>Two new OpenInsight WORKS downloads

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Some of you will have noticed that I recently pulled the 7.2 to 9.2 one hit upgrade from my blog. This has now been released as a pre-release package and it is now available from within the WORKS area on revelation.com.

The release is in response to customer demand around the world for a single update to OpenInsight 9.2 from OpenInsight versions 7.2 through 8.0.8. Please note that this is a pre-release beta upgrade for testing purposes only. If you are currently running version 7.2 through 8.0.8 and you need a supported upgrade path to 9.2, then we recommend applying the individual patches and upgrades, or installing a fresh copy of 9.2 and using APPBACKUP to backup and restore your applications in the new installation of 9.2 – I recently undertook this route (downloading and applying each patch and upgrade in turn) and it only took about 10 minutes or so to apply the patches and upgrades once I had them downloaded.

Alternatively, if you have the time in your release schedule to fully test your applications features on OpenInsight 9.2 before doing the final upgrade, then this one hit upgrade to 9.2 is perfect for your needs.

Revelation will be pleased to hear of any issues from those of you who do opt for the one-hit upgrade and your assistance in getting this to a supported release will be greatly appreciated. Please email info@revelation.com with your questions and comments, or post your comments on the WORKS discussion board on revelation.com. For those of you in the EMEA region, I’ll also be pleased to hear from you and to take your questions and comments.

Whilst in the OI WORKS downloads area, you’ll also notice that Revelation have also recently released a Patch for O4W, names 1.0a. This patch applies to the O4W component that ships with OpenInsight 9.2 and it addresses two issues:

1. In the O4W form runner, a ‘datepicker’ control generates a browser error when used with European formatted dates.
2. The URL used by the ‘on-line’ configuration of O4W for loading proper theme has changed.

>3 reasons to take a look at OI 9.2.

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As if you needed them, here are just three of the countless reasons why you, as a MultiValue developer, should be looking at OpenInsight 9.2. Using one fully integrated toolset, OpenInsight 9.2 now enables you to:

1. Very quickly and easily extend the life of your leading MultiValue applications for LAN, WAN and the Web deployments. Creating a web interface for your application can be done in just a few minutes using OpenInsight 9.2’s O4W.

2. Interact with the entire Windows world in the easiest ways possible. This includes consuming .NET controls, ActiveX controls, Widgets, API’s, Windows hardware, third party applications and more.
3. Seamlessly support multiple databases from within your application using OpenInsight 9.2’s data connectors. Currently supported databases include OpenInsight’s linear Hash, Rocket Software’s Universe and Unidata (U2), TigerLogic’s D3 and numerous flavours of SQL (including mySQL, MS SQL Server, Oracle, etc.). Support for Univision will follow in a few weeks time.

   This can enable you to enhance your users experience and workflow by aggregating disparate data sources into one interface, whilst continuing to maintain those separate islands of data. This ensures data integrity is retained, whilst enabling your application’s users to read, write and maintain those islands of data AND it enables the users of those islands of data to continue to work with them outside of your application, as they do now.

OK, so there is a fourth reason. Revelation Software has just recently released a free to use OpenInsight 9.2 evaluation version of the toolset – including the data connectors and O4W.

Mention this code (MDP92100810) and you’ll receive an installation key for a full 60 day period, rather than the usual 30 days.

>OI 9.2 Evaluation now available.

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Following the OpenInsight 9.2 commercial release, the 9.2 evaluation is now available for download via the RevUK web site.

If you have been waiting to try the new features in 9.2, then now is the time to grab the evaluation.

>Back to rumors of a SCM tool in 9.2x

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Well I’m now back from basking in the sun (mid 40’s Centigrade) and snorkeling over the Red Sea reefs in warm to hot water – fun. For those of you that are divers, Sharm El Sheik has some wonderful diving spots and those a little less adventurous; snorkeling with hundreds of fish over the inner reef is just amazing.

Anyway, annual vacation over and it’s back to work and back to some more OpenInsight development rumors. The first of which is very exciting as OpenInsight Source Code Management (SCM) tools were requested at the recent EMEA RUG in London and I hear that the guys at Revelation have been working on that request over the last couple of weeks.

