Evolution Access Converter
Found at:
http://www.evolutionsoft.co.uk
Has anyone played with this? Is it any good? Scale on 1 to 100?
I have a fairly complex MSAXP/2003 multi-app (multiple apps with distinctly
different purposes) frontends all served by a MS SQL Svr 7 backend
application a customer wants to move to .NET, to be able to make the next
step toward fully web-enabled and interactive applications. Currently the
customer is using Terminal Services Remote Application Server (hereafter
known as TS/RAS) heavily.
I am trying to decide whether to advise him to beef up his TS Farm and
forego conversion for a couple more years, or to forge on ahead into the
wilde unknown of .NET.
I consider my talents/skillset as follows (scale 1 to 10):
Win2K/WinXP network administration (includes cabling, infrastructure,
hardware, software, server and client machines maint., security, Domains,
TS, support, etc.) - 5~8
MS Access and MS Office - 9~10
VB 6 skills - 6~7
webhosting - 5
HTML - 7
..NET technology - 1 (given a 1 only due to assimilation experience)
With all the changes in VB.NET (!~no pointers!, no variants!, changed NULL
handling, etc...), I shudder at the thought of converting this complex app
set.
The app set centers around the mortgage industry, but has distinct apps for:
Loan Handling app, which includes
- Loan Processors
- Loan Officers
- Realtors/Appraisers/Investors
- Managers/User Administration
- Messaging Interface (internal alarms, Email, and Text messaging)
ODI app (Outbound Dialing Interface - Telemarking/Lead generation)
ODI Server app
Batch Email Server app
Custom TS/RAS app
Auto Version Updater - for simple version deployment - VB6.
All but one app was written with/converted to MS Access XP/2003 format.
(Once one gets the hang of Access Runtime, Access RAD rocks hard over most
other IDEs). All except the ODI Server can be accessed/run from the
locked-down TS/RAS, which also allows users to interact with other mortgage
and office applications such Calyx - Point, MS Word, MS Excel, Corel WP,
Corel Quattro Pro, etcetera, for mail merge, flyer creation, morgage workup
sheets, and the like. Employees/representatives are in three different
states. We also have home users. About 75 stations in all, of which about
50 stations in the main office have the apps installed on their PC, so as to
not bog down the TS/RAS. This is a WAN. We have established a VPN between
2 offices, but have not really used it, as the TS/RAS over the internet has
sufficed.
Enough detail? My client likes a lot of what he hears about .NET and
deployment in that route. I tend to favor the TS/RAS scenario, but don't
yet really know the ?benefits? of .NET.
Should we go the route of:
A - "Evolution Access Converter"
B - Some other conversion method
C - Brute force .NET conversion with experienced .NET developer
D - Skip it and beef up with a TS farm?
TIA for your comments.
~ Duane Phillips.