🚀 go-pugleaf

Matt,

Most of the major mac database players support using the SQL language
to query _remote_ databases from within their programs.  This means that
products like 4th Dimension, Foxbase, Omnis can all query outside systems
and bring the data back into their program for manipulation.  What the 
mac programs lack however is the ability to allow SQL queries on their
own data.  The only noted exception to this is Oracle on the Mac.

If you are looking to set up a client-server solution to your IBM server
any of the above products could be used to access the data via DAL.  DAL
is a generic way of accessing a wide variety of SQL databases (Sybase,
Oracle, Ingres, Informix, DB2, etc).  The drawback to DAL is that because
of its generic approach you are working with a "lowest common denominator"
of the SQL languange and will find it difficult to make use of any
extended SQL features particular to your host system.  The benefit of DAL
is that your end code will survive a change of the back end.  If you wrote
your database to access an Oracle database today, you could change the
back-end to Sybase tomorrow with very little change to your front-end.

4th Dimension is definitely the most well-rounded program when it comes
to Connectivity options.  ACIUS sells tools that support DAL, SQL Server &
Oracle Server.  The latter two options are a more direct way of dealing
with Sybase and Oracle servers respectively.  The SQLServer product
communicates on a DBLib level with the server so you have access to all
of sybases advanced capabilities, as well as a much faster communication
path between the two products.  The Oracle Server (to be released soon)
acts much the same way, using SQL*Net to directly communicate with the
host.  Both of the ???_Server products are the way to go if you know
you will only be connecting to the specific platform.

-Dan Wasserman      danw@well.sf.ca.us       danw@netcom.com

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