My spies tell me that the SCM is invoked by simply setting an environment setting. The editor apparently saves a version of the code every time a program is saved or compiled, but only saved if it is different than the prior version. The versions of the source code are stored in a new table, with an associated ‘control’ table. Groups of code can be associated with version numbers, and an entire version can be rolled out for deployment, or rolled back and made the live version of the software. There’s also seems to be a comparison tool that lets a developer examine differences between different versions of code.

This new OpenInsight feature continues in development, but it is looking very exciting and I hope that many of you will find it hugely useful. It is certainly something that I have constantly been asked for over the last few years and it is great to, yet again, see that Revelation are listening to their developer community and delivering tools that are beneficial, rather than just fun to create.

Watch out for more on the SCM and more rumors about the next OpenInsight release as and when I learn about them.

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

>OpenInsight 9.x End-User Benefits

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Since the RUG and my road trip with Mike, I have had a number of requests for a document that details the benefits to end-users in the 9.x series. Whilst the majority of the benefits are for developers, there are a large number of enhancements that will benefit end-users.

I was planning on blogging the list, but the document grew to a size where this is not effectively possible. Revelation have packed so much into the 9.x release . For this reason and a few others, I am planning on making the document available on request. Please drop me an email to my usual address (or comment below) and I’ll get a copy to you via email.

The document itself is divided into two main sections. The first is divided into categories based on the tools and each benefit is listed with a few lines of explanation. The second section is a two page bullet point list that simply summarises the key points.

I hope that this will become useful for those of you, like me, who need to justify the annual license fee to your end-users who are currently on 8.0.8 or prior and who you now need to move into the 9.x series.

>Mike Ruane Kidnapped in London

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So, I let Mike out of my sight for one day whilst here in London last week and he gets himself into trouble.

Then, following a grilling about the new tools in OpenInisght 9.2, he produces a new ‘How-To’ video for OpenInsight 9.2’s brand new SQL Connector. This tool lets developers use SQL server data as if it were native MultiValue data, without having to learn SQL. Stick with the BASIC you know.

Well, along with O4W, I guess the connector was one of the big highlights of the week and it is set to open many new doors for Revelations VARs around the world.

>Upgrading to OpenInsight 9.2

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Following a hugely successful RUG and road trip around the UK last week (more on the RUG coming soon) and the release of OpenInsight 9.2, we have had a number of support requests from people new to OpenInsight for installation keys. This posting is therefore to remind everyone of the process to obtain the upgrade files and the authorisation key.

The first pre-requisite is that you have a current OpenInsight WORKS subscription. Please contact me if this is not the case. You then need to ascertain which version of OpenInsight you are running at the present time. If it is an older 7.x or 8.x version then you will need to cross-grade your runtime or Developer Class licenses, please contact me for more details about the cross-grade procedure.

Assuming you are simply upgrading your OpenInsight development system (W serial number) you will need to either obtain one of the single hit upgrades that are unofficially available (there is not currently one to jump from 7.x or 8.x to 9.2, but I will blog one if and when it is made available), or the appropriate upgrades from your current version to 9.2. The readme files identify which upgrades can be jumped, however I personally usually apply each in turn. Alternatively, there is a 9.2 full install in the WORKS area and this can be used for a single clean installation by those of you who wish to backup and restore your application/s into a fresh installation of OpenInsight.

Please note that the WORKS area includes both a 9.2 Full Install and also a 9.2 upgrade, so please be careful to download the right file.

Please also note that upgrades prior to 8.0.3 can be installed without an installation authorisation key, but upgrades from 8.0.3 require keys. The good news though is that you only need one key for the whole upgrade process.

OK, so the actual process:

1) Log into www.revelation.com with your unique username and password.

2) Locate the ‘WORKS Subscribers’ button on the left navigation bar and use it to enter the private WORKS area.

3) Next locate and click on the ‘Works Downloads’ link in the navigation panel and then choose ‘View All by date Posted’. This works fine for us at the present time, as the two upgrades appear at the top of this list. Otherwise you could select to display all by version.

4) Click on the full installation or upgrade page link to go to the license page.

5) Read and then accept the license to move on to the actual download page.

