[comp.unix.questions] Unix databases for service report storage and acquisition

andrew@nsc.nsc.com (Andrew Lue) (01/15/88)

Can anyone recommend a DBMS that can be used in a service center
environment.  The DBMS must manipulate service reports; so the records
may actually be screens of text, or lines of text.

The preferred DBMS will run on SYS V.2, housed in a minicomputer.
The next option would run on MS-DOS machines.

Thanks, in advance.

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew H. Lue                                          {decwrl|sun}!nsc!andrew

ege@cblpf.ATT.COM (Ernie Englehart) (01/17/88)

In article <4914@nsc.nsc.com> andrew@nsc.nsc.com (Andrew Lue) writes:
>Can anyone recommend a DBMS that can be used in a service center
>environment.  The DBMS must manipulate service reports; so the records
>may actually be screens of text, or lines of text.
>
>The preferred DBMS will run on SYS V.2, housed in a minicomputer.
>The next option would run on MS-DOS machines.
>


Look into the UNIx Transaction System, UNITS.  It is a database manager
developed especially for UNIX system V.

robf2@pyuxf.UUCP (robert fair) (01/18/88)

In article <995@cblpf.ATT.COM>, ege@cblpf.ATT.COM (Ernie Englehart) writes:
> In article <4914@nsc.nsc.com> andrew@nsc.nsc.com (Andrew Lue) writes:
> >Can anyone recommend a DBMS that can be used in a service center
> Look into the UNIx Transaction System, UNITS.  It is a database manager
> developed especially for UNIX system V.

Having had the misfortune to use UNITS and its related products (TUX etc)
for a period while a contractor at AT&T all I can say is - AVOID AT ALL COSTS !
My comments stem from both using the product and browsing the source code.

The database supports a poor implementation of SQL, very minimalistic.
The query optimizer really ought to be shot.

The report writer appears to be a direct INGRES rip-off (the source code 
even referred the reader to the INGRES documenation !)

The screen handling part is so cumbersome to use the project I was on
wanted to get rid of it.

The documentation was *terrible* - either masses of very high level garbage
which said nothing, or lots of UN*X-style man pages which said even less.

The above comments refer to the version of UNITS available within AT&T
around 10/87 (20.?) and express a personal opinion only.


-- 
Robert L. Fair
Bell Communications Research/CHC
Piscataway, NJ
{ihnp4,allegra}!pyuxww!pyuxf!robf2

patk@riddle.UUCP (Patrick King) (01/24/88)

Followup-To:


>>  In article <4914@nsc.nsc.com> andrew@nsc.nsc.com (Andrew Lue) writes:
>> >Can anyone recommend a DBMS that can be used in a service center

The  company  I  work  for (SPHINX LTD) is one of  the  largest  software
distributors   in  Europe  and  one  of   the  services  we  provide   is
"HOT-LINE-SUPPORT" to end-users of the software we sell.

In  order to cope with the ENORMOUS amount of support call logs generated
by  many  thousands  of customers, we have developed a  UNIX/XENIX  based
database  for the logging, action chasing and storage of  service/support
logs.

The  support  department wrote and also use this system which is  written
using  Informix-SQL.  If this looks like a system you might be interested
in  acquiring,  the person to contact at the address at the end  of  this
item is:

                Brian Mulligan
                (Technical Support & Services Manager)
-- 
======================================================   
Reply To:  patk@sphinx.co.uk    Sphinx Limited           
                                43-53 Moorbridge Road,   
Phone: 06228 75343              Maidenhead,              
TLX  : 849812                   Berks SL6 8PB.           
FAX  : 0628 70110               England.                 
                 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _                     
================|My views are my own|=================   
                 - - - - - - - - - -                     
                                                         

ntm1458@dsacg3.UUCP (John Darby) (02/02/88)

in article <553@riddle.UUCP>, patk@riddle.UUCP (Patrick King) says:
> The  support  department wrote and also use this system which is  written
> using  Informix-SQL.  If this looks like a system you might be interested
> in  acquiring,  the person to contact at the address at the end  of  this
> item is:
At the Defense Logistics Agency we also support many end users.  We
built our problem reporting system around UNIFY.  We had to write C
code to include the screen handling routines.  All reported problems
are assigned a number and a priority.  High priority problems get
immediate attention.  Lower pririties are handled during regular
working hours.  A log is kept on the status of all problems.
-- 
John T. Darby, (DLA Systems Automation Center, DSAC-TMM, P.O. Box 1605
Columbus, OH, ntm1458, 614 238-9174)
UUCP: {...cbosgd!osu-cis}!dsacg1!jdarby
Any opinions expressed are my own, not those of my employer.