Need some information about FoxPro

[Prathmesh]

Hello all,
I was working with FoxPro around 96-97 for almost 2-3 years. Then I lost touch. Currently I am working with Ms Access, Oracle, MySql, etc. What I want to know is how good is foxpro at the moment? What is the maximum limit of database it can support e.g. 1 gig, 2 gigs, etc.? Is it better than MS Access? What are the areas that FoxPro can be used in to yield good results? Does future hold anything good for FoxPro, meaning will FoxPro will still be around in next 5-7 years? I hope you foxpro gurus out there can surely provide some helpful information on the above mentioned questions. Cheers all.

 

[Mike Gagnon]

Prathmesh

What is the maximum limit of database it can support e.g. 1 gig, 2 gigs, etc.?

As most software that run on Wondows' platform 2.1 gigs (per file type).

Is it better than MS Access?

The question is too vague, "The right tool for the right job".

What are the areas that FoxPro can be used in to yield good results?

Rapid application development. You can create a running application in under 3 minutes. The speed of accessing the data is unparalled.

Does future hold anything good for FoxPro, meaning will FoxPro will still be around in next 5-7 years?

If VFP8.0 just came out, I would say the Microsoft will support for at least 5-7 years. And glimpses of VFP9.0 have been shown at Devcons.

P.S. Hopefully this thread will not turn out to be a "Is MS Access better than VFP?" type.


Mike Gagnon

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ184-2483 first.

 

[jimoo]

VFP has a very strong engine and works well with different database types, including SQL and Oracle. It has a rapid development environment and is fully object oriented for sharing of code, libraries, etc.

It is very scalable, for large or small jobs, and it ties into desktop products (Word, Excel, Outlook) well.

Access is more for managing mailing list, christmas cards, small customer tracking tables, etc. It only supports a few users without slowing to a stall.

But, as Mike said, "It really depends on what you are trying to accomplish."



Jim Osieczonek
Delta Business Group, LLC

http://www.deltabg.com

 

[Prathmesh]

Hi All,
Tks for taking the time to answer my questions. Currently in my organisation, we have a foxpro database going on. Works fine, but there is also another database like MS Access being used frequently. What my organisation wants, and that is y they hired me, is they want to centralise the whole thing. So what I was wondering is to move to mySql, since it has enterprise level support, but I just wanted to make sure that I m just not migrating for the sake of migrating because foxpro is not used so much now. I want to know if foxpro can be used as a database at "enterprise level" like Oracle or MySql? And will it turn out to be a good solution? I would appreciate any replies and suggestions on that. Cheers.

 

[craigsboyd]

Here's a pretty good article for you:

http://www.advisor.com/Articles.nsf/aid/MATIV02

Slighthaze = NULL
_{craig1442@mchsi.com}

"Whom computers would destroy, they must first drive mad." - Anon​

 

[jimoo]

You certainly could move the data to mySQL and keep the front-end in VFP. That is quite common.

A lot of people don't like the dbfs because they can become corrupt (less often than before) and the lack of security on them. Yes, you can implement some security on the database container, but that has its limitations. Therefore, a lot of people are attacted to a "true" database such as mySql, SQL, Oracle, etc.

If data security is not top on your list, keeping them in free tables has a lot of advantages. It is easy to share the data with other and speed. I recently had lunch with a senior MS consultant who stated that VFP free tables, properly indexed, are microsofts fastest data access. That statement does not surprise most VFP programmers.

Take in all the information, evaluation your needs, and make your decision based on that. Even if it's access - we'll still like you



Jim Osieczonek
Delta Business Group, LLC

http://www.deltabg.com

 

[Prathmesh]

Rest assured Jimoo,
It wont be Access that is for sure. Access doesn't have that capability to handle such huge data. Frontend may be in Access, since many forms and reports are already made in Access, so to save time, I might use Access frontend, but backend will be MySql OR foxpro. I will need to look into areas if Access can talk to foxpro and things like that, I know Access can talk to Mysql, so lets c where I end up. Keep those suggestions and advice coming buddies. Will help me and some other people like me for sure. Cheers.