Updates / Patches / Enhancements

[rube]

What is the best way, or how should one go about handling upgrades and enhancements to a previous Application?

For our local customers, we usually just copy the data or table into the new database.

I know on the front end, we can just repackage it as there are no tables, or only temp tables. But what about when you need to add a new field/relationship/etc. on the backend. Is there a way to do this via the Packaging wizard, or do you have to write a "Patch Utility" that will insert this field and appropriate data if needed.

We consistently have to perform patches to one of our customer's apps that do this very thing.

I just am not sure how or what the best way to go about this is, especially when I may not be able to be there onsite, but need to send a patch that will do this for the customer.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Rube

 

[Pat Hartman]

This is a link to a site that sells a product you can use. I haven't used this one but I have other products from the company and find them to be useful.

DatabaseCreations

 

[rube]

Thanks

Thanks Pat. May I ask how you handle this or do you have access to your previous Apps.

Also, if you are still working on your book, I mentioned earlier how you greatly helped us in the area of Normalization. If you could a chapter in there for real world apps, giving your database a polished feel, and issues that you face when actually putting your app in the field.

Linking to the backend, (when changed on the server)
Application icons
Color problems (tab controls, command buttons, etc.)

I can't wait to buy a copy. Any idea when it will be coming?

 

[Pat Hartman]

Thanks for the ideas and encouragement. I will add them to my ever increasing list of topics.

Because my work is entirely consulting, I rarely need to worry about how to update an app once it has been deployed. The times where I have had to, I have usually just replaced the fe. When the be changes, usually some kind of conversion is necessary and I have never wanted to leave that to an automated process. So, to update the be, I usually work an evening or weekend when I can take the db offline and have it to myself.

 

[John.Woody]

I handle upgrades for my customers using pcAnywhere. I can take over one PC and work as if I were infront of it. I can then install a new FE and copy to all other PCs' on the network as long as the shares are set up. With several of my larger customers I have a FE installed on the server which is copied to each workstation at startup using a batch file. I therefore only have to install the new FE on the server and tell everyone to reboot to get the update. If you need to update the BE you could develop an update db capable of adding tables, fields to existing tables, relationships and adding data to required fields as necessary. Once developed updating would become a matter of clicking buttons for the various actions, and as long as you test an update before giving it to a customer it should eliminate errors and the customer is off line for a shorter period of time. Of course if you're only going to update a BE very occationally it may be more time efficient to update it manually.

HTH
John

 

[rube]

Thanks for the input John. Good advice. One of our Apps we developed for a present client and packaged and sold it so we have several copies all over the country, since that time we have several updates to it and would like to offer to those that bought it. The biggest thing is we are getting ready to release a new application where we have several folks waiting that are not local or would purchase the software as a retail application. I like the idea of using PCAnywhere though.

We had a phone vendor give us a demo of his VoIP system via Linktivity and I thought that was a really slick utility, works like PCAny but the client does not have to have software, when they accept an invitation it will load the host software.

Thanks for the thoughts, it was beneficial.

Rube