A new Object "nc_cypher_master" was created that taps into the C++ Cypher and De-cypher features
16)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to check for NULL Context values from the OS.
17)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to only log the details of all errors.
    a) user now receives a simple alert with the option to continue.
    b) user no longer sees the actual error (unless the open the log in the Log Viewer).
17)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to only log the details of all errors.
18)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to support Processor Affinity.
    a) a New setting Affinity= setting to the INI file support
    b) New method sets the CPU affinity if the new parameter in the INI file is > 0
19)    The DataWindow control base ancestor "vs_dc_master" was changed to disable moving the control when the Title bar is present.
    Note1: For some reason, this does not work in Winform deployments.
    Note2: The title bar is not supported in WPF.
20)     The StaticText extension object "vs_st_transparent_master" was changed to support the PB 12.x implementation of a transparent background colour.
21)    A new Window ancestor was added (wn_animated_save_master) that supports the new Animated Save feature!
22)    The "wn_master" base ancestor window was changed to implement the Animated Save feature.
    a) New "of_animation_required" method was added to the Base window class (wn_master) to support Animated saves.
23)    The "wn_master" base ancestor class was changed to change the way duplicate instantiated dialog's were discovered.
    a) This fixes a problem where the Win32 applications tool bars and sheet would seem to "bounce" in the MDI frame.
    b) Corrects a Winform application where the lower toolbar(s) would disappear all together until a close/open.
24)    The "wn_master" base ancestor was changed to allow any Window to have a Min or Max size.
25)    The "wn_controller_master" base ancestor was changed to support a "Close All" open sheet/child window option.
26)    The base ancestor menu "mu_master" was changed to implement a new Close All menu under the "Window" pull down menu item.
27)    The "vs_dc_list_master" DW Control extension ancestor was changed to implement a sortation icon on the heading
    a) uses a triangle drawn on to the heading text.
    b) Triangle direction show the sortation order
    c) If the heading text will interfere with the triangle, it is shifted over slightly.
    d) The shifted heading text is restored upon moving to a new column.
28)    Changed the "wn_popup_master" to centre itself to the current controller window.
    a) Allows better GUI
    b) Supports dual monitors better
29)    Changed the "wn_main_master" to center itself to the current controller window.
    a) Allows better GUI interface
    b) Better supports a dual monitor PC
    c) Ignores this behaviour of the Controller is an MDI type window
30)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to capture the WebForm (IIs) Session ID
    a) New *private* session ID instance variable added (is_session_id)
    b) Session ID is written to the Application's LOG file at start-up
    c) A new "of_Get_Session_Id" method was added to expose the private variable to the application
31)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to capture the WebForm (IIs) Browser signature!
    a) New *private* instance variable added (is_browser)
    b) The Browser signature written to the Application's LOG file at start-up
    c) A new "of_get_browser" method was added to expose the current Browser's signature at any time.
32)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to verify that the WebForm browser.
    a) If the Browser is not IE an error message appears in the current browser.
    b) The application will stop on any Web browser other than IE.
33)     A new global function "fn_build_number" was added to automatically track application builds.
    a) A new INI file was added to support this functionality (STD_FC.ini).
    b) Note: currently code commented out as this crashes the PB 11.5.1 and higher IDE
        Problem reported to Sybase Engineering.
34)    The Order Entry application was changed to
    a) Use the new FlashWindow feature of Response dialogs to alert users visually (Login Dialog)
    b) The Login dialog uses the new simple encryption to save the last good password to the Application's INI file.
    c) The Employee dialog was changed to demonstrate the new fixed DW Control when a title bar is active.
    d) The Employee, Customer and Product list dialogs were changed to demonstrate the new Sort Icon.
35) Changed SA database version check to work with SA11.0.1.2044
36) Updated the core Message DataWindow with new message ID's
37) Updated the French and Spanish message DW objects for new message transactions.
38) Updated the DataWindow control master (vs_dc_master) to disable Mouse Wheel zooming.
    a) New instance variable added to control whether this action is permitted.

    Along with the updated framework for PowerBuilder's 11.5.x and 12.1.x, there is also an updated example OrderEntry application that is built with the STD Foundation Classes to aid in the learning and testing experience. Both the updated STD framework and the OrderEntry sample application have been uploaded to the SourceForge website (click here). Select "View All Files" at the main project page and the look for the PowerBuilder folder.

Enjoy .... Chris!

PBTV April, 2011

2011-03-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Upcoming webinars on PowerBuilderTV

Happy 1st birthday PowerBuilderTV - 1 year old on April.1, 2011!

Tuesday April 5th
at 12:00pm EST (New York) / 18:00 CET (Paris)

Carving Up Classic Client/Server Applications For .NET Deployment:
Using the New .NET Project Partitioning Feature

The March 12.1 PowerBuilder EBF contains a new tool and technology that enables you to overcome deployment issues that might impede .NET migration. You might even be able to organize your code in a way that enables you to restore RAD development to its rightful position in PowerBuilder.NET deployment.
Yakov Werde, member of TeamSybase and a PowerBuilder MVP will walk you though the ins and outs of the new partitioning feature "by-example". He'll demonstrate the proper use of the new tool that allows you to configure your deployment architecture.

Presenter: Yakov Werde

Thursday April 14th
at 11:00am EST (New York) / 17:00 CET (Paris)

Take your commercial applications to the next level

During this webcast, you will see how to evolve your commercial applications and win new clients:
secure your SaaS applications, make your application customizable by your clients, protect your source code against reverse engineering, and support multiple languages to open new markets.

Presenter: Christophe Dufourmantelle

Thursday April 21st
at 12:00pm EST (New York) / 18:00 CET (Paris)

PowerBuilder 12.5 Overview

The PowerBuilder 12.5 Beta will be available in April and this webcast will give you an overview of the new features included in this release. Attendees will learn about features like WCF Services, deploying custom visual user objects (CVUOs) as .NET assemblies, DataWindow enhancements, and more.

Presenter: Dave Fish

Don't forget to check out the archive of past webinars!

Regards ... Chris

TechCast

2011-03-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

ISUG TECHCAST

The North American PowerBuilder Virtual User Group and mLogica Present:

Carving Up Classic Client/Server Applications for .NET Deployment Using the New .NET Project Partitioning Feature

Sponsored by:

Yakov Werde, member of TeamSybase and a PowerBuilder MVP will walk you though the ins and outs of the new partitioning feature "by-example". He'll demonstrate the proper use of the new tool that allows you to configure your deployment architecture. He'll also show you how to work around issues that might surface during partitioning. He'll explain how to determine inter-assembly dependencies, determine if any circular dependencies exist, reorganize your code object storage scheme to eliminate them, and determine where you will store your global types

Wednesday, March 23rd
10am-11am PDT
1pm-2pm EDT
5-6pm GMT

Regards ... Chris