August 15, 2002
Issue 15

Contents

Product & Services News

DAW BugTracker extends product support toolset
Data Access Worldwide has implemented a new resource to enhance developer productivity. BugTracker, an online technical support toolset powered by WebApp Server, aids users of DAW's software products in tracking, checking, and resolving known product issues.

DAW vice president of product management Stephen W. Meeley underscored that BugTracker is much more than a list of reported bug fixes. "This tool doesn't just report problems, it also offers developers interim solutions and workarounds and fixes. Each bug is detailed with an ID, title, links to details, product revision, bug status, build number for the fix, and more. It's really a detailed, inside view of the ongoing VDF8 product development cycle. I'm pleased to say that most reports are about problems that aren't problems any more because they've been fixed!"

Currently BugTracker is used specifically for tracking Visual DataFlex 8 issues. DAW plans to enhance the scope of the WebApp in the near future to include tracking of all technical issues with the company's software products.

The DAW technical staff has been using BugTracker internally since the development of Visual DataFlex 8.0 began to track known issues with the software. The same data is now publicly accessible to the DataFlex developer community at large. BugTracker is powered by DAW's WebApp Server, and is modeled on the success and style of the DAW Knowledge Base, resulting in a familiar user experience for developers.

DAW's lead developer on the BugTracker project, Dennis Piccioni, was charged with creating a way for developers and end users to create and view customizable reports and perform text searches on the Visual DataFlex 8 defects database.

"BugTracker allows customers to create very customized reports that allows them to zero in on specific items, such as entries for a specific component or revision," Piccioni said. "It also allows users to select the fields that they are interested in to return the most relevant results."

Piccioni stated BugTracker will boost DataFlex programmers' productivity by providing comprehensive access to known product issues at all times via the web, and reducing the need for developers to interact directly with DAW support staff. "Most importantly, developers can find out if a behavior they experience is a product bug or not. If it is already logged as such, they can modify their program accordingly, use a listed workaround, or, in the best case, see that it is already fixed for the next release."

Making BugTracker publicly available furthers DAW's objective to provide VDF developers with the tools and resources they require to excel as programmers. "Developers have been very interested in this information," Piccioni said, "and that was definitely one of the driving points for implementing this service."

The DAW BugTracker can be accessed from the Support area at DataAccess.com.

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New & updated White Papers from DAW
Data Access Worldwide has published a new White Paper titled The VDF Status Panel; What It Is and How to Customize It. It is intended for developers who need to customize the Status Panel and have not been able to find adequate information in the VDF help files and documentation. This White Paper describes what is going on behind the scenes and how to create status panels that have the customized characteristics that many applications require.

DAW also recently published the White Paper Enumerating Resources included in Visual DataFlex 8.2 Applications, which describes how to determine what resources (bitmaps and icons) are included in VDF 8.2 applications by building a resource editor for this specific purpose.

The Deploying Visual DataFlex 8 Applications White Paper has been updated with a new section about the Crystal Reports Runtime, which discusses what Crystal Reports 8 files are needed when installing a VDF 8.2 application in order to run Crystal Reports .rpt files. This topic has been added because the VDF 8.2 Client License no longer installs the Crystal Reports runtime.

Data Access Worldwide offers a selection of technical papers that cover a wide variety of subjects, all pertaining to getting the maximum benefit from Visual DataFlex, DataFlex or WebApp Server. For the complete list, visit www.DataAccess.com/WhitePapers.

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Events & Training News

Data Access Brazil offers technical workshop Sep 12
Data Access Brazil will offer a workshop on Integrating DataFlex Applications in Heterogeneous Environments on September 12 in Joinville/SC. The workshop is open to all DataFlex developers. For complete event information, visit DAB's Event Center (Portuguese language).

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Save the dates - "Meet Me in St. Louis" Oct 18-19, 2002; DISD Feb 20-22, 2003
Be sure to mark your calendar for the Second "Meet Me in St. Louis" user group meeting and the DISD Summit. "Meet Me in St. Louis" is set for October 18-19, 2002. Applied Information Management will host the event at the AAIM Conference Center. The cost will be $100.00. The DataFlex International Software Developers (DISD) Summit 2003 returns to Carson City, Nevada on February 20-22, 2003. The cost will be $200.00. Contact Mari Doherty for more information at mari-d@dataaccess.com.

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Data Access Worldwide authorized training programs
Data Access Worldwide and its authorized training centers offer developers an extensive array of product training programs for WebApp Server, Visual DataFlex, DataFlex and Crystal Reports. Data Access Europe offers programs in a variety of locations in Denmark, Germany, and The Netherlands.

For information about U.S. authorized training programs click here. For information about Data Access Europe's training programs, click here. Visit Data Access Brazil's Event Center for training programs and events offered in Brazil (Portuguese language).

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Tidbits

Pervasive unites with Child Alert Foundation to speed the search for missing persons
Pervasive Software has announced it is donating the latest version of its flagship product, Pervasive.SQL, to the Child Alert Foundation (CAF), in an effort to help speed the dissemination of information to law enforcement officials, the media and others when a child or adult is reported kidnapped or missing. The software donated by Pervasive improves the speed and reliability of the CAF Abduction Central Alert (ACA) system, which runs on an earlier version of Pervasive's database. The system is deployed across 14 states and growing. Read the full press release at Pervasive.

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Links and Subscription Information

Data Access Worldwide
Crystal Reports for DataFlex
DataFlex
Events and Training
Professional Services
Purchasing Data Access Products
Support
Visual DataFlex
WebApp Server
WebApp Developer
WebApp Lab
White Papers

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