Macola 7.5, Pervasive SQL 2000, MS-Access and new DDF files

[pasweetsue]

I am using Macola 7.5 with Pervasive SQL 2000 on Windows NT 4.0 Server with Windows 95 Workstations. We use MS-Access to build queries and reports on the Macola files. If I use Macola's legacy DDF files everything seems to run OK. When I switch to their new DDF files, my already created queries slow down significantly!!!
Can anyone suggest what might be the problem?

 

[dgillz]

I do not know what the problem is, but I am looking into it. What version of Pervasive's ODBC driver are you using? What is the date and size of file.ddf?

Why are you using access? Again, I am not sure why, but if you use crystal reports it is infinitely faster, although re-writing queries is a pain.

Any more info you can give me on this would be appreciated. Software Support for Sage Mas90, Macola, Crystal Reports and Goldmine
Dgilsdorf#altavista.com
714-348-0964

 

[ecichy]

I ran into performance problems using Pervasive SQL 7 ODBC drivers and Arpeggio Report Writer. I ended up using Intersolv's Btrieve ODBC driver. I recently ran across an item in Pervasive's Knowledge Base while searching for "ODBC Performance" which mentions that the version of the DDF files has something to do with it. I used DDF Builder from Smithware to create DDF's in Btrieve 5.10a format for upward compatability. The article mentions SQL 3.x versus 4.x format, so I guess they are referring to DDF's created using SQL rather than a DDF builder. I've tried using DDFEase to convert with no success. Since my clients are running fine with the Intersolv driver, I haven't pursued the issue any further.

 

[dgillz]

I looked into Intersolve driver, however it was not licensed to use with MS Access and the cost was out of line for what I needed. (It would word with Access, but you had to hit a button on a screen saying this is not licensed for this use about 200 times).

How did you get your license for this? What was the cost? Software Support for Sage Mas90, Macola, Crystal Reports and Goldmine
Cell/VM: 714-348-0964

 

[pasweetsue]

To answer dgillz's questions. I don't use Pervasive's ODBC drivers, I am using Intersolv 3.01. I also got the "test drive" upgrade file 4.0 from Data Direct (formerly Intersolv) with the same slowness experienced with 3.01. I then tried Pervasive ODBC ver 7.82.198.01 and had the same results. The file.ddf from Macola is dated 4-13-2001 @ 2:39PM and is 205KB.
We are using MS-Access as a result of trying Macola's Envision report writer. Envision was so cumbersome and so slow with our data that we looked toward MS-Access. It ran circles around Envision and the ease of queries was great. I am currently in the process of converting to Crystal but need to use Macola's new DDF files and I can not jeopardize the efficiency of current applications by making the move to their new DDF files. I also have several levels of queries to get to results on my reports and am not certain how to tackle this with Crystal.

 

[ecichy]

The Intersolv ODBC Drivers came packaged with one of the Report Writers. I believe that it was Arpeggio, now R&R Report Writer again. Check

http://www.livewarepub.com

for info. Another thing to look into is a download from

http://www.pervasive.com

for some kind of DDFCONV program which analyzes and checks your data and DDF files.