6) Review this page, but move straight to the OI92Install.exe icon at the bottom of the upgrade page and download the file, saving it to you local machine. Please also be sure to download and study the Installation Guide and Readme Guide as there is information in there about closing services, etc. before running the installation and installing the client files as part of the installation.

7) Move back to the top of the download page and locate the hyperlink to the ‘OpenInsight 9.2 Full Install / Upgrade Request Form. This launches the form that you will use to request your installation key.

8) Complete this form, being sure to complete all of the red labelled prompts, including your correct email address, serial number and a site name (reference to this license). If this is your development license (W serialised engine) then just enter Development License.

9) If you have already uploaded your OEngine.dll file DO NOT upload it again, just hit the save button and your request will be processed automatically and you will receive you code by email within a few minutes.

If you have not previously uploaded your OEngine.dll file for the system being upgraded, please locate your OEngine.dll file from within your OpenInsight folder and upload that now. This will invoke a manual registration process and you should receive your installation key within 24 hours (subject to the US office opening hours).

10) You then simply need to install the upgrade/s or full installation using the authorisation key where prompted.

Although the above ten steps sounds complicated on paper, it is actually very straight forward and (with the exception of the actual download time) the process of obtaining the upgrades and installation key should not take more than a few minutes.

However, please do not hesitate to contact your designated Revelation office should you require any assistance throughout this process.

>OpenInisght 9.2 Now Available.

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For those of you that might not have noticed, the final commercial release of OpenInsight 9.2 was made available to all OI WORKS subscribers on Thursday last week and a press release will be going out form the EMEA office ina few minutes.

This new release was very warmly received last week, both at the RUG and the various client meets that Mike and I had around the UK.

Some of the highlights were the enhancements to TCL for end-users and the connectors for SQL and D3 and of course O4W.

There are a number of documents available for the connectors and O4W and we have videos planned for the SQL connector, the D3 connector and I also have plans to turn the O4W Quick start guide into a series of videos over the coming weeks.

All OI WORKS subscribers have access to the new release through the WORKS area on www.revelation.com. If you are no longer a WORKS member and would like to get your hands on the new version, please contact me for WORKS renewal details.

>OpenInsight 9.2 now in final beta

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Overnight Revelation US has announced to their beta testers that the final OpenInsight 9.2 beta is now available for download from the beta site.

This final beta is the version that the company intends to put on general release on the 15th July 2010. In Mike’s email to the registered beta testers, he says that Revelation are very happy with this release and all of the functionality and features that it brings. He goes on to thank all of the beta testers for their time and feedback and I would like to take this opportunity to add my thanks to everyone involved with this release, both beta testers and the Revelation developers who have worked so hard to make this a great release.

Please remember that Mike will be in London on the 13th July for the next RUG. He will be reviewing 9.2 and also taking a note of your needs for 9.3 and beyond.

M.

>Yet another new OI connector goes into beta.

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As many of you will know, Revelation’s OpenInsight supports data connectors for Rocket Software’s (previously IBM’s) Universe and Unidata (U2) and also TigerLogic’s D3 databases.

However, a brand new data connector for Univision has just gone into beta and Revelation hope to release this shortly after the main 9.2 release mid July. Built on Revelation’s existing and proven connector technology, this new connector now means that Revelation supports data connectors for ‘five’ of the leading MultiValue (Pick) databases currently in use, as well as support for a variety of SQL databases.

These data connectors are shipped as part of the development suite meaning that there is nothing extra for you to purchase, other than your third party database licenses. Once configured, a job that usually take no more than a couple of minutes, these connectors enable developers to work with the OpenInsight toolset against the third party data just as if it was native OpenInsight data. This means that the entire OpenInsight toolset can be utilised against these databases: that includes the GUI design tools, the Powerful Systems Editor, the Data Warehouse, the Web Development Tools and much more.

Revelation are currently interested in talking to anyone running Universe, Unidata, D3 and Univision and who need to extend or modernise their current systems. Please contact Martyn in the first instance for more details or you can find out more about these connectors, and see them in operation at the forthcoming RUG in London on the 13th July. This is a free to attend event and you can register to attend on our website. Places are becoming limited, so please register as soon as possible.