crash@tsc3b21.UUCP (Frank "crash" Edwards) (02/19/88)
*************************** FLAME ON *********************************
If you're not interested in hearing about others' problems with support
from companies that they depend *heavily* on, you'd better hit the 'n'
key right about now...
For a little over two years my company, Transportation Systems Consulting,
has been developing a computerized system for the management of aviation
companies; everything from aircraft maintenance to inventory control to
crew scheduling. This is an integrated package requiring over one hundred
record-types within the database.
Now the problem: Unify advertises that they're product, Unify Version
3.2, will support 256 record-types and 256 fields per record-type. WRONG!!
According to the support person we spoke to, "the product, as shipped, will
support 128 (!) record-types, and if a particular customer has requirements
that exceed these we will ship them a new revision [that works as advertised]."
(Note that the bracketed material is mine.)
This is in direct opposition to what they advertise!! Needless to say,
we are in a real bind -- we can't possibly begin to port to another DBMS
anymore than we would forfeit all of work thus far and just give up.
The worst part of all this, beyond the discussions with Unify, is
that the problem appears (to myself and others here at TSC) to be simply
a bug in the program used to enter/change the database schema. But no
error messages are given by any of the configuration programs, nor are
any warnings given. Instead, some of the programs will function and some
will not. We've spent 3 days on the phone with Unify; and those same 3
days trying to correct the problem ourselves by moving the database from
the IBM RT we typically develop on to our 3B2/310 (ugh! ;-) and doing
the work there, sending the results back to the IBM. No go. Same problem.
So what is Unify's answer? "I'll call marketing and have them contact
you concerning your upgrade to Unify 4.0" (They were going to charge us
$600 to upgrade to the next revision level instead of providing us with
the software we paid for in the first place.) Indeed, it'll take the
marketing spokeperson almost 2 weeks to send it to us. "Why don't you
just dial Federal express and send it out *TONIGHT*???" "Oh, we can't
do that," she said. "But I'll try to send it out sometime tomorrow, maybe."
Right now, my employer and a co-worker are on the phone with the staff
at Unify. Whatever happens, I'll keep the rest of the net.world up-to-date.
Unify -- if you're listening to this -- what do you have to say in
defense of yourself?? (Please understand; this is not directed to any
one individual at Unify, but to the policy of the company.)
********************* FLAME OFF (to be continued) ***************************
Personally, I think we're being shafted by Unify.
"Use the Source, Luke. Feel it flow through your fingertips..."
-----
Frank (crash) Edwards ...!codas!usfvax2!{pdn,jc3b21}!tsc3b21!crash
TSC in Palm Harbor, FL Phone: (813) 785-0583 (voice)
The Sweat Shop
/-------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| These opinions are not those of my employer, his wife, either of their |
| children, or their parakeet. In fact, he probably doesn't even know |
| that I've said this! And I prefer it that way! |
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------/mike@cisunx.UUCP (Mike Elliot) (02/22/88)
In article <246@tsc3b21.UUCP> crash@tsc3b21.UUCP (Frank "crash" Edwards) writes: >*************************** FLAME ON ********************************* > > Now the problem: Unify advertises that they're product, Unify Version >3.2, will support 256 record-types and 256 fields per record-type. WRONG!! >According to the support person we spoke to, "the product, as shipped, will >support 128 (!) record-types, and if a particular customer has requirements >that exceed these we will ship them a new revision [that works as advertised]." >(Note that the bracketed material is mine.) > We had a similar problem here. While we only had about 100 record-types and no more than 100 fields per record-type, we had about 1400 records in each record type. We didn't think this was alot of data but Unify did and blew up. They had to make a special dbase for us which took about a week and then they finally Fed-expressed it to us. >Indeed, it'll take the >marketing spokeperson almost 2 weeks to send it to us. "Why don't you >just dial Federal express and send it out *TONIGHT*???" "Oh, we can't >do that," she said. "But I'll try to send it out sometime tomorrow, maybe." > Sound like they're feeding you a line, because they did Fed-express our stuff to us. > Right now, my employer and a co-worker are on the phone with the staff >at Unify. Whatever happens, I'll keep the rest of the net.world up-to-date. > I hate calling them. We had to wait about a week before we finally got phone support from them, and then when we finally got phone support I no longer wanted it. Everyone I talked to up there, with the possible exception of the secretary, seemed to know less and were more confused than I. So now I just dig through the manuals, which have more than a few errors in them, and not quite enough information. Mike Elliot {allegra|bellcore|cadre|psuvax1}!pitt!cisunx!mike mike@pittvms.bitnet It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage, than the creation of a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institutions and merely lukewarm defenders in those who would gain by the new ones. -Machiavelli The above views are mine and